The Book 'The Indians - Histories of a Civilization' Talks about the Transition of Indian Civilization over the Years!

What transpires into a rich tapestry of India and the cultural significance it holds is beyond time. The country holds a strong narrative of a regional, lingual, cultural, climatic and societal shift from the time of Nomadic Pastoralists to the modern-day man. The book book 'The Indians -  Histories of a Civilization' edited by Ganesh Devy, Tony Joseph and Ravi Korisettar features 7 parts and 101 chapters written by a collective of scholars from the fields of history and archaeology. The participation also involves inputs from various institutes of Indology and archaeology giving a comprehensive narrative of India’s past, spanning the earliest prehistory, protohistory and history of India. 

The book truly mentions the transition of humankind over the years. It begins with people coming in and ends with people moving out to other countries from the Indian diaspora, mentions Ganesh Devy, one of the editors of the book in an interaction with Local Samosa. The language of the book is a little too heavy as it is researched and written by scholars. The texts may seem a bit high-end for early readers but it is fit for everybody whether a rookie reader or a veteran as the subjects are relatable. The 7 parts of the book are strategically divided into the timeline of history, different geographies, cultures and political movements. It’s an enchanting dive into Indian history but with in-depth research from scholars of particular fields. 

The first part of the book talks about the evolution of humans and their life conditions spanning chapters on the early Indian population, the migration that shaped Indian demography, weather patterns, anthropology and others. The second part gives insights about the primaeval hunter, domestication of animals, Indus civilization rise and decline of urban habits, varna and jati in the Indian system along with other prominent foundations, emergence, and decline of civilizations. 

Moving on to the third part, the book mentions the languages and philosophies in ancient India. It sheds light on the history of languages like Sanskrit, Prakrit, Indo-Iranian, Pali literature, Brahmi script, Dravidian language family and others. “The part explores how city civilization and the new language started making new colours of society and creating a new philosophy,” says Ganesh Devy who is also the Director of the Centre for Civilisation Studies at Somaiya Vidyavihar University. The fourth part transitions into various cultures, sub-nationalities and regions of the Indian diaspora which includes transitions and stories about almost all the states in India. This segment is an elaborative approach considering the number of regions and nationalities India has. The fifth part is albeit light with a subject focus on colonialism and its impact on the Indian economy, its interactions and perceptions.

As we move on to the sixth part, the chapters talk about federalism, socio-political movements like the freedom struggle movements, stories of various political leaders and freedom fighters and the Adivasi movements. The last and final part of the book culminates with the rise of India since independence covering topics on the rise of identity politics, Nehruvian India, urbanism in India and India since liberalization. 

Whole and sole each part is a separate niche of its own but together bind the entire book stating the timeline of the Indian civilization in a brief narrative manner. The editors have tried to provide a brief idea of how our civilisation has changed and shaped itself over the years in a descriptive manner.