Which Indian King/Historical event is most under appreciated in Indian History?

[scorpionx]

The State Library in Bangalore has a number of very old books that have caught my fancy - there are many which date back to the late 19th century!

I envy you Mr.Sarthak Ganguly. That place must be a treasure island of priceless books. By the way, I request you to give some names of those books which you might find interesting.

You will pleasantly surprised to know that many if not most historians are from Eastern India, especially Bengal.

No, I am not surprised at all. An unusual number of Bengalis did splendid pionering job in historical research starting from R D Bannerjee, Sir Jadunath Sarkar, Ramesh Chandra Dutta ( A Bengali Kayastha who first translated Rg Veda into Bengali) to Sarat Chandra Das (who traveled to Tibet in the mid 19th century and wrote a brilliant book on it). Perhaps this was the golden period of Bengali Intellectualism.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Long time no see, hope you are good. I remain a right winger with conviction though

Read a couple of books, one of Irfan Habib. Came to know a lot of stuff. Of course the conclusions in some places had bias, but then so did I read Sita Ram Goel.* He had his bias too. But facts remain facts, the nazariya remains different. @scorpionx - You will pleasantly surprised to know that many if not most historians are from Eastern India, especially Bengal.

This mid-November onwards will again get time to go through more books. The State Library in Bangalore has a number of very old books that have caught my fancy - there are many which date back to the late 19th century! They even have it printed in the first pages - "Reprinted in Bombay Lahore Madras Kolkata Karachi Delhi" ...and the smell. Never studied history after school, except for WW2, so these keep me busy now.

*Also came to know that its normal and called historiography.


Mine too. I like the word.

Including my relatives R. C. Majumdar and K. R. Qanungo. And I'm glad you have discovered historiography. I am away from my books, otherwise there are some fascinating books on historiography which should be required reading.

Incidentally, Goel makes for disturbing but compelling reading. I forced myself to read him, and it was a necessary corrective.

levina please don't let's get started, or you'll force me to appear before the company in sackcloth and ashes for being rude to younger people. Shall we call it quits and start over?

 

[Armstrong]

I really wish I had got access to broadband when this discussion was going on. After a long time, a sensible, fact-based one. It was a pleasure reading the contributions, but at the risk of offending @scorpionx , @levina and Buttsy the ever-victorious - actually, many others as well - I have to appreciate @SarthakGanguly . I've totally given up trying to understand the galoot or understand his politics.

Just want to say that this last thread was the balm of Gilead to a badly battered sensibility.

Its not just Buttsy !

Its Buttsy the Magnificent !

 

[Joe Shearer]

I envy you Mr.Sarthak Ganguly. That place must be a treasure island of priceless books. By the way, I request you to give some names of those books which you might find interesting.


No, I am not surprised at all. An unusual number of Bengalis did splendid pionering job in historical research starting from R D Bannerjee, Sir Jadunath Sarkar, Ramesh Chandra Dutta ( A Bengali Kayastha who first translated Rg Veda into Bengali) to Sarat Chandra Das (who traveled to Tibet in the mid 19th century and wrote a brilliant book on it). Perhaps this was the golden period of Bengali Intellectualism.

I happen to own a copy of Sarat Chandra Das' book, and it's a rip-roaring read, not in the conventional sense, but in the sense of being a gripping narration of a not very well known chapter of (?) history(?).

Its not just Buttsy !

Its Buttsy the Magnificent !

I called you Buttsy the ever-victorious. Even better than Magnificent, no?

 

[Armstrong]

I called you Buttsy the ever-victorious. Even better than Magnificent, no?

Ever-victorious doesn't sound right according to the Shakespearean English that you are used to using !

How about Buttsy the Indomitable ?

 

[SarthakGanguly]

That place must be a treasure island of priceless books.

It is. Most of the old books are not even touched by anyone else, so I can pick them up from the shelf exactly from the place I keet it last week. I will take a few pictures/copies of a few pages if allowed. I saw a 1929 map that was torn along its folds but had the 'full' India. From NWFP to Assam. Also pictures of HAL assembling American bombers around 1942! Oh and HAL's logo was Akhand Bharat and a ring around it. That logo they retained till 1954!

 

[Joe Shearer]

Ever-victorious doesn't sound right according to the Shakespearean English that you are used to using !

How about Buttsy the Indomitable ?

You do know how to offend! My English cannot be bound to a period or to a style. It is eclectic and broad-based.

 

[Armstrong]

It is. Most of the old books are not even touched by anyone else, so I can pick them up from the shelf exactly from the place I keet it last week. I will take a few pictures/copies of a few pages if allowed. I saw a 1929 map that was torn along its folds but had the 'full' India. From NWFP to Assam. Also pictures of HAL assembling American bombers around 1942! Oh and HAL's logo was Akhand Bharat and a ring around it. That logo they retained till 1954!

I saw such books at the Quaid-e-Azam Library; made me sneeze like hell - They might be dusted and clean and everything but something about books from the late 1800s messed up my sinuses !

 

[Joe Shearer]

It is. Most of the old books are not even touched by anyone else, so I can pick them up from the shelf exactly from the place I keet it last week. I will take a few pictures/copies of a few pages if allowed. I saw a 1929 map that was torn along its folds but had the 'full' India. From NWFP to Assam. Also pictures of HAL assembling American bombers around 1942! Oh and HAL's logo was Akhand Bharat and a ring around it. That logo they retained till 1954!

You might find the early history of HAL fascinating. The Sethji was quite a guy.

It is. Most of the old books are not even touched by anyone else, so I can pick them up from the shelf exactly from the place I keet it last week. I will take a few pictures/copies of a few pages if allowed. I saw a 1929 map that was torn along its folds but had the 'full' India. From NWFP to Assam. Also pictures of HAL assembling American bombers around 1942! Oh and HAL's logo was Akhand Bharat and a ring around it. That logo they retained till 1954!

How did that map show the borders of J&K? did they have the phony expanded boundary including Aksai Chin or was it the older, more authentic version?

 

[Armstrong]

You do know how to offend! My English cannot be bound to a period or to a style. It is eclectic and broad-based.

Me and 'offending' you ?

I'd consider performing Harakiri with a bent fork if that is your wish to atone for my behavior !

 

[Jaanbaz]

Gujrat riots.

 

[SarthakGanguly]

You might find the early history of HAL fascinating. The Sethji was quite a guy.

Yes, went to the HAL museum as well. Fascinating pictures. The initial directors were so impeccably dressed!

 

[Joe Shearer]

Me and 'offending' you ?

I'd consider performing Harakiri with a bent fork if that is your wish to atone for my behavior !

Please, please don't. What an appalling thought.

Gujrat riots.

And the same to you. (I agree with you, but it's none of your fucking business).

 

[Armstrong]

Please, please don't. What an appalling thought.

 

[KingMamba]

posting a leftist sicular version ain't gonna change the truth...

Lmao that was not written by a "leftist sickular" of India. It was written by an Anglo, probably a Christian and a few other Anglo Christians have also written about this subject.

@scorpionx may have already read this book as well- (Read specifically the spread of Islam in India section and copts of Egypt since you mentioned them). In summary of the Indian sections he states that at times conversion were by force but all those who converted by force just became Hindus again not soon after and even fought against later Muslim rulers. Not to mention for every Muslim king that had a forceful conversion policy there were others who allowed reversions (a few Mughal emperors like Akbar and Humayun come to mind) so that also led to Indians who were forced to return to Hinduism. He states that the lasting conversions were made in the Northwest (present day Pakistan) and along the coasts by missionaries who came from other Muslim lands. Then there were conversions due to political or tribal reasons as when a Raja or a tribal chief converted everyone under them followed them in converting. Then he also mentions of course the conversion of lower castes and their reason for converting is obvious and does not need to be stated.

The Preaching of Islam: A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith
Sir Thomas Walker Arnold

The Preaching of Islam: A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith - Sir Thomas Walker Arnold - Google Books