India Books

If you've found it difficult to understand the ancient teachings of India, Children of Immortal Bliss is for you. Hourihan's explanation of Vedanta, the mysticism of ancient India, develops ideas in easily understood terms.

Mysticism claims universality. Hourihan compares the teachings of outstanding mystics and finds parallel thoughts expressed in different terms. These thoughts have become the underlying foundation of every religion.

The teachings are ancient and the understanding thorough. Hourihan's elucidation of Vedanta, while especially designed for the Western mind, also and offers further understanding for those already familiar with Indian mysticism.

In his wonderful book, Children of Immortal Bliss, the late Paul Hourihan provides readers with an easy-to-understand introduction to fundamental truths of Vedanta, one of the six main schools of philosophy in Hinduism. Hourihan states the book provides readers, "a new perspective of our true identity based on the ancient Vedanta philosophy of India." Hourihan presents support for the universality of all religious truth and compares the spiritual traditions of such of philosophers as Lao Tzu, Meister Eckhart, Plotinus and mystical Sufism. Hourihan suggests that the purpose of life is to realize the divinity of humanity and the book concisely describes the path to escape from the prison of ignorance into enlightened consciousness. Children of Immortal Bliss is a treasure readers are sure to keep on their bookshelves and refer to again and again. I highly recommend this jewel for the spiritually inspired reader.

Once in a great while, a book comes along that contains such essential concepts that it strikes a universal chord and reveals what is true and sacred. Children of Immortal Bliss is such a book. It explores the core tenets of Vedanta (one of the six schools of Hinduism) from a philosophical and practical standpoint. Since its concepts are at the heart of every religion's mystical roots, the reader will recognize ideas that he or she has heard before, but it's the way the author frames them that makes them so accessible.


Written by Paul Hourihan (and edited by his wife, Anna), the book was transcribed from lecture notes and tapes of dozens of courses that he delivered over a fifteen-year period. Hourihan, an avid scholar of the various spiritual traditions and great mystics such as Christ, Buddha and Ramakrishna and a traveler on the spiritual path himself, had intended to publish his work, but was stopped short by a degenerative illness. After his death, his wife continued his work, recasting his course materials into a book. She does so with a light and discerning touch because Hourihan's voice comes through with such clarity that one feels that he is there to guide one personally, like a wise teacher whose presence illuminates an ocean of self-insight.


Children of Immortal Bliss invites the reader to dip her toe into that ocean and wade in a little at a time, stripping off the garments of indoctrination as she feels comfortable, shedding the unnecessary distractions and diversions of modern life and finally, becoming one with that vast sea that contains everything and nothing. At no point in the book does Hourihan insist that one must renounce the world to claim one's spiritual inheritance, rather he advises that by paring down the non-essentials, one can live in the world, yet not be constrained by it. As such, this is a practical spirituality that makes the ancient wisdom of the Vedic sages practicable in modern times.


In the final chapter of the book, Hourihan emphasizes the universality of Vedanta and traces expressions of its ideas through great mystics from Plotinus to Lao Tzu, from Meister Eckhart to the Sufis. Of all the sections in the book, this is my favorite because Hourihan shows us how the truth has always been accessible for those of us who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear, but has been cloaked by our tendency to take things literally and our lack of understanding of the spirit of the times and the mystic's cultural milieu.


This is a book that has within it a clear call to spiritual seekers everywhere to take up the path and discover the truth of our existence. Amidst the plethora of books on spirituality, it is a rare and compelling find. Children of Immortal Bliss is a consummate companion for the journey within--a book to be treasured, dog-eared, read and re-read and is the perfect size to tuck into a purse or briefcase.

Reviewed by Laura Ramirez
Author of Keepers Of The Children

A superlative volume showing in detail and with historic drawings, maps, and photos, as well modern illustrations and reconstructions the unsurpassed achievements of the Mughal in residential garden architecture. The riverbanks of the Yamuna River as it passes through Agra was where this artistic impulse achieved culmination in the seventeenth century garden residences and tombs sponsored by the nobles and rulers of the Mughal state and built by the craftsmen of India. One of the signal contributions of this book is the inclusion of the stories of the architects, carpenters, and masons who left their signatures and marks on the individual elements of the overall project. The residential and tomb gardens which stretched along the river and are now mostly gone gave way at midpoint to the grandest residence of all, the Red Fort which remains today the second greatest landmark of Agra. And at the southern end of the development stands today the greatest tomb ever built, one of the architectural wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. The work is so complete that it documents not only the construction efforts but also the tourism that followed and the depth to which the Taj Mahal became embedded in the consciousness of the world. The culmination of three decades of meticulous research this substantial volume tells an engrossing story of the planning, development, and eventual decline of a unique garden city. It more than fulfills the adjective "complete" and should be in the library of anyone fascinated by the Taj Mahal, not just historians and architects. A truly extraordinary accomplishment.

Having read a number of books about the Taj Mahal, including the recently published one by the Prestons, I would bet good money that if given a copy of Ebba Koch's book to preview, those truly interested in India's national treasure will buy THE COMPLETE TAJ MAHAL, even if they have to skip lattes or lunches to afford it, even if they have already done so to afford Okada/Joshi/Nou's Taj Mahal with its stunning photography.

One reason, of course, is that TCTM is so complete. To others' overviews of the material covered, I would add only that Koch does not neglect the human element. For example, in eight introductory pages of text, Koch provides excellent background information about Shah Jahan, his wife and his predecessors; later, she details Jahan's passion for building. Koch also includes interesting information about the artisans, craftsmen and laborers who did the actual work as well as details about others associated with the Taj-related structures/gardens of Agra. Further humanizing the story of this garden city are colorful Mughal paintings of its nobility and rulers.

Another aspect of TCTM that makes it a must-have are the many photographs of sites, structures and architectural ornamentation, photographs "The Hindu" declared "often brilliant" as well as "judiciously chosen." Just how apt these descriptions are is suggested by the following: There were only seven pages of O/J/Nou's photographic extravaganza of the Taj complex that I photocopied to tuck into Koch's book, and of them, five were additional close-ups of floral inlays and calligraphy. Adding to the appeal of TCTM is that the camera goes beyond the splendors of the Taj complex. Of special interest to those who have been in Agra, for instance, will be the realistic photographs of the Taj Mahal peeking above the "agglomeration of haphazard constructions" that have "almost obliterated" its bazaar and caravanserai. Shown, too, are its architectural precedents as well as artisan workshops and quarries. Though most of the photographs in this book are in color, even those in black and white are revealing.

Also making TCTM next to impossible to resist are the "company drawings," most of which are in color as well. Forerunners of postcards, they were "made by local artists in the early days of the Raj" for European tourists, who bought them "to illustrate their journals." Works of art in themselves, often the drawings are so detailed that they could easily be photographs. But they do not serve as mere eye candy: many are of Taj-related structures that no longer exist or have been stripped of all that made them magnificent; some are juxtaposed with recent photographs to show the toll time has taken on the brilliance of color and intricacy of design. Evocative paintings and watercolors of the Taj Mahal by foreign artists are included as well.

What may ultimately sell people on TCTM, however, is that it is a book they will actually enjoy reading much if not all of. Not only is Koch's narrative writing fluid and easy-to-digest. Even her descriptions of architecture will be relatively easy for laymen to understand, provided that they are willling to refer to the glossary of terms and look at the many visual aids, including Barraud's "precise and clear" line drawings, that accompany the text. So well done is this book, in fact, that as "The Hindu" noted, even "information which is more technical and not at face value so interesting to general readers will, in fact, be found by them to be equally absorbing." (All I would personally exclude from this are the two pages of precise measurements of the Taj complex.)

To another reviewer's assertion that TCTM is a book that "should be in the library of anyone fascinated by the Taj Mahal, not just historians and architects," I add a thousand "Amen's." --B. Evans, 4/14/07

Having visited the Taj Mahal, I wanted to have an authoritative book on the history behind its construction and this book is not only an excellent souce, but also a very good photographic record of this amazing Wonder of the World!

This book is a 'must read' for any person who wants to develop accurate insight into Sikh politics of identity. Harjot Oberoi traces the origins of evolving "Sikh" identity giving indisputable historical evidence. This is a very well researched work providing fooproof academic references. The book clearly demonstrates the very idea of separate "Sikh" identity is preposterous, largely derived out of colonial mischief to create schism in collective identity of non-Muslim Punjabis. The important players in this colonial mischief were Tat Khalsa , Singh Sabha and a talented British colonial administrator Macaullife. The reinvention of Sikhism along the lines of an episcopal Greeco-Roman cult was a deliberate ploy of the colonialists to create further fragemtation in the collective Punjabi psyche. The ready takers of this theory was generation of British taught "Sikhs" , who had a political agenda of their own. The tragedy today is that what is inaccurately knows as "Sikh" discourse is largely dictated by a fascist vociferous minority of Singh Sabha variety of neo-Sikhs. This fascist minority of neo-Sikhs uses aggressive proaganda and even threats of violence to scare away all objective and neutral scrutiny of its politically motivated interpretation of Sikh scriptures and historical narrative. The planks of this fascist and violent Singh Sabha variety of neo-Sikh minority are ironically drawn from a Marxist grand narrative about the evolution of Indic spiritual and social traditions.

Harjot Oberoi has had to face unnecessary persecution and threats of violence from this fascist neo-Sikh minority which wants to gag all voices that question its politically motivated supremacist expropriation of the entire of Sikh tradition.

Scholars like Harjot Oberoi are few and far between when it comes to the world of Sikh Studies. His work needs to be commended and given full recognition, especially given the fact he is a possible target of violence from the very same fascist neo-Sikh minority which also decorates the pictures of dreaded terrorists and extermists in the Sikh temples in the West.

This book should be a compulsory reading in all of the university curricula dealing with Sikh studies. This book also provides insightful clues about the problem of worldwide ethno-religious terrorism. Harjot Oberoi demarcates the typologies and taxonomies of the "Sikh" politics of identity of late 19th and early 20th centuries which later led to "Sikh" terrorists commit heinous and dastardly murders in Punjab in 1980s. Harjot Oberoi lays bare the ideological provenance of this malevolent movement that almost caused another holocaust in Punjab after the one in 1947.

I ordered Oberoi's book and read the nearly 500 page account in two straight days. It was so compelling a narrative for someone who grew up in Punjab and grappled with the issues of amorphous identities. The phase in Punjab where "Sikh" terrorists separated "Hindus" from buses and mowed them down was the ultimate (and painful) end-point of the Singh Sabha movement that Oberoi documents. This is because a hundred and fifty years ago it is unlikely that the religious labels in quotes above could be adequately defined and even now, despite everything, religious identities in Punjab remain amorphous.

Oberoi documents how a colonial elite in the late 19th and early 20th century carved out a Sikh identity by negating the spectrum of lived religious experiences for the common people for which the distinctions between "Sikh" and "Hindu" were not so easy to define. In other words, religion did not have the separative meaning as it did to the Europeans who provided the framework for this re-imaging. Yet, under pressure from social changes as well as tacit encouragement by the colonial state (particularly the British Army that needed the "Martial Race"), the Singh Sabha and Tat Khalsa managed to create a new religion moulded on the lines of a Semitic faith.

The real tragedy, of course, is how so many people who call themselves Sikhs today have internalized this engineering of their panth as a narrow closed "religion" -- intolerant of its inherent diversity and amorphousness that characterized it as an Indic tradition -- so much so that Oberoi was forced to leave the Sikh studies chair at UBC for this work. These neo-Sikhs, as Oberoi calls them, guard this engineered identity (what I would even call a "Christianized Sikhism") as if it is their tradition, while it is this precise attachment to temporal identity that had led Guru Nanak to say -- I am neither Hindu nor Turk. And He would now have to add, nor Sikh.

Harjot Oberoi, along with several other scholars of Sikh studies - including W.H. McLeod, Pashaura Singh, and Gurinder Singh Mann - has been the recipient of much unfair criticism for authoring scholarship that dares to run counter to Sikh tradition.

Sikhs desperately need to realize that scholarship is of little value unless it is free to disagree with tradition.

The hostility with which scholars of Sikh studies have been greeted every time they deviate from tradition threatens to repel scholars of repute from the area of Sikh studies. Sadly, such a trend is already visible today.

Criticism of scholars must be aimed at assessing rather than silencing.

Oberoi is perhaps the most articulate Sikh scholar of Sikh studies to emerge in recent times and deserves to be read.

In this book, Oberoi makes a potent case for the idea that the boundary between Sikhism and Hinduism was fortified - and in some cases manufactured - during the Singh Sabha period (late 1800s to early 1900s).

I didnt even particualry like indian cuisine when this was given as a gift to me given my exposure to non-descript marsalas and confused blends of spices from the south. this book was originally part of a gift pack with all the spices named in it--amchoor, fenugreek, yellow mustard seeds, cardamom pods, black sesame seeds, panchforan, etc. They are easy enough to obtain now if you live near an indian grocery. They make a good case for grinding your own spices and, if you have a few extra hands ot help, you will never go back. The recipies are mostly northern indian, more grilled meats, lively vegatable casseroles, and a variety of starches that are exceptionally good. the only restaurant i have seen similar recipes in is the top rated Zaika in london. Recipes for Trout, lamb, chicken, cauliflower, green breans, are all fabulous.

Having travelled to India on four occasions and frequenting a large variety of Indian restauraunts here in the States, I feel on fairly solid ground when I say that the recipes and techniques described in these pages will yield authentic Indian cuisine. This book is certainly worth owning if you want to produce your own Indian food.

Several years ago I saw this advertized in a PBS catalogue. I received this as a gift and have always been grateful. In just 128 pages, one can learn a great deal about India, it's foods and its aromatic spices. My life has not been the same. I love cardamon, drinK lassi's and just wander through the pages frequently for inspiration. I made Chai (spiced milk tea) before it was the rage.In fact, I just came back from India, and this is the first thing I picked up to read. My book came with a kit of spices. I understand that the company went out of business. Sad, for the kit was a real treat and one I would give for gifts if it were still around. If you like to cook and like spices, then this is one for you.

If you own just one curry cookbook, this should be that book! Recipes are well explained, easy to follow, and each is accompanied with a detailed color photograph. I am a novice curry "chef" and after scouring the local public libraries for comprehensive but easy-to-follow curry cookbooks, I found this one at Amazon and now look no further! From basic to more complex, each recipe brings a bit of "fire and spice" to the kitchen, and palate. This is a book curry lovers should not be without!

I had this book on my Amazon wishlist and got it for Christmas. I couldn't be more pleased. I made Kashmiri Chicken & Potatos with Saffron Rice last night and it was delicious! The recipes are very easy to follow. Don't let this book fool you, not only are there tons of curry recipes, but rice bread & veggie recipies as well. This book also shows you how to make your own curry pastes and powders as well as an "about" section for the exotic and even not so exotic ingredients you'll be using. I'd highly recommend this book for anyone who is a connoisseur of far eastern cuisine.

If you are looking for an easy to use authentic curry cookbook, then do not hesitate to buy this one.

This is my favorite collection of Indian cooking. The recipes cover a wide variety of foods, including soups, appetizers, rice, veggie dishes, and meat dishes. I particularly love the rice and cauliflower dishes. My friends are always impressed when I make a feast of Indian food from this cook book. The pictures are great too. The only criticism I have is that the recipes are written in the metric system.

If you want to cook curry like you'd get in a UK curry house, this is the book you need. There are no substitutes. A lot of curry authors give you recipes their Auntie used. This is not what you get in a restaurant. This book teaches you how to make a bucketfull of the curry 'gravy' they use in most restaurants, and how to adapt it to your favourite curry.

In no time you'll be making curries in 30mins that beat the ones you love from your local curry house.

One word of advice, make sure you put the lid firmly on the blender when liquidising curry sauce.

Curries made simple. Finally! This is a wonderful representation of the most popular curries along with sauces, starters and deserts.

This book is full of mouthwatering photos which is the only way you can decide which of the hundreds of recipes to choose from.

A basic for every kitchen.

I have owned this book for at least seven years now, and it continues to astonish me. These poems are brief, simple, universal, and beautifully translated. Most notably, Andrew Schelling spotlights Vidya, a poet that should take her rightful place beside Sappho and Japan's Lady Komachi. Although she wrote a thousand or more years ago, you read her and she comes to glorious life with what is, for me, some of the most erotic poetry ever written. Rapturous. Don't miss it.

Much of the available poetry translated from Sanskrit is still translations from the colonial period - translations which are accurate but stilted to our ears. Andrew Schelling has produced a translation which reads as poetry - as poetry that can be enjoyed without any cultural introduction - that can be enjoyed even more if one knows something of its context. An example: "Unable to cast / a semblance / of my girl's face, her dark eyes, / no doubt the moon / is reshaping its cold / disc, only / again to dissolve it"

Exquisite poetry in Sanskrit, exquisite poetry in English. Translations such as this create an easy bridge across cultures - and a step towards less European artistic norms.

The translation appears highly contemporized but the beauty of the sentiment comes through. I throughly enjoyed reading all the poems and continue to marvel at the power and transcendability of poetry written 2000 years ago. Have bought extra copies to give as gifts. Well worth the wait.

Yaseem lari is one of my favorite authors because her topics and writing style have a personal effect on me. I am also a Lari but that has nothing to do with anything...
The reason i chose to read this book was because i was born in Karachi and i wanted to learn about the wonderful city that i was from. This book does an wonderful job in describing the climate and history of the largest city in Pakistan. If you are not interested in such a topic then i don't reccomend reading this book but if u want to get an idea of Karachi and the changes it went through its history then its a great book for you!

This is a must read for anyone interested in Karachi and its history. I highly reccomend this book.

Disclaimer: Yasmeen and Mihail Lari are related to my wife. Regardless, I am going to provide as objective a review as I can.

I throughly enjoyed what I have read in this book so far! The maps, the illustrations, the descriptions, make this book come alive in a way that makes it simply a joy to read. Particularly if you have lived in Karachi for any length of time.

I have often seen that the inhabitants of a city - any city - are often the least knowledgeable of the history of their locale. This is not very surprising, I suppose, because there is a tendency to assume that "I already know my home town"! I find this book (and other history books that relate to my country!) opens up new revelations and provides knowledge that I simply did not have about Karachi.

I throughly recommend this book to everybody, particularly if you have any acquaintance with the region or the city. The book covers details that are not found elsewhere.

Both a seer and an artist, Bruce Luther's Elements Of Creation is a fascinating and engaging autobiographical memoir, presenting a journey of circles -- of his discovering the cycles that embody life, space, time, thought, and death. Seemingly conflicting choices beckon at every turn, testing the human ability to remember the right path. A soulful and moving metaphysical presentation of the author's own life, Elements Of Creation is highly recommended, challenging, insightful reading.

In his autobiographical page-turner, Elements of Creation, Author and seeker Bruce Luther offers a tale of discovery that kept this reviewer revitted. That discovery occurred in India...and it forever changed his life.

Bruce Luther found the circle of life, the body in time. He writes, "The body is a vehicle for an awareness in which to experience reality. The body shifts space and time and moves it so that the awareness has a vehicle in which to see materiality. Just like the water passing by the hull of the boat, as one we pass through this awareness, the contact we make with reality has a startling impact on our direction."

Elements of Creation takes the reader, as it did the author, in and out of time cycles...sometimes into the past, and sometimes into the future. They can reveal "...every experience we have had and those yet to come." Like watching a motion picture, awareness of choices unreel exposing selections "...made from our core being, before we take a body." And so we learn that the circle of life is not life and death, but a test of our ability to remember our way."

Bruce Luther is a seer and painter. Elements of Creation is his canvas and the reader finds his words are bright splashes of color representing images he's seen since childhood. His journey into the circle dance unveiled the validation of his direction. Elements of Creation will hold you, shock you, awaken you and rid you of the beast that blocks your way to attainment!

Elements of Creation is a transformative book presenting the idea that your life is not your body, your experiences, or even an apparition. While reading this reviewer was nudged into a state of introspective meditation with a burning question-what is true reality?
The author is initiated into The Circle Dance and encounters The Beast while traveling in India with a companion. During the trip Luther discovered a mind-bending new reality about life, our body, and the concept of time and space.
With postulations such as, 'Death is a symptom of paying too much attention to time,' Reader, fasten your seat belt. It's a brilliant work, and an exciting, wondrous trip!

Arun Shourie is once more at his cutting best in this exposé of the devious ways in which the cabal of "Eminent Historians" manipulate, massage, and murder History with all their undertones of Marxist ideology, masquerading a shabby brand of secularism.

Here you will find the excesses of such "eminences" as Romila Thappar, Satish Chandra, Irfaan Habib, R S Sharma, and an assortment of fellow travellers. A veritable brood who have cornered the writing of History as seen though their own warped, pinko tinted spectacles. And for this "service" to scholarship, the brood has lost no opportunity to monopolise state largess, siphon off grants for various projects without delivering. The few times this pretend-busy brood has deigned to deliver, then the output of any "research" has been so immersed in the ideology prescribed by some foreign, totalitarian, failed Party and State, that it defies the description of scholarship.

No wonder that none of the eminences or their intellectual offspring have had the guts to respond to the issues that Shourie raises here. They deploy the same strategy as they do in their historical "researches" - first ignore it, then decry it as petty, from an amateur, hurl personal insults, falsify facts.

Remember: these "eminences" have made a career out of claiming that Aurangzeb was a just ruler, that the Caste System was the sole reason for India's problems, that Islam brought equality, that the systematic destruction of countless temples was an economic exercise and had absolutely nothing to do with the hatred and contempt that the Islamic invaders had for Indian culture and traditions.

For "eminences" who deny the history as written by the chroniclers themselves of the invasions, of pillage, of destruction, of the rape that they carried out in honour of their iconoclasm, it is easy to falsify even recent history like the events around partition; like the Ramjanambhoomi dispute; like Secularism and minority rights.

Shourie's book is an excellent antidote to the .... from these eminences that still passes off as "academic research". It is shameful that the likes of Thappar still warrant respect in the academic community. But, the good news is that their time is nigh! Shourie and others like him are making sure of it.

"Eminent Historians: Their Techniques, Their Line, Their Fraud" is arguably the most important book published in India since 1947. Arun Shourie is the author of 14 other books, several of them brilliant exposé of the Indian Communist party's long-standing anti-national policies, the foreign Christian missionaries' covert activities in India, and the Congress party's corruption and pseudo-secular policies that culminated in the massacre of thousands of innocent Sikhs in Delhi in 1984.

His writings have won him major awards including the International Editor of the Year.
"Eminent Historians," the ironic title of his latest book comes from the self-description a group of Marxist historians, most of them academics, arrogated for themselves while signing a newspaper petition during the Ayodhya controversy. The Marxist party line is to project Hindus as exploitative feudalists and Muslims as liberators!

Arun Shourie's major thesis: During the past fifty years, "this bunch of Marxist historians have been suppressing facts, inventing lies, perverting discourse, and derailing public policy" by seizing control of institutions such as the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), the National Council of Educational Research Training (NCERT), large parts of Indian academia, and nearly all of the English-media newspapers and publishing houses.

Included as principals in this group of Marxist historians are Romila Thapar, Satish Chandra, K.M. Shrimali, K.M.Pannikar, R.S. Sharma, D. N. Jha, Gyanendra Pandey, and Irfan Habib. This group has, Shourie charges, "worked a diabolic inversion: the inclusive religion [Hinduism], the pluralist spiritual search of our people and land, they have projected as intolerant, narrow-minded, obscurantist; and the exclusivist, totalitarian, revelatory religions and ideologies -- Islam, Christianity, Marxism-Leninism-- they have made out to be the epitome of tolerance, open-mindedness, democracy, secularism!" By promoting each other's publications and puffing up their reputations, this group has long been "determining what is politically correct." One measure of the insidious control these "verbal terrorists" have been exercising over the English-medium publishing industry in India is that Arun Shourie, despite his huge readership, had to self-publish his books.

For several decades, these "eminent historians" have striven hard to continually denigrate Hindu cultural history, the oldest surviving civilization in the world, by "blackening the Hindu period and whitewashing the Islamic period." Indeed, Shourie should have challenged them to refute American historian Will Durant's assertion in his `The Story of Civilization": "The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex and freedom can at any moment be overthrown by barbarians invading from without and multiplying from within." Or that of French historian Alain Danielou's statement, in his Histoire de l' Inde : "From the time Muslims started arriving, around 632 AD, the history of India becomes a long, monotonous series of murders, massacres, spoilations, destructions. It is, as usual, in the name of 'a holy war' of their faith, of their sole God, that the barbarians have destroyed civilisations, wiped out entire races."

As the book's subtitle promises, Shourie succeeds in unmasking these self-proclaimed eminents of "their technology, their line, their fraud" by focusing on specifics as exemplified below: his own television debates with some of these "eminent historians"; their failures to respond to published challenges by historians and scholars of persuasions other than Marxist; their documented efforts at distorting established historical evidence.

In July 1998, Manoj Raghuvanshi, host of a popular ZEE TV program called Aap ki Adalat, Aap ka Faisla (Your Court, You Judge) invited Arun Shourie and one of the "eminents," K. L. Shrimali. Raghuvanshi posed the question first to Shrimali whether Aurangzeb was a religious bigot. Despite Raghuvanshi's repeating the question, Shrimali gave no clear answer, only asserting that Aurangzeb's court had many Hindu nobles. Shourie countered this by pointing out that there were many Indians among the persons honored by the British with titles - - and both for the same reason. In Shourie's words: "How does this wipe away the destruction of Hindu temples by Aurangzeb? Aurangzeb had entertained no doubt about the fact that his primary impluse was the religious one. And that he faithfully implemented an essential element of his religion, Islam, that is to destroy the places of worship of other religions." As evidence, Shourie read out several passages from Sita Ram Goel's book Hindu Temples: What Happened to Them, The Islamic Evidence. All Shrimali could mumble was that it was a "questionable source." When Shourie pressed the point that the source was the Akhbarat (Newsletter) of the Court of Aurangzeb himself written on the very day the news reached the court, the "eminent" historian merely repeated "questionable source." Shourie comments: "So, when an 'eminent' historian says that the sources were questionable, they must be questionable" - - this is their technology when cornered."

Satish Chandra's Medieval History, a textbook for Class XI students, asserts that "sometimes Sufi saints also played a role although they were generally unconcerned with conversions." Shourie comments: "If this eminent historian were to read the accounts of these Sufis, he would learn how they acted as the advance scouts of the armies of Islam!" In NCERT sponsored books, notes Shourie, "Two sentences from the Koran: 'To you your religion, to me mine,' and 'There is no compulsion in religion' which are flatly over-run by the text itself, to say nothing of the entire history of Islamic rule over 1400 years, those two sentences are flaunted as proof-positive of Islam being not just committed to peace and tolerance, they are proof that it is The Religion of Peace and Tolerance!"

Unfortunately, it will take a long time for undoing the harm done by the pseudo-secular historians to the Indian psyche: "they have used these institutions to sow in the minds of our people [the Hindus] the seeds of self-hatred."

For anyone interested in contemporary India, this is a must-read book.

This book is more than a book - it is a milstone in the history of history-writing in India. It contributed heavily to the on-going debate about distortions in Indian history, and put several academecians on the defensive. It is possible that sometime in future, this book will be identified as a turning point in Indian education also.
The book explains how a group of academic historians, of Marxist persuasion, has been tweaking Indian history and also lining its own pockets in the process. Shri Shourie backs his arguments with definite facts and impeccable logic. The narrative becomes livelier because he also brings in short side-stories describing the debates that went on during his research. The book also describes some of the distortions of history and how they have affected Indian psyche and contributed to the current political fury, sometimes described as Hindutva 'fundamentalism'.
Unfortunately, the book suffers from repetitions. An earlier argument or sequence is sometimes repeated again later on, sometimes even thrice. This is perhaps integral to the author's style of writing -- he wants to make sure that you are finally convinced, with no room for squirming out. Fortunately, the book is not as long as some of his other efforts.
Curiously, the author, a highly respected and famous investigative journalist, believed in Communism till 1980's and was proudly paraded at Marxist gatherings. Then his political thinking changed and he started writing against Marxists and other divisive groups, who generally are critical of most things Indian. In the '90s he formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and went on to become a Central Cabinet Minister. He has continued writing, and is currently considered to be a formidable opponent of Marxism.
I discovered this book because it had been brutally criticised in the Outlook magazine, and that made me curious. It took me nearly two weeks to read (it makes for fairly heavy reading), but the labor was well-worth the insights I obtained. Since then I had to buy an extra copy because people kept borrowing my copy, and I could not find it when I needed it myself!
Overall, an excellent introduction to the current Indian debate on history, and a good buy for those interested in Indian history.