What a brilliant book by Prof Nayanjot Lahiri (History Dept in Delhi Univ). It was recommended by Dr Ram Guha in one of his interviews while promoting his new book Gandhi before India. Dr Guha said that there are some brilliant historians writing some amazing books but do not get the desired attention.
The historian in me was immediately stirred hearing the title. And was not one bit disappointed. It is written in Guha’s style of many characters together converging to tell a common story — the discovery of indus valley civilization.
The book narrates this fascinating tale of how India’s archaeologists discovered Indus valley civilisation in 1920’s. There were few historians who pointed to early evidence that there could be something startling beneath the mounds, but like everything has its time it just waited to be discovered. Under the aegis of John Marshall, who headed Archaeological Survey of India these cities were found and shocked the world. It was all via this chaotic and very Indian way to do things.
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