A History of India

Rating:
Summary: Outdated History Book
Review: After advent of "Orientalism" by Edward Said, the playing field is even. This Book by Romila Thapar is an Outdated Marxist Rhetoric/

Rating:
Summary: Outdated History Book
Review: After advent of "Orientalism" by Edward Said, the playing field is even. This Book by Romila Thapar is an Outdated Marxist Rhetoric/

Rating:
Summary: Not Marxist or outdated
Review: I'm not saying Thapar's book is or is not the best introduction to Indian history, but the criticism of the book as Marxist is unfair. I have no idea if Thapar is a Marxist personally, but it doesn't show in this informative and easy to read book. The book discusses economic developments, but not in a heavy-handed way and without detracting from the more prominently discussed political history. It's like any other work of history. Similarly, while it's true that the book doesn't include more recent archeological work, especially in discussing ancient India, that work is not really critical to a short introduction, which is what this book is. A revision would be great, but the book is still very good.

Rating:
Summary: Not Marxist or outdated
Review: I'm not saying Thapar's book is or is not the best introduction to Indian history, but the criticism of the book as Marxist is unfair. I have no idea if Thapar is a Marxist personally, but it doesn't show in this informative and easy to read book. The book discusses economic developments, but not in a heavy-handed way and without detracting from the more prominently discussed political history. It's like any other work of history. Similarly, while it's true that the book doesn't include more recent archeological work, especially in discussing ancient India, that work is not really critical to a short introduction, which is what this book is. A revision would be great, but the book is still very good.

Rating:
Summary: Marxist pap marketed as History!
Review: Imagine, if you will...Romila writing a History of Europe from the 15th to the 19th Centuries. The book would be a marvel of fiction, centering on a litany of the ills that the supposedly "high caste" Church imposed on its subjects. The rigid Church hierarchy imposed a strict code, the breaking of which led to being "out casted". Then, along comes a reforming hero, in the shape of Henry the Eighth and takes on the enemy in true cavalier fashion. Meanwhile, according to Thappar, the innovators of the steam engine, of the principles of Industrial Engineering, of sea navigation, of scientific discoveries would be no better than the religious masters. They too subjugate the common people, forcing them to all kind of heinous things like improving production, advancing mobility, creating wealth, etc. The people's response is to fight back! They turn to a reforming and egalitarian Religion called Communism.

On could go on...

The gist is simple: replace the Church with the Bhramins, Henry with any of the Hindu saints, the innovators and inventors with the hard working and civilised people of India, and Communism with the marauding hordes of Ghaznavi, Tughluq, and Babur. And Voila! You have Indian History a la Thappar.

In short, if you want a HEAVY dose of discredited Marxist propaganda, conviniently couched in "pseudo-secularist" babble, take this book or other from the JNU stable seriously! Else, look elsewhere. From the four and five star ratings in this section, it is clear that some misguided college teachers still consider this trash worth using in class. It will take years to undo the damage Thappar and her band have done to Scholarship.

There's plenty of good alternative stuff in the bookshop - seek it out!

Rating:
Summary: The Best History Book on India
Review: Little interesting narrative and mostly high-falutin' theory. Not history as it happened, but history as seen through pinko glasses. One doesn't see the need for polemics and rhetoric in a history book. You'll most likely be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Romila's history
Review: Romila Thapar is infamous for her ideological view of Indian History. This book is an interesting study of that ideology and how it affects the reading (and writing) of history, more than an account of history itself.

Rating:
Summary: An objective view of caste and economics
Review: Romila Thapar is one of the leading Indian historians. Her earliest book, which was very well received academically, was on the emperor Asoka. Her subsequent writings have elaborated the effects of economics on Indian history more than other historians have done, but while she may draw on Marx for some insights, she cannot be written off as a "Marxist." Paul Samuelson, Robert Solow, and Amartya Sen, all Nobel prize-winning economists, also use Marx to aid their interpretations of society when he makes sense.

Ms Thapar also writes cogently about that a topic that is very sensitive for Indians, namely, caste, and the effects of that system on Indian society through the ages. Some of her comments or interpretations on this subject may not please everyone, but the effect of this system in keeping down, frequently in a brutal manner, persons considered to be of lower caste, has been quite pernicious in Indian history. It is no good taking an ostrich-like attitude towards this topic, or going into denial, which some of my fellow Indians are prone to do.

This book could certainly be updated, but even as it stands it is a good introduction to Indian history.

Rating:
Summary: A must for any serious student of Indian history
Review: Romila Thapar is the person to start with if u want an overview of Indian history. She does not concentrate so much on personalities as she does on the society of the relevant eras. Highly readable and certainly the best book of Indian history that I have read so far.

Rating:
Summary: An objective view of caste and economics
Review: The above rating would more accurately be 3.5 stars.
This book is not the best introduction to Indian history, but it is certainly not a bad one. The writing is good, concise and readable, and Ms. Thapar does a good job avoiding being overly academic. A good introduction and a worthwhile read if one is interested in Indian history.
Reccommended.