Books

Rewriting Indian History

India’s history was mostly written on the basis of archaeological and linguistic discoveries made by the British in colonial times, or by historians employed by the English, such as Max Mueller. But the British, who were the Masters in India, had a vested interest to show that Indian civilisation was not as ancient and as great as it was earlier thought. For, up to the 18th century, philosophers and thinkers in Europe, such as Voltaire, Hegel and even as late as Nietzsche, kept referring to Indian philosophy and science, as the mother of all philosophies and sciences.

tags: ait francois-gautier history

On India's Ancient Past

India's past is so ancient and has been so influential in the rise of civilisation and religion, at least for almost everyone in the Old World, that most people can claim it actually to be the earliest part of our own odyssey.

History has been called a review of the crimes and follies of mankind. One can learn from these trials and errors, as well as from the solutions enacted by great figures of India's past. There are also many lessons of true diplomacy and human wisdom to be had from the great ancient scripts, prose-poems, epics and revelationary scriptures of India. The prime example of Rama and his brothers in the Ramayana, and of Krishna and the Pandavas in the Bhagavad Gita and the Mahabharata and in Srimad Bhagavatam are perhaps the most outstanding. Yet there is even more than this to be learned today!

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Arise Arjuna: Hinduism and the Modern World

People today rely on second hand information, mainly through the news media or from academic sources, which are generally unsympathetic and inaccurate, and so the picture they get is highly distorted and requires an alternative. Seeing this I have been compelled to speak out.

This book is divided into four areas.

1) Social Issues: primarily the misrepresentation of Hinduism both in India and the West and the need for a Hindu awakening.

2) Religious Issues: the Hindu view of religion, the unity of all regions, and Islam and Christianity from a Hindu perspective. I have devoted more space to Islam as this religion is more inimical to Hinduism and few people appear willing to really examine it.

3) Historical Issues: particularly the Aryan Invasion theory, and the division of India along north-south lines (the Aryan-Dravidian divide).

4) Cultural Issues: Hinduism relative to the world as a whole, and the value of Hindu culture. The book has a wide scope of subjects but all are important for understanding India today and show the need for a revival of Hinduism in its true spirit.

tags: book