The Soul of India

Reviews:

“Crossing boundaries with ease, and familiar with all aspects of Indian culture, Riencourt has come closer to the discovery of the soul of India – not just a discovery of India – than anyone I know. Flashes of Insight brighten every page”. (Saturday Review).

“A fascinating survey of India’s long history.” (New York Times). 

“Profound and impressive – he traverses five thousand years of history, not neglecting any of its aspects, with ease and authority, and with the ability to separate the essential from the ephemeral and trivial.” (Sunday Post Dispatch).

“A history of India which goes well below the surface phenomena of conventional history”. (Scotsman)


Description:

This philosophical study of India's history covers the earliest Harappa and Mohenjo-daro civilizations of some five thousand years ago, the birth and evolution of Indian culture, the widespread contact with other Asian civilizations, as well as the convulsions of India under the onslaught of the West in the last two centuries. It concludes with the violent end of Indira Gandhi's leadership which is analyzed in the last chapter. As a philosopher of history, the author does not limit his research to historical facts alone, but takes into account the conditions and ideologies that have led to or emerged from them. He has also written "The Coming Caesars", "The Soul of China", "The American Empire", "Women and Power in History", "The Eye of Shiva", "Roof of the World", "A Child of the Century"