Sunil Khilnani (2016),
Incarnations, Allen Lane, pp. 636
This book
is an excellent introduction to the history of India through the lives of 50
individuals who shaped its destiny. Based on the BBC Radio 4 Series, the book
traces the period from ancient to modern India, from Buddha and Ashoka to Raj Kapoor
and Dhirubhai Ambani to understand the transformation that the subcontinent has
gone through and the ideas it offered the world. This is considering that biography
as a modern genre is not popular or prolific in Asian history.
The great
thing about such a portfolio view of history is that it goes for rich and rare
details of the protagonists and puts a human face to the historical incidents.
The prose is lively and you turn the page quite naturally to finish large chunks
of the tome at one go. The photos that accompany
each piece is equally captivating from classic portraits and paintings to
contemporary stills populating the album.
I found a
couple of things not adding up for me. For instance, although 50 portraits are
taken, the reason for selection is not explicitly mentioned. As a result, you
do end up with an eclectic mix of the very celebrated figures like Gandhi and
Buddha, the relatively unknown ones such as eighteenth-century artist Nainsukh
and nineteenth-century photographer Deen Dayal with the very problematic individuals
V.K. Krishna Menon, English Sanskritist William Jones and Ethiopian slave
turned strategist Malik Ambar. I did not understand the justification of such
inclusion at the expense of some other equally influential individuals. Second,
although fields as varied as science, politics, cinema and business find place in
the book, the absence of sports stars is inexplicable. And finally, nearly all
the ‘experts’ who comment on each of the historic characters are based out of
Western universities. This is particularly jarring because some of the best
classicists and art historians are to be found within the country, although
they may not be proficient in English. Considering the scale and financial
scope of the project, such selectivity is not easily excused.
Even
then, the book calls for a fascinating read to both Indophiles and neophytes
attempting to understand the history and heritage of India. I’d finish the year
off with a giant book (at 600+ pages) like this!
