Preface

Summary

I am a child of the diaspora, stepping foot on Indian soil for the first time at the age of 35. In some ways I see India like a detached outsider. I had intended to write a history of India for Diaspora Indians so that we could understand the origins of our Indian Heritage even if we did not live in India. This was meant to be a retirement project for which I collected notes.

I divided the history of India into five periods:

One : The ancient period up to 1200;

Two : 1200-1660, when foreign Muslims ruled much of India;

Three : 1660-1860, when Muslim power declined and the British gained power. This period ends with the first signs of Indian Nationalism emerging during the Indian Mutiny;

Four : 1860-1947, when India took the road to independence;

Five : 1947- present, which covers the post independence period.

Unexpected circumstances led me to publish the first two volumes based on my notes much earlier than I had intended to.