Land of the Seven Rivers-PB: A Brief History of India's Geography

Author has maintained pace and talks well about the history and geography of India..very good read.Definitely a strong recommendation

Refreshingly wonderful read on a subject like history lucidly told intermixing geographical locations hitherto unknown to readers like me , of no history student , .... in the process of reading now ... enjoying immensely.... gem of a book... it should be in school curriculum immediately... from 4th to 12 th stnd ....

I never liked geography or history. But this book is a revalation. Must read for every Indian. It starts in vedic ages and comes to present day . There is a lot to learn about each of the periods. This book gives a summary of each of these periods and is a good starting point for in depth exploration.

Sanjeev Sanjyal book is an easy read with many interesting observations, facts and insights…

Great insights of Indian civilization. Starting from the derivation of Bharata to urban city like Gurgaon, the author gave a splendid chronology of History and geography.

Well,I loved this book.our history is big and various important events have happened during its course.there are plethora of books talking about these events and giving us a detailed analysis of geo politics and minute details.but what's different in this book is that it does not focuses on one event rather it makes you look at that event from a different perspective and gives you a holistic approach.this book offers its insights on all the major events that have happened in Indian subcontinent.right from the collision of Indian plate with the Eurasian plate,it tells you about the formation of this subcontinent,evolution of the indus valley civilization,rise of the mauranys and other dynasties,arrival of mughals and their decline and then the British. What's interesting is that author finds a connect between all these events and tells why India is called as the oldest continuing ancient civilization.all the rituals and other practices that are a part and parcel of the lives of Indian people today dates back to thousand years back and many things have a direct relation with indus valley civilization. All these facts are astonishing and really interesting.there are areas where author has given his views but i think thats justified because there are certain things for which nobody has answers,everybody gives their opinions and their own interpretations and so has author given here.but what's good is that he presents before you all the facts and then give his own rationale which is completely fine.I found his rationale realistic.I loved this book and believe that every Indian should definitely read this.

This book is by far the most seamless and fluid account of the Indian subcontinent from the time immemorial. To keep the narrative interesting there have been a routine insertion of interesting anecdote which keep the readers engaged. Anybody interested in starting the reading of Indian subcontinent history from the very beginning (from the times of geological evolution of Indian subcontinent) and want to go top-down this would be a very good start it gives a very good idea of the different phases of Indian history and then after reading this book, reader can dig into the various phases of the dynasty or places finding relevant material for the same. Lot to look forward to in this book don't want to spill the beans, if you are just curious and starting out, go ahead and get the book those who know a fair bit, good read even for those as it puts a lot of things in perspective for a more nuanced reader as well.This puts in perspective that not everything was designed by Britishers from scratch and there are many instances to prove how Britishers went along with the ancient wisdom i.e. Leveraged the Uttar Path and the Poorav Path and how this has been converted to Grand Trunk Road and other connections.The only thing which I could ask for more is probably in my opinion a little more detailed account on the southern dynasties is like Pallavas or Cholas.Lastly but most importantly probably since it's been written by an unconventional historian who actually is an economist by education its not as dull as many of other history books are.

Although I prefer history in its crude form without alterations and legends yet I like the way in which the 'legends' are weaved in this book. It's one thing that you present facts as they are and another if you juxtapose possibilities into a narrative to make them look like facts. I would place the information stated in this book in second category. A caution or a disclaimer in this regard would have been better (that the information is not suitable for academic purposes). Furthermore, the author may have studied history to buttress his research but the writing lacks the coherency and appears collection of jumbled up legends (not facts). A history is a collection of whole, both good and bad events. As much as I appreciate the glory of ancient India, I would have liked the mention of not so glorified version as well, and I think there is no shame in putting up both sides together. This would have prevented bias towards a particular side, which it literally failed and thus leave out the objectivity which is essential if you are talking about history. Overall, maybe one time read but I would recommend other books over it for better knowledge and less grandiose.

My friend wanted this book and I ordered it for her. She was happy and so am I. Thanks.

The author managed to write a book on India that provides a lot of great detail that most western authors miss. Yet he is unbiased, unlike many Indian authored books who generally ignore the larger context and provide only a narrow self-serving view. The author has an easy to read well-written style that makes this easy to understand for and reader from any part of the world. It is not necessary to learn Sanskrit! This is a very, enjoyable book.

I picked up this book vaguely apprehensively, having had heard of some controversy about whether or not the river Saraswati actually existed (the story of the river is one of the centrepieces of this book). Fortunately for me, I did pick it up, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.As the author states in the beginning, unlike most history books, this one weaves its narrative around geography rather than politics. It tells the story of the Indian civilization with its rivers, forests, wildlife, mountains, villages and cities, from the neolithic times to the present.Unlike all historical works I have read before, this book makes a strong case against the Aryan Invasion Theory taught in school textbooks, based mainly on genetic evidence (the Indian genome is quite well mixed and the genetic mutations found are either unique or more than 10,000 years old). I am not sure where the consensus on this lies today but to a layperson the arguments seem compelling. Also, the ancient Saraswati river is identified with the Ghaggar river, probably having changed its course over time and possibly having led to the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization.One of the main themes of the book is the continuation of the Indian civilization over thousands of years, as reflected in many cultural aspects (wedding rituals for example) having continued almost unchanged over such vast stretches of time. Furthermore, the author argues that the civilization has always been self aware of itself as pan-Indian, contrary to the oft-repeated claim that India as a nation did not exist until the British came along.In later chapters, the author explores some sociological and economic trends in modern India, specifically around the process of urbanization, and expresses hope for an upcoming Indian Renaissance. As someone who grew up in an Indian city and has seen some of these changes, I found the arguments making a lot of sense.Overall, the book gave me valuable perspective on India: its past, present and future. Highly recommended.

Like Danino's articles i have read, excellent. Re-writing the old history of india, formulated in the 19th century and still peddled by some. Not yet accepted by enough historians and seemingly hermetically sealed from historians of Europe and Mesopotamia. There is still a long way to go but this is a good start.

Started the book kind of sceptical.Author is definitely an Indian & understands. Take great pride in this bookBharat Mata Ki Jai