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Let's Go Time Travelling: Life in India Through the Ages
Was king Ashoka fond of chewing paan? Mulligatawny was a soup, but what was pish-pash? Did they design jewellery in Harappa? Who played pachisi, chaupar and lam turki? Find the answers to all these weird, impossible question in this fascinating book about how people lived in the past. Go time travelling through the alleys of history and take a tour through the various ages-from Harappa to the Mauryan, Mughal to the British. Through short snapshots and wacky trivia, this book gives you a glimpse into the vibrant culture of India, as you learn about the life and times of kings, queens, viceroys and even ordinary children! Spend a day with Urpi as she tries selling pottery in exchange for a few beads at Mohen-jo-daro; step back into King Ashoka's kingdom where Madhura prepares to be a warrior; watch Adil harbour hopes of becoming a khansama in British India.
132 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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197 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 21, 2015
Getting acquainted with volumes in history written with a certain level of unbiased or balanced approach, right from the school days can always help a young mind to be more inquisitive and enlightened about one’s own past. But usually the drearily written school textbooks fails at this mission by giving the younger generation the feeling that History is a boring topic with lots of dusty facts and hard to remember dates and names.
Through ‘Let's Go Time Travelling’, ‘Subhadra Sen Gupta’ shows us that learning Indian history can be an entertaining and fun filled experience. This book, written with a generous amount of flair and outright wackiness can really capture the imagination of the younger reader and can kindle the spark of their interest in History. The author picks trivia and moments from the expansive ocean of Indian history spanning over many millennia, and then presents them as tiny fascinating capsules, which can be quiet charming for a reader who is waddling tentatively in to this ocean.
What makes this book really valuable is the fact that instead of choosing random bits of information from Indian history for piecing together such a volume, ‘Subhadra Sen Gupta’ analyzes some of the best, unbiased and well-written works on Indian history and summarizes key moments from them– spanning right from the early ages of 2600 BCE to 1940 CE – in a way which will connect with a young reader. The text, which is written in a style to spark the curiosity of a young mind, is further enriched by a series of splendid illustrations from Tapas Guha.
An illustration by Tapas Guha, which depicts the moment of cultural contact between Islam and India, about 13th Century.
By assimilating information from books like The Wonder That Was India by A.L. Basham; India: A History by John Keay; An Advanced History of India by R.C. Majumdar, H.C. Raychaudhuri & Kalikinkar Datta; Indian Food, a Historical Companion by K.T. Achaya, the author reproduces a unique history narrative, which will gently introduce to the young reader the culture, art, craft, food, fashion and entertainment that prevailed as part of the daily life during those times.
This unique book - which takes the reader on a journey along the time lines of the Harappan Civilisation; the Mauryas; the Guptas; the Pallavas; the Cholas; the Delhi Sultanate; the Mughals and the period of British rule - can be a perfect curtain raiser for a youngster about Indian history and with the help of the list of Indian history titles that the author provide at the end of the book, the young reader can then further waddle the vast oceans of history with confidence.
Through ‘Let's Go Time Travelling’, ‘Subhadra Sen Gupta’ shows us that learning Indian history can be an entertaining and fun filled experience. This book, written with a generous amount of flair and outright wackiness can really capture the imagination of the younger reader and can kindle the spark of their interest in History. The author picks trivia and moments from the expansive ocean of Indian history spanning over many millennia, and then presents them as tiny fascinating capsules, which can be quiet charming for a reader who is waddling tentatively in to this ocean.
What makes this book really valuable is the fact that instead of choosing random bits of information from Indian history for piecing together such a volume, ‘Subhadra Sen Gupta’ analyzes some of the best, unbiased and well-written works on Indian history and summarizes key moments from them– spanning right from the early ages of 2600 BCE to 1940 CE – in a way which will connect with a young reader. The text, which is written in a style to spark the curiosity of a young mind, is further enriched by a series of splendid illustrations from Tapas Guha.
An illustration by Tapas Guha, which depicts the moment of cultural contact between Islam and India, about 13th Century.
By assimilating information from books like The Wonder That Was India by A.L. Basham; India: A History by John Keay; An Advanced History of India by R.C. Majumdar, H.C. Raychaudhuri & Kalikinkar Datta; Indian Food, a Historical Companion by K.T. Achaya, the author reproduces a unique history narrative, which will gently introduce to the young reader the culture, art, craft, food, fashion and entertainment that prevailed as part of the daily life during those times.
This unique book - which takes the reader on a journey along the time lines of the Harappan Civilisation; the Mauryas; the Guptas; the Pallavas; the Cholas; the Delhi Sultanate; the Mughals and the period of British rule - can be a perfect curtain raiser for a youngster about Indian history and with the help of the list of Indian history titles that the author provide at the end of the book, the young reader can then further waddle the vast oceans of history with confidence.
October 16, 2016
This book is one of the best classics I have ever read.It starts from the Harappan civilization and ends telling us about the British rule.The best thing I found about it was Tapas Guha's illustrations. Such funny and amusing cartoons which make you laugh like anything! However, this book is expressed in a informative yet dramatical way.I truly enjoyed the short stories which tell us about a day in the life of few children and the way they are curious to know about how things are done.The way those children want to achieve their dreams is tremendous.The thing which I thought throughout the book and made me trouble the most was Why couldn't women gain their freedom?Why was it believed that if girls started to study or go to school Lord Vishnu and other gods would get angry?When 'goddess Saraswati' only is the goddess of knowledge!
Why every king wanted sons when the women only produced offsprings?If no one would accept a girl child then who will give birth to their sons?This book is an outstanding fusion of knowledge and fun. It is true that let's go time travelling makes history fun like never before!
Why every king wanted sons when the women only produced offsprings?If no one would accept a girl child then who will give birth to their sons?This book is an outstanding fusion of knowledge and fun. It is true that let's go time travelling makes history fun like never before!
February 23, 2024
So much fun to read! Amazing fun facts about things that happened in history of India specifically what people of different communities/cultures used to follow or do. The occasional mention of familiar names does make the reading experience even more enjoyable.
Do not expect a deeper dive into these compilations as these are meant for beginners and young readers.
The illustrations could have been more elaborate and detailed.
Do not expect a deeper dive into these compilations as these are meant for beginners and young readers.
The illustrations could have been more elaborate and detailed.
February 25, 2019
Excellent book on Indian History! Subhadra Sengupta has achieved a feat of sorts by compressing India’s history in 124 pages.
I had bought this book for my son, but it got me interested too. There are so many informative facts that we wouldn’t have otherwise known or read before. And the illustrations are nice.
There are so many practices that we can trace back to the period of the Aryans'. The upper castes’ “absurd obsession with purity and considering everyone else as impure” exists even today.
I had bought this book for my son, but it got me interested too. There are so many informative facts that we wouldn’t have otherwise known or read before. And the illustrations are nice.
There are so many practices that we can trace back to the period of the Aryans'. The upper castes’ “absurd obsession with purity and considering everyone else as impure” exists even today.
January 8, 2019
Took 1.5 months to complete this gem but worth it! From Harappa to British India, the author gives us an deeper insight of all the changes evolved in a magnificant way with simple monochrome illustrations. Few known and unknown fact were also incripted!!
A must read to the young historians:)
First book of the year 2018!!
A must read to the young historians:)
First book of the year 2018!!
December 8, 2018
Even for adults, it's a good quick read to refresh what we read in schools about India history. But the book didn't cover much about the history of south india like the way it covered the north. Nevertheless, good read.
August 13, 2019
A great interesting start to introduce History to children.
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July 7, 2021NICE
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2023
This is a good book for both kids & adults!
September 1, 2015
What a delightful book!
January 12, 2015
What a delightful read
February 24, 2015
History told with humour. A capsule summary of the vast history of the Indian continent! Delightful!
January 15, 2017
Written in a conversational, light-hearted way, this journey through periods of Indian history will encourage children to learn about history in greater detail.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews