A Short History of India: From the Earliest Civilisations and Myriad Kingdoms, to Today's Economic Powerhouse

by Gordon Kerr

The world's largest democracy and second-most populous country, 21st-century India is a dynamic nation with a thrivting economy, made up of a variety of beliefs and peoples united under one flag. Ancient India was home to myriad kingdoms with boundaries that were ever changing while a variety of cultures and religions flourished over the millennia as the influence of foreign invaders and occupiers has come and gone. The country was under foreign rule from the early 1800s until independence in 1947. From the late 1980s, India opened itself to the outside world, encouraging economic reform and foreign investment, and is now courted by the world's leading economic and political powers. It is a major power with a burgeoning middle class, having made substantial strides in areas such as information technology. The availability of a large, skilled workforce makes it a popular choice for international companies looking to outsource work. It has launched a space program and boasts a massive film industry, its "Bollywood" films being amongst the most-watched in the world. Meanwhile, India still has major issues with poverty and illiteracy, and campaigns have been launched to alleviate these problems.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 25, 2017

About the author

Gordon Kerr was born in the Scottish new town of East Kilbride and worked in the wine trade and then bookselling and publishing before becoming a full-time writer. He is the author of numerous books in a variety of genres, including art, history, true crime, travel and humour. He has a wife and two children and lives in Hampshire and—when he can—South West France.

Reviews

[Kate Holton · Rating 2 out of 5]

It gave me an idea of how complicated is the history of such a vast country, especially with the different religions and invaders. I couldn't cope with all the details though, too many names, places and dates.

[Rohan Muir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty quick overview of India, glosses over a lot but I liked the fact that it gave me a fairly broad understanding of a part of history I have not focused on as much.

[Akshat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kerr has made a decent attempt at summarising what is a very long history of a country and civilisation that is extremely diverse and complex. However, the book runs into the challenges which are to be expected - what bits to omit and what to leave out. There are however some areas into which Kerr has dwelled into only very briefly, which has had the impact of distorting the true position. For instance, in the book he has mentioned that the UN brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan over Kashmir and that India had agreed to stage a referendum to let the people of Kashmir decide their future but has since reneged on it's promise. However, this was subject to Pakistan demilitarising to the satisfaction of a UN appointed body, which has never happened. There is also no mention of the background to the ceasefire, which involved the accession of the state of Jammu and Kashmir by the then ruler Maharaja Hari Singh following the invasion of the state by Pashtun tribesmen backed by Pakistan.

All in all, Kerr has given a good shot at recollecting the history of India, however he does need to address the above and correct some factual errors in the book before the next edition.