If History Has Taught Us Anything

by Farhat Nasreen, Shernaz Patel (Reading)

"Professor Nasreen wisely takes her information from various sources through largely letting them speak for themselves, and leaves us to draw lessons ourselves." (Irfan Habib, Professor Emeritus) If History Has Taught Us Anything sifts through the rubble of time to tell some classic stories from history - the master storyteller. The idea of A'maal or Karma - that deeds have repercussions for the doer - is used as a silent leitmotif throughout, bringing home a larger lesson to the listener.

Audio CD

First published May 20, 2019

About the author

Farhat Nasreen is a Professor of History at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Reviews

[Suraj Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

If History has taught us anything undertakes a journey into the political history of India. India has seen several rulers and each of these rules has impacted and shaped the India of the present. If one ruler goes, another comes in his/her place. But what lesson can one draw from the successions of these rulers? Sifting through the folds of history, this book talks of the lessons that history has taught us.

Besides an Introduction and a conclusion, the book comprises of six chapters each covering a different time span. Although the chapters are dedicated mostly to famous personages, the author’s strategy has been to shed light on those aspects of these personalities that have been less or not talked about. Following the factual history, the author provides a brief commentary towards the end of each chapter.

The first entry in the book takes us to 57 BCE in the reign of the king Vikramjeet after whom the Vikram Samvat calendar is named. The author presents an account of the king and his two brothers and the human qualities that each of them stood for. The next chapters shifts the time period to 11th century and the following chapters move chronologically till the beginning of 17th century.

The rule of Sultan Mahmud, the Sultanate, the Mughals (particularly Humayun and Akbar) and the interim rule of Sher Shah Suri constitue the contents of this book. Through a chronicle of the political rule, the author has presented the human or rather the apolitical side of these figures. And it is after making this long journey into the past that the reader reaches the present age about which some famous historians’ views have been recorded in the concluding entry.

*My Verdict

From the title, the blurb and even the Introduction, this book seems to be an ambitious project. But it did not meet my expectations. In the final analysis it remains a political history trying to capture something very large in a small space. I liked it for what it is but I was expecting more from it. I also found the writing to be a bit obtuse which obstructed my flow of reading at several points.

The chapter recording the rule of the Dilli Sultanate is a rather long one. I found it really difficult to make my way through it. There a lot of names and the author has mentioned them with a familiarity that the reader lacks. So at times it was difficult to get hold of the facts, let alone the lessons that were to be drawn from them. All in all, it was an okayish read for me.

My Rating: *** (3/5)

-Originally posted on https://booksnmyself.wordpress.com

[Prateek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of accurate and insightful accounts from different periods of Indian history with some beautiful verses. However, found the portions distracting when the author focused on the (long and difficult) names of side characters, dates and other irrelevant details for pages before coming to the events and ideas that they convey.

[Mohamed Zaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting anecdotes on India's Muslim rulers from various dynasties like Lodis, Mughals, Khiljis and more.....and shows the hidden humane sides of the rulers who are usually depicted mostly as tyrants and iron-fisted.....