The People of India : A remarkable history in 9 chapters- Edited by Anwesha Sengupta and Debarati Bagchi, Translated by Arunava Sinha

Description

Beyond the facts and dates that fill up our history books lie incredible and fascinating stories of the varied lives of the people of India. This book takes us on a journey across the subcontinent and introduces us to little-known facts about India and her ordinary people.

The nine chapters in this book take up diverse and rarely discussed topics for children. The history of India’s Partition is told through multiple anecdotes of real people—like Deshraj from Punjab, who was displaced, and travelled across north India just to find a bite of wheat roti—the taste of his home. We read about language politics and how it shaped the lives, and indeed the contours, of the subcontinent. We find stories of the lives of those who work in tea gardens, on whose hard work rests a multi-billion dollar industry. Far-reaching aspects of India’s history are explained and discussed—the tribe that brought stitched clothes to India; how the British conquered the Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta and shaped riverine systems and trade; how and why wars are fought; how India’s first hockey team, captained by a fearless Adivasi, won multiple Olympic gold medals; and what it is to be an ‘Indian’.

First published in Bengali as the Itihase Hathekhori series, The People of India is intelligent, engaging, and written for today’s children—those who question, debate, and are curious about the true story of India and her people.