Land Of The Seven Rivers

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.

This is an extremely interesting and a very well researched book. It has a unbiased and reasonable approach to parse and chronologically arrange tremendous data points from archaeological, genetic as well as scripture based sources. I personally like the fact that it does not dismiss the rig veda as a mere religious text, and attempts to extract facts from scripture. One pure writing related critique is that I lost count of how many times the author begins his sentences with "... we are dealing with ...". Overall, a good read.

Very well written book

very nice book, looks like good amount of research has gone into compiling this book. you can learn many more things about Indian subcontinent happening for last thousand years. really appreciate author for taking time out to do research about India and bringing it's glorious past in front of the world.

Despite not being a big fan of history, this was one of the best books I have read. Just the realization of the what it is to be an Indian was very fulfilling. What is it that binds us as Indians together, who are we and where do we come from? The answer to every question is here. The narrative was very crisp, informative and highly logical.Highly recommended read for every Indian.

This book is for people who are interested in facts about indian history. Very well researched and written by Mr Sanyal. But this could have been more detailed with atleast two volumes.

Absolutely a book every Indian should read. I feel it can even be included as suggested reading for all history classes above 7th std. Sanjeev Sanyal has my utter respect for doing this. The book itself is a very quick read, I finished the 270 odd pages in one sitting of 8 hours. The reason being that the language used is lucid, the content and perspectives engaging but the biggest factor is most everyone would already have been familiar with the content (basic India History & Geography) in one form or the other. This is a mere quick revision and also a more balanced perspective, unlike our textbooks which are only Mughal India then British India history from the perspective of Delhi.

A light, chatty book that discusses India's history with an emphasis on geography. It' s a pleasant introductory read if you don't know much about India's history.But if you're already somewhat familiar with Indian history, you won't learn much new—which was my situation, hence the three stars.

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

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

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.

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 ....

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.