Loaded With History: Who Are We by Vijay Kumar Dewan
The book begins with the following inspiring words, “we are very, very small, but we are profoundly capable of very, very big things because one book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world, we only need to believe it.” These words encourage us to be students throughout our lives, always willing to learn. The author Vijay Dewan right in the preface makes it clear that the book is specifically written for the youth. He also assures that this is not his first and last book but there are many others in the pipeline.
‘Who are we’ narrates and explicates our identity as Indians. Documenting the origins of the universe, the evolution of time, energy sources; whether it be biology, geology and geography all intertwined with Indian Spirituality.
The author is of the opinion that it is important to respect and honour our ancestors because of whom we have our glorious present. The second chapter takes us through that trail of ancestry, starting from the Vedas and the Great Rishis (Sages). This section has gone through a lot of research as you see a plethora of sequential history.
The author then takes us through the history of humankind. Humanity becomes important. Kali Yuga becomes a point of surprise. Where what we see are goodness and badness. This chapter is sure an overload of history because man has been in conflict with one another for the longest time. The author expressed that with panache in this chapter.
The chapter that follows is a history of civilizations, kingdoms and empires, conquests and wars. Historiography exposes to us four schools that are important to us as people living in history. These schools influence our thought processes. The schools are Cambridge, Nationalist, Marxist, and Subaltern. Although you feel that there is a repetition of ideas, the author has made a lot of effort to keep it unique throughout.
‘Who are we’ ends with the presentation on our richest cultural heritage. The book is easy to read but becomes difficult to hold the attention as its all history. The author could have made it creative in its expression although history as a subject is always difficult to handle in a creative manner. The author shows a lot of confidence in dealing with the subject and he does well in its presentation. If you are a lover of history and Indian spirituality this is the book you can read.
Paperback: 227 pages
Publisher: Blue Rose Publishers; 1 edition (30 April 2020)
