The Courtesan, the Mahatma, and the Italian Brahmin: Tales from Indian History Hardcover – 17 Jun. 2019

If you're interested in Indian history, but don't fancy picking up a volume on this or that empire, this book is for you. It consists of little chapters that have 3-7 pages each, with each one analysing an overlooked character/story/legend in pre-modern India. The cast ranges from Muslim sultans who toyed with worshipping Hindu gods to courtesans who led armies and Brahmin women who revolted against restrictive patriarchy. This often brings out social history that would be overlooked in history books. South Indian and lower-caste tales predominate, which also makes for a nice change. Highly recommended!

Not only are certain historical figures and in fact whole groups and ethnic races, empires and religions missing from this ‘book’, each chapter, never a completed chapter (couldn’t get past the BS), stinks of a certain bias prevalent in India right now. I binned my copy to ensure no-one was tortured the same way I was.