India : A Sacred Geography

India : A Sacred Geography

Do you remember review of Benaras: The City of Light written by Diana L. Eck?

As I read more and more about her books, I am sort of liking her. The depth she had in exploring the Indic religious organisation which is very rare for someone looking from outsiders perspective.

This book India : A Sacred Geography, published in 2012 by Random House is next in series for the author wherein she has delved into the vastness of religiosity of India as a country.

The book is divided into 10 chapters starting with a detailed note on transliteration and pronunciation.

In A Sacred Geography, an imagined landscape, the author identifies tirthas as “crossings”  where one’s prayers are amplified, one’s rites are more efficacious, one’s vows more readily fulfilled. The book indicted that in the ancient shastras not only geographical teerthas but also teerths of heart are referred as “manas teerthas”. These are enumerated as “truth, celibacy, charity, patience, self-control and wisdom” which one should bathe with and come clean. Infact there was associated literature with all teerths as teerth mahatmya. The author cites teerth yatras like Pandharpur in Maharashtra and Sabrimala yatra in Kerala for Swami Ayyappa. 

The author states the relevance of numbers in like 3 for trivenis of rivers where 3 river meet or 3 devis. Four as relevant for 4 dhams or char dhams, five as relevance for panch koshiya parikrama. Six as evident in six faces of Murugan who is son of Lord Shiva namely Kumara, Kartikeya, Shanmuga, Guha, Skanda, Subhramnaya who is looking in all six directions. Number 7 is very auspicious with many rites associated with it along with seven sacred rivers and teerths.

In chapter 2, “What is India?” , the author explores the various facets of Indian culture and its constituents in todays nation-state concept. 

She has dedicated chapter 4 to the rivers of India and majorly to the River Ganga. She enumerates the melas fairs held on the banks of River Ganga from its source to the destination i.e. Ganga Sagar where Mela in held in January every year. While writing about Kumbh she mentions the work of Kama Maclean titled "Pilgrimage and Power", “The Kumbh captures the attention and the imagination of masses of Hindus, and those seeking to capture them have sought to inject themselves into the mould.” She mentions one interesting anecdote about the linkage of Kumbakonam town in Tamil Nadu with the Kumbh mela in Prayagraj. Apart from Ganga, the rivers of Kaveri, Godavari , Narmada are discussed at length. She writes, "There is arguably no place in the world that should have a higher standard of river quality than India, for there is no other culture in which rivers have such a central role in the daily ritual lives of countless millions. There is no other place in the world where worshippers and pilgrims repair daily to the great rivers and the river fords to bathe, sip water, and make water offerings for the departed. The web of India’s rivers constitutes one of the most important religious theaters of the nation, so the crisis of environmental degradation is not only environmental. It is a cultural and theological crisis. It is not a matter of tradition that will somehow disappear with the onset of modernity. Polluted or not, India’s rivers are as busy as ever." It is very scathing remark looking on the state of our major rivers which are suffering from pollution, decomposition and decreasing water flow year by year.

Chapter 5 is dedicated to Shiva who has temples from north of Himalayas to down South. The twelve jyotirlingas are spread in such a manner that they cover entire expanse of India. Having visited all the 12 jyotirlingas in India from Kedarnath to Rameshwaram, I can say the Shivas' bhakti is unmatched and people from all castes and communities have a crazy following of Lord Shiva also known as Bhagwan Shankar or Mahadev.

Chapter 6 is dedicated to Shakti referrring to mother Goddess who is considered all powerful. The shaktipeeths which are present in entire Indian subcontinent from Tripura to Dhaka to Pakistan, represent the religious aspect of the geography. Next chapter is dedicated to lord Krishna who is an avatar of God Vishnu. In last chapter "A Pilgrim's India Today", the author discusses the growth and modernisation of India with the religion and how it has been intertwined in the growth. In this process, there is connection with climate change, pollution, technology, how the pilgrims have created a landscape of religious India.

The book explores the intersection of geography, religion and spirituality along with its pan-India explanations. Ms. Eck has been the professor of religion in Harvard and an Indologist. She has spent time in India during her project on Benaras in early 1980s. There is reflection of that work in this one also due to same theme and to the fact that Benaras has profound impact on Hinduism. The river Ganga and presence of Lord Vishesvara add to the depth in one's understanding of Hinduism through these 2 pillars.

There are many factual snippets which even the most aware practitioners of Hinduism may not know and it offers a primary source for such information. Like all of her book , the appendix and explanation add credibility and reflection of her hard work which went into this grand work. The book is also available on internet archives as a free copy and can be accessed at:

https://archive.org/details/indiaasacredgeography/page/n455/mode/1up?view=theater

“आपका बंटी” मन्नू भंडारी Apka Banti, Mannu Bhandari

 “आपका बंटी” मन्नू भंडारी के उन बेजोड़ उपन्यासों में है जिनके बिना न बीसवीं सदी के हिंदी उपन्यास की बात की जा सकती है ना स्त्री विमर्श को सही धरातल पर समझा जा सकता है। बच्चों की निगाहों और घायल होती सम्वेदना की निगाहों से देखी गई परिवार की यह कहानी बच्चों की दुनिया को एक भयावह दुस्वप्न बना जाती है। कहना मुश्किल है कि यह कहानी बालक की है या माँ की क्यूँकि सभी तो एक दूसरे में ऐसे उलझे हैं कि एक की त्रासदी सभी की ज़िंदगी में भागी बन जाती है।

मन्नू भंडारी हिंदी की प्रसिद्ध लेखिका है जिनका जन्म मध्य प्रदेश में हुआ था। आपके कई उपन्यास प्रसिद्ध हैं जिनमें महाभोज और "आपका बंटी" (राधाकृष्ण प्रकाशन 1971) सबसे प्रमुख हैं। आपका बंटी मुख्यतः पति और पत्नी के बीच मंझधार में फँसे उस अबोध बालक की कहानी है जो माँ और पिता के प्यार को संपूर्ण रूप से ना पा सका। यह एक ऐसी कहानी है जो एक कार्यकारी महिला चुनौती का सामना करती है, कैसे वह समाज के लोगों को और अपने परिवार और बच्चों की देख रेख के बीच में सामंजस्य बैठाने की कोशिश करती है और उसमें अपने स्वयं के अस्तित्व को भूल जाने दिया। उसको ज़िंदा रखने की एक संघर्ष गाथा है।

एक अंश इस ऊहापोह को रेखांकित करता है, 

“शुरू के दिनों में ही एक ग़लत निर्णय ले डालने का एहसास दोनों के मन में बहूत साफ़ होकर उभर आया था, जिस पर हर दिन और हर घटना ने केवल सान ही चढ़ाई थी। समझौते का प्रयास भी दोनों में एक अंडरस्टैंडिंग पैदा करने की इच्छा से नहीं होता था, वरन् एक-दूसरे को पराजित करके अपने अनुकूल बना लेने की आकांक्षा से । तर्कों और बहसों में दिन बीतते थे और ठंडी लाशों की तरह लेटे-लेटे दूसरे को दुखी, बेचैन और छटपटाते हुए देखने की आकांक्षा में रात।…साथ रहने की यंत्रणा भी बड़ी विकट थी और अलगाव का त्रास भी। अलग रह कर भी वह ठंडा युद्ध कुछ समय तक जारी ही नहीं रहा, बल्कि अंजाने ही अपनी जीत की संभावनाओं को एक नया संबल मिल गया था कि अलग रहकर ही शायद सही तरीक़े से महसूस होगा कि सामने वाले को खोकर क्या कुछ अमूल्य खो दिया है। 

“ सामनेवाले को पराजित करने के लिए जैसा सायास और सन्नद्ध जीवन उसे जीना पड़ा उसने उसे ख़ुद ही पराजित कर दिया । सामने वाला व्यक्ति तो पता नहीं कब परिदृश्य से हट भी गया और वह आज तक उसी मुद्रा में, उसी स्थिति में खड़ी हैं-साँस रोके,दम साधे,घुटी -घुटी और कृत्रिम!”

यदि परिवार के तनाव और माँ-बाप के सामंजस्य की बालमन में क्या छाप होती है, बालक मन को समझना है तो आपका बंटी ज़रूर पढ़ना पड़ेगा आपको।

BANARAS : A Civilisational City

This is Manickarnika, where death is auspicious,
 where life is fruitful,
where one grazes the pastures of heaven. 
There is no tirtha like Manikarnika,
There is no city like Kashi,
There is no linga like visheshwara, 
not in the whole universe.

Banaras: City of Light is written by Diana L. Eck. Before we proceed further to review the book, it is pertinent to discuss the credentials of the author. She is a professor of comparative religion and Indian studies in the Harvard University. She has written books on spirituality, religion, especially on India. The book was published in 1981. 

The book is divided in eight chapters dealing with different aspects of the city. The chapters range from discussion on Shiva temples of Banaras to the events, on Ganges and the seasons. The book richly contains appendix and a detailed notes and glossary which gives it a complete treat for someone who is new to India or wants to explore the city in a holistic manner on its own. The author has not limited herself to the hearsay but studied Indian texts and learned Sanskrit. She got trained under noted academicians of the time in BHU and pandits having command over texts. The references from recent times as well as Kashi Khandas, puranas call for a deeper study of the book. 

At one place, the book originally distinguishes the type of Brahmins who have their own cutout tasks like Pandits (teachers), Pujari (temple priest), Pandas (Pilgrim priest), Mahant‘s (heads of large Temple complex) and Vyas (story tellers) which is not even known to most of the Indians. 

The scholarship of the book can be caused from the fact that it has reproduced maps from the times when Ghazi invaded India years and accounts of British officers and historical data available in Gazateers and journals of James Princep. Though lot of changes have happened on the ground level stii it gives a fair idea of how the city looked like in 1800s.

Mark Twain once wrote "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together!". Lewis Mumford once remarked about Benaras that "it is a energy converted into culture."

The author while emphasising on the need for taking religious trips for grahasthas mentions that God Indra in Aitreya Brahmana urges Rohita:

"There is no happiness for him who does not travel, Rohita! Thus, we have heard. Living in the society of men, the best man becomes a sinner... therefore wander!

 The feet of the wanderer are like the flower, his soul is growing and reaping the fruit; and all his sins are destroyed by his fatigues in wandering. Therefore, wander!

The fortune of him who is sitting, sits; it rises when he rises; it sleeps when he sleeps; it moves when he moves. Therefore, wander!

The book introduces names of Kashi which I've heard for first time even though I've visited more than a dozen time. It includes, Kashi : the city of Light, (Kash is a long grass with silver colored flower); Varanasi : the area lying betweeen Varuna and Assi river (Banaras is derived from the corrupted name of Baranasi), Avimukta : the never forsaken (Shiva never leaves the city, the concept of Kshetra Sanyas is discussed which a unique concept); Anandvana : the forest of Bliss (where Sat, Chit, ananda are always present); Rudravasa : The city of Shiva; the Mahashamshana : the great cremation ground (where dead can be cremated anywhere and at anytime. Infact it is the only place where Hindus can cremate even at night). Sham means shava (corpse) and shana refers to Shayana (a bed). 

In the chapter 2, "Banaras in historical Perspective",  the evolution of the city from Aryan times to Mauryan - Guptan empire days and upto Muslim rulers and colonial rule is discussed. It was one of the Mahajanapadas. The author mentions that once the muslim age started the greatest temples of Krittivasa, Omkara, Mahadeva, Madhyamaheshwara, Vishveshvara, Bindu Madhava and Kal Bhairava were destroyed and most of these temples didn't saw resurgence after that. Few idols were hidden in nearby houses but most of the temples were razed to the ground. Later on the Maharajas of Benaras, the Singh family and Marathas especially rebuilt Benaras as it was this city which sheltered Shiva ji. 

In chapter 3 "The City of Shiva" the author devotes entire chapter to the Lord Shiva. It is for him that he "challenges any faciles distinctions between sacred and profance, rich and poor, high and low."  It is here where the author introduces to the concept of Chala and achala lingas, kshanika linga, svayambhu and sthapita lingas. A basic introduction to all the Shiva temples in the city is in this chapter. from Avimukteswara to Kedareshwara. Chapter 4 titled "The sacred Circle of All the Gods", the discussion ranges from King Divodasa to Gods and Goddesses' residing in the city like Annapurana, Shitala, Durga, Sankata Devi, Vishalakshi, Ganesh, Adi Keshava, Vishnu. 

Chapter 5 is on the lifeline of Benaras and North India, River Ganga titled "The River Ganges and the Great Ghats". The author quotes from Kashi Khanda as "I am Vishwanath, the Lord, Kashi is the light of liberation. The waves of the River of Heavenare the wine of immortality. What can these three not provide?" The introduction to the tirthas and ghats along the river are revelation with brief histroy of each major ghat like Panchganga ghat, Kedara ghat and the greatest of all The Manikarnika ghat. 

In "Seasons and Times" the relevance of seasons and festivals falling in that particular period are mentioned. Like chaturmasa, Kajali Tij, Lolarka Shasthi, Sorahia Mela, Shravan maas celebrations and Annakuta. While in "City of All India" and "City of the Good Life" and "City of Death and Liberation" the general information of the city and scriptures mentioning the mahatmya of the city. 

The 6 appendixes that follow the main text enlists some important factual information which is further strengthened by glossary and notes. For someone who intends to visit Banaras or not, if he wants to know about the oldest civilisational city in detail, this is a must read. It is  must have in collection of books.

 

ANNUAL DAY ADDRESS IN DMPS, RAEBARELI

ADDRESS ON THE ANNUAL DAY OF DAYAWATI MODI PUBLIC SCHOOL , RAEBARELI (MY ALMA MATER) ON 18.12.2024

Today's arrival is not as chief guest but more of a homecoming. After the demise of my father, this school, teachers, and staff were like extended family. Being a boy in his adolescence there was plenty of room for departure from what we call a good boy but timely intervention has helped to take corrective action. 
I remember how  as a small kid I entered these hallowed campus and Mr. BR Dubey was the principal. Modi school was the pride of Raebareli and neighbouring districts. Over the years, Mt Rodrigues, Mr RMD Abreo have served the campus. We spent a few years in the guest house school where Mrs. Rodrigues was the sole teacher. So many things change but yet everything remains the same.
Today amongst us we have parents and students. This occasion does not call for a lecture but I am tempted to give a few sermons to my younger friends. First try to expand your thinking from just rote learning to understanding. Remember curiosity is the key creativity, be curious even for the smallest of things. As to why your body shivers when you encounter a cold? Remember it is the open mind which can take you places. The entrepreneurs of the 21st generation will not be the one who have money but the one who has an idea, a thought which can transform. Today's giants Amazon, Tesla, Nvidia all are first generation entrepreneurs and they have left the traditional industrialist miles away. Learning by doing.
Focus on health and sports as a healthy body provides and nourishes a healthy mind. There is a saying that if you have 100 problems in life until you have a health problem, then you have only one problem. 
Personality development:
What is personality is not describable in words. Why is it when sometimes a person enters a room you adore him/her? There are few checkpoints which you can tick and which will yield you exponential results:
Punctuality
Honesty  
Clear speaking
Command over any language
Now coming to very hot topics these days, the advent of Instagram reels, tiktok and youtube shorts. You must have read that recently Australia has banned social media for kids below 16 years. I must admit reels are very addictive, they are akin to drugs. It has not only affected kids, it has overbearing nature over all walks of life. Everyone is affected, some are creating and others consuming. The security personnel are watching reels on duty, students watching in school, drivers scrolling while driving. This divided attention has caused several accidents. For a kid, the kind of havoc these social media is playing is not evident completely. We have to use it sensibly, it is a powerful tool but there is a certain age which it can assist. If you use social media there is an obsessive urge to check what is going on . the FOMO factor kicks in. We need to focus on our careers first. Thankfully in our times there was no Insta. 
Parents have to say that don't chain your kid to some competitive exam, see what are his strengths and weaknesses. If maths is good and english is bad, then put focus on maths, it'll give you results. Let him play for some time. Ask him to read newspaper, general reading. Tell him about mythology, culture, family history. COMMUNICATE. We have observed that one kid reaches 15-16 years, parents only talk about studies, how it is going, when the exam is. Don’t limit your parenting to exams only. Talk with him/her. Even if there is negativity around, don't put your child in such an atmosphere. Be positive and talk positively. It’ll help him make a better social person, a good citizen. 
Teachers  are real heroes, they may not realise because they also are humans first. I remember how this school has been shaped by its teachers and staff. When I look upon Siddhu Ma’am I wonder what she is made up of. Do we chisel such personalities now? In the last 35 years or so I have seen her with the same discipline and enthusiasm, she has called dozens of times just to ensure everything is in place. We need that grit in today's teachers and students and even if we have few then it is a blessing for institutions. It said that it takes a village to raise a child, it’s even true today. Only the village has been replaced by a community. I remember in our times anyone can correct us if we were wrong no matter what his position was.
I have already taken a lot of your time but having a captive audience is such an attractive proposition that I could not hold back. 
Sky is not the limit and believe yourself, you all are special. Have a certain go getter attitude. The young have changed the world and you can.

THE GOLDEN ROAD : A GOLDEN ERA

THE GOLDEN ROAD : 

HOW ANCIENT INDIA TRANSFORMED THE WORLD

WILLIAM DALRYMPLE, BLOOMSBURY, 2024

William Dalrymple does not need an introduction. Every reader has heard his name even if he hasn't read his works. His readership spreads from serious history researchers to casual history enthusiasts, from serious UPSC Civil services aspirants of History optionals to general studies specific students, from Indians interested in their cultural revivals to global readers interested in South-East Asia and especially India. 

Recently, I have read his "The Golden Road" published by Bloomsbury which is about India's golden era where the dominance extended from Central Asia to China to South East Asia. The extent of influence was such that the entire cities were built on the patterns as in Bharatvarsh and Kings ruling in the name of Hindu dieties what he broadly terms as Indosphere.

The book is presented in 10 chapters revolving around the common theme of Indic influence transcending geographical borders. In "A Gale of Stillness", the author traverses through the discovery of Ajanta to the influence of Buddhism on Alexander and further Europe. He mentions, 

"the doctrine of Buddha was at once a philosophy, an ideology and a method, a practical spiritual path of mental training and discipline..."

The reason Ashok became Buddhist and recommended to common people was that he regarded Buddhism as best path to tolerance and pluralism by adopting non-violence, morality and moderation. He further analyses role of Viharas (monastry) and wealthy upper class as instrumental in the spread of Buddhism. 

In "India : The Sink of the world's most precious metals", he talks about how the trade with Europe was favourable for India and items like spices, ebony, sandalwood, diamonds, silk, elephant tusk, rubies and Indian Cotton were in huge demand. The excavations have revealed the extent of inroads made through trade. The situation led to adverse balance of payments that emissaries were sent for settlement of debtas Romans were unable to pay (yes, its true). This Gold drain reaced such a stage that for a certain period export to Rome was halted. 

The third chapter "The Great King, King of Kings, Son of God" deals with Kushan empire and Kanishk. The reference of Kumarjiva and his travel to China is a new insight which I have not read before. In "The Sea of Jewels" and "The Fifth Concubine" the discusssion how Buddhism reached and dominated China after stiff competition with Daoism and Confucianism and role of Wu Zetian (an interesting historical figure) in spread of Buddhism is discussed. The detail with which Dalrymple has woven the book is remarkable. We have to commend the kind of diverse reading he had to done.  

"The Diaspora of Gods" and "In the lands of Gold" is dedicated to the outreach of Southern Empires of Pallavas to Cambodia, Sumatra and Java, expanse of Khmer Empire and how the climatic and geographical similarities led to convergence. The construction of Angkor Wat, use of Mandala rules in the construction of Borobudur. He writes 

"The two shores of the ocean formed part of one integral maritime unit, an Indosphere sharing a common culture and sacred language, a sanskritic union of monsoon Asia. ... At this eastern terminus of the Golden Road, the monsoon-blown waters of the Bay of Bengal did not divide but instead connected and united."

The chapters details how Cambodia and India had shared ancestry and how Ramayana and Mahabharat became most celebrated topics, Sanskrit became the official language of the government.

"The Treasury of the books of the Wisdom" and "Fruits of the Science of Numbers" deals with the contribution of India in the field of mathematics and numeracy, science with contributions of Aryabhata, Brahmagupta. The import of Indic knowledge system of Ayurveda, mathematucs, astrology and philosophy to Central Asia. The dedication of the rulers of Baghdad to build a respository of all world knowledge led to development of a great library titled "Bayt al-Hikma". Its tragic that Baghdad has fallen from such a height. The impact of Indian Knowledge System was so much that India was recognised as "The first nation to have cultivated science is India." Infact the Fibonacci Sequence is attributed to the initial work done by Aryabhata. one intersting fact which finds mention in the book is that Md. Ghuri who destroyed sacred temples and repurposed them as mosques belonged to a Sunni Sect called Karramiya, which was regarded as heretical and his coins featured Goddess Laksmi. The chapter draws down to the adventures and capture of India by Europeans. He adds that the India's Golden Road spread its influence not through the sword but through the ideas. The cultural and civilisational transformations of the nations, societies it touched was through philosophy, religion, scholarship, art and skill sets.

The book explores India's journey from ancient to medieval to modern era. Reading history from various sources as precursor to civil services examination was a must. Good thing is that the history as a subject even today has its charm for me and this is where I found this book as a compulsory read. Dalrymple has been recognised as one of the few authors whose scholarly work has appeal amongst masses also. His podcast is hugely popular. There was debate sometimes back as to why historians failed in India to carry everyday history to the masses and popularise it. This postion is more challenging today due to advent of incessant knowledge flow from WhatsApp university of the Globe. The author has a unique way of describing events and sites wherein he seems to take readers on a 3D virtual ride. While describing Borobudur he writes, 

"At this point, the pilgrim emerges from the labyrinthine maze of the mandala on to the highest elevated platform, surrounded by seventy-two hollow, latticed and performated stupikas and inside each, a void - the goal of the pilgrimage to enlightenment that the architect has been taking the pilgrim on -  and inside that, an image of the meditating Buddha".

At factual level, the book offers stunning revelations about the rich civilisational antiquity which was exported not only to Central Asia and Europe in the West but also to Java, Cambodia and Sumatra in the East. The kind of research and scholarship which went into the book can be gauged from the fact that almost 150 pages have been dedicated to notes on references. The rich illustrations are added positives as book frequently refers to archeology, artfacts, paintings and architectural designs. 

For 2024, this is the best book I've read and I think everyone interested in History should read it. It may arouse your interest in exploring certain unravled frontiers of Indic civilisational. 

 

Photos clicked by me:

THE LUMUMBA PLOT : A COLD WAR ASSASSINATION

THE LUMUMBA PLOT 

The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination 

The race of one-upmanship between USA and USSR during the cold war era was heating up. The competing blocks fought for the supremacy in all aspects of life and at any cost. The roles of their agencies CIA and KGB was very crucial and is well documented in the now declassified files. 

This book is written by Stuart A Reid who is executive editor of Foreign Affairs magazine and is now associated ith CFR. It revolves around the Democratic Republic of Congo which was also known as Zaire for some time. The central African country is one of the largest country in the world criss-crossed by River Congo. The country was a personal estate of King Leopold of Belgium before becoming the colony of Belgium. 

After a brief struggle, the country got its Independence on 30 June 1960 but due to absense of administrative machinery and institutions to support the sudden withdrawal of Belgians, the country fell into a chaos. The USA-Soviet blocks and cold-war era politics had taken Congo as a casualty and even today it is not stable.

The book is a piece of research and yet it retains the charm of a true spy novel. The author has used his vast knowledge of association with diplomatic world, research on Africa, classified files, cables, private letters, government archives, Congress Committees proceedings, record and interviews. He has beautifully intertwinned the academic research and lay-men story telling format to give a classic work otherwise it would have become a work with a limited readership. 

The book traces origins of the Congo's independence and emergence of its first  Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba who lead the freedom struggle. The author states "He was his country's greatest politician and perhaps its worst statesman." He was one of the earliest literate native who organised and agitated for independent Congo which was divided on racial and ethnic lines. However he was murdered by fellow Congolese with active role of Belgium and conspiracy of CIA as the book points about role of Devlin, station head of CIA in Congo. His friend Joseph Mobutu whom he trusted and appointed as the Army chief was the one who turned against him and assumed role of country head by Coup. He ruled for decades after deposing Lumumba.

The book is rich source on how cold war poltics worked out and how African nations were on platter for blocks is lucidly explained along with the role of UN which was in a nascent stage and evolving for world peace. Lumumba was PM of Congo for a brief period but could not see his country prosper and stable and lead Africa. He was assassinated at the age of 35 in January 1961. The book presents clear evidence of meddling by foreign powers in the domestic affairs of a newly born country and instead of helping it to grow and develop, the energies were pulled out to destablise and capture the natural resources or make them pawn in the power games. The tragic life loss of UN Chief Dag Hammarskjold in a mysterious plane crash made the matters worse. 

The book navigates the readers through the internal politics of Congo like between Katanga whose leader Moise Tshombe was opposed to independecne and Lumumba, as former wanted to have a separate country Katanga which was rich in minerals and controlled by Belgian companies, skirmishes in UN between Soviet and US blocks, role of newly independent countries like Ghana and leaders like Nkrumah who supported Lumumba like a wall, role of Indian peace keeping force and diplomat Rajeshwar Dayal in trying to work out a middle ground and establish peace, the emerging continent of Africa whose division by colonial power was done while sitting on the table and drawing lines without considering ethic and linguistic divisions due to which the continent is still at war with their own.

In authors own words "it is a story of a fearful United States, its view clouded by racism and reductive Cold War thinking, lashing out against threats more imagined than real. It is, at base, a story of how a moment of unprecedented hope gave way to unrelenting tragedy." 

The book is a recommended read for those having interest in old school diplomatic stories, international politics and Africa. You'll thank me.

GUNS, GERMS AND STEEL : 3 DRIVERS WHICH CHANGED COURSE OF HUMAN HISTORY

 A Scholarly Work

Guns, Germs and Steel - The Fates of Human Societies written by Jared Diamond and published by Penguin Random House in 1998 is a brief history of evolution of human civilization. Before we delve into the specifics of the book, we must introduce the author Jared Diamond, for he is one of the prolific author writing on evolution, human history. He is professor of Geography at UCLA and won Pulitzer Prize for this book. In order to explore the evolutionary process deeper he studied anthropology, biology, genetics, linguistics, ecology and history. His scholarship leaves an indelible mark which is evident in the book.

The book revolves around the quest of the author to find answer as to why human development proceeded at such different rates in different continents and societies. What factors have caused this differential rate of evolution where even nearly placed societies experienced different growth trajectory. He spent 33 years in New Guinea for understanding the society. He specialises in the study of bird evolution, which he has studied in South America, southern Africa, Indonesia, Australia, and lastly New Guinea. 

The book which starts with prologue of his discussion with native Guinean Yali leads to main body of the book which is divided into 4 parts on different themes:

Part 1 titled from Eden to Cajamarca:  consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 provides a overview of human evolution and history, extending from our divergence from apes, around 7 million years ago, till the end of the last Ice Age. The author discusses what is civilisation and its contexts and what the term "rise of civilization" means. It turns out that human development in some parts of the globe got way ahead as compared to others. Chapter 2 explores effects of continental environments on history over the past 13,000 years, by briefly examining effects of island environments. When ancestral Polynesians spread into the Pacific around 3,200 years ago, they encountered islands differing greatly in their environments. 

The third chapter introduces us to conquest of South America by Europeans. The capture of Inca emperor, Atahuallpa, in the presence of his whole army, by Francisco Pizarro of Spain and his tiny army at Cajamarca. The author identifies factors like germs (yes! a prime factor), horses, political organization and technology (especially ships and weapons). The author has done threadbare analysis and its a revealing one. He writes, "Throughout the Americas, diseases introduced with Europeans spread from tribe to tribe far in advance of the Europeans themselves, killing an estimated 95 percent of the pre-Columbian Native American population. The most populous and highly organized native societies of North America, the Mississippian chiefdoms, disappeared in that way between 1492 and the late 1600s, even before Europeans themselves made their first settlement on the Mississippi River. A smallpox epidemic in 1713 was the biggest single step in the destruction of South Africa's native San people by European settlers. Soon after the British settlement of Sydney in 1788, the first of the epidemics that decimated Aboriginal Australians began. A well-documented example from Pacific islands is the epidemic that swept over Fiji in 1806, brought by a few European sailors who struggled ashore from the wreck of the ship Argo. Similar epidemics marked the histories of Tonga, Hawaii, and other Pacific islands. I do not mean to imply, however, that the role of disease in history was confined to paving the way for European expansion."

Part 2 "The Rise and Spread of Food Production" discusses how organised agriculture led to rise of nation states and bureaucracies. Chapter 4 sketches how food production—that is, the growing of food by agriculture or herding, instead of the hunting and gathering of wild food. But it varied around the globe. In Chapter 5, peoples in some parts of the world developed food production by themselves; some other peoples acquired it in prehistoric times from those independent centers. Chapter 6 discusses factors driving the shift from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle toward food production. 

Part 3 discusses, the evolution of germs characteristic of dense human populations. It points that far more Native Americans and other non-Eurasian peoples were killed by Eurasian germs than by  guns or weapons. the author has pointed recent molecular biological studies hint linking germs to the rise of food production in Europe as copared to America. Also food production led to writing, which made sapiens as unique in animal world. Writing has evolved de novo only a few times in human history, in areas that had been the earliest sites of the rise of food production in their respective regions. By enabling farmers to generate food surpluses, food production permitted farming societies to support full-time craft specialists who did not grow their own food and developed technologies. Besides sustaining scribes and inventors, food production also enabled farmers to support politicians. It also led to the rise of chiefs, kings, and bureaucrats. Such bureaucracies were essential for governing large population, armies and organizing wars of conquest. 

Part 4 titled "Around the World in Five Chapters,"  In chapters 16-19 the author discusses the polynesian Islands and nearby Australia and how the conquest shaped the both society, China, Africa. He discusses Africa in detail in How Africa became Black and a case for Bantu tribe expansion destroying Khoisan tribe which was more in number.

The Epilogue, entitled "The Future of Human History as a Science," the author identifies 4 set of environmental factors for differecnes in response as:

The first set consists of continental differences in the wild plant and animal species available as starting materials for domestication. A second set of factors consists of those affecting rates of diffusion and migration, which differed greatly among continents. They were most rapid in Eurasia, because of its east-west major axis and its relatively modest ecological and geographical barriers. A third set of factors influencing diffusion between continents, which may also help build up a local pool of domesticates and technology. Ease of intercontinental diffusion has varied, because some continents are more isolated than others. Within the last 6,000 years it has been easiest from Eurasia to sub-Saharan Africa, supplying most of Africa's species of livestock.

The fourth and last set of factors consists of continental differences in area or total population size. A larger area or population means more potential inventors, more competing societies, more innovations available to adopt—and more pressure to adopt and retain innovations, because societies failing to do so will tend to be eliminated by competing societies. 

He mentions that "One can think of other individuals whose idiosyncrasies apparently influenced history as did Hitler's: Alexander the Great, Augustus, Buddha, Christ, Lenin, Martin Luther, the Inca emperor Pachacuti, Mohammed, William the Conqueror, and the Zulu king Shaka, to name a few. To what extent did each really change events, as opposed to "just" happening to be the right person in the right place at the right time? At the one extreme is the view of the historian Thomas Carlyle: "Universal history, the history of what man [sic] has accomplished in this world, is at bottom the History of the Great Men who have worked here." 

The book is a treasure. It is full of new insights and how the relationship evolved between different factors in different manner in different geographies. Though all the chapters are connected to the central theme of evolution but you can read any chapter and it'll offer a complete picture of the aspect dealt in.