DISCOVERY OF INDIA

Outlook, India's English  Weekly News Magazine in it's 12th January, 2015 edition chose Jawaharlal Nehru's much acclaimed book " The Discovery of India' as one of the 100 Great Books of the World.  Surprisingly, I have not read it so far.

But, in May, 2014 when I went to old newspaper vendor shop  which I do regularly to buy second-hand books,  this book  was stacked along with some other books and kept in a dusty corner.   I chose a couple of books which include this one and  bought   for a price in kgs.  I did not immediately recognize the importance of this book, but a cursory glance  made me to keep it  in my priority reading list.

But Outlook's description of the book woke me up from the slumber.   The book was referred as  rambling account of the history and culture of India - from  Indus valley civilization to the British Raj.

I must concede to the fact that when I purchased the above book, I have not given credence to it and saw Nehru  more from a political prism which is my mistake.  Now I pulled out the book from the back of my shelf and kept on top of priority reading list.

In his Preface to the book Nehru says that the book was written in Ahmadnagar Fort prison during the five months (April - September, 1944).  The contents of the book offer a scholarly look into India's past,  and no doubt  that it is a thoroughly researched book with a minefield of information nowhere found in a single book.

Being an Indian, it is the duty of every one of us to read the book, not as an obligation but for the love of such rich cultural history which no country in the world has !