The Shortest History of India

This attempt by the Australian historian has turned out to be an excellent crash course ( just under 300 pages ) at providing an overview of India's 5000 years long history from the Harappan period to free India , without losing any of the nuances. I found the chapters covering the Mughal and British rules most fascinating , though he has covered the earlier periods of the Maurya and Gupta empires well. The author explores incisively the underlying factors for India falling prey to repeated incursions and subsequent rule by invading forces. Those who are supporters of the recent trend of running down Mughal rule may take umbrage at his description of Mughals as ' magnificent ' and the country under Mughal period as the ' world's richest ' , at its apogee during the greatest of all Mughal kings , Akbar. Zubrzycki also does not find all the Mughal kings guilty of religious intolerance ( except perhaps Aurangzeb ). His descriptions of the British rule , from East India Company to dominion status and freedom are full of pithy insights as well as delightful nuggets of information.It is difficult to fault the author in his condensation efforts , as he does not appear to have left out anything essential to the main themes. He has also taken particular care not to allow the the book to lapse into a mere litany of events . On the other hand , he weighs in frequently with his well-argued assessments of events and personalities ( of particular interest will be his view of the reforms attempted by Macaulay ) , often enriched by quotes from authorities like Basham, Percival Spear , Romila Thapar, Dalrumple etc. There is also a useful list of suggested further reading at the end of the book.

Recommended for a novice to quickly get a high level primer from 3000BC till date

I loved this book. It's contains much material, but it is brief and not overwhelming. Through its pages one passes through 5000 years of Indian history, from the Indus valley civilization to India's Covid-19 years. It's a gripping presentation of the story of humanity's largest civilizational democracy, the land of our people and our home. Who needs blockbuster movies when you have grand stories like these!I enjoyed the author's thorough humanism which fills the book. I share his concern about the rise of religious radicalism in the country. Will it derail the promise that India holds? Perhaps a future update a few decades from now of this book will contain the answer.

Excellent book. Though it covers everything at a very high level but a very good start for anyone looking to dive deep into Indian history.

Very well covers the history of India with data points to validate and provide justification. Must read to quickly get up to speed on the history of Bharat and modern India with stories that are intriguing and interesting.

The Shortest History of India by John Zubrzycki is a brilliant and sleek book that condenses the glorious Indian history into a fast paced read. It’s tough to select a favourite chapter since the book captures history ranging from the lost civilizations, rise and importance of religion, colonization, the freedom struggle, sustaining and creating a new India. This book is a great read to introduce and remind readers of the past that has shaped India and Indians over the period of years striving to make their mark through fair trials and toil. I had a great time reading and reminiscing the by-gone times in the crisp writing style of this book!

Learnt so much for this power packed book on Indian history over 5000 years. Written in a very engaging style and contains photos too.

As someone who has the new found interest in the subject, I wanted to start with light material and hence I picked up this book. I was hoping that it will make me more curious and to get deeper insights. None of such things happened. I will have to find an alternative.