William Dalrymple's 'CITY OF DJINNS'

This has been my second read from William Dalrymple. His work is based on immense research accommodated by rigorous travelling and meeting persons in face that may aid or be part of lineage concerning historical underpinnings. Undoubtedly and yet again his work has been backed by factual data collected from tangible and intangible sources. And yet again the work is good read providing insights-this time-on a city i.e. Delhi.  

The book owes its origin from Mr. William's stay in India during his journalistic tenure. For a SCOTTISH to have nurtured in temperate climate and ending up in a tropical climate has found an interesting expression in the work, forcing you to visualize graphically. The book thus takes you in to his personal life, his interaction with locals and field guides. Historical incidents, like I previously mentioned in his other work "THE ANARCHY", is the core of his work. His work flows in Reverse Chronology. From Modern history to Ancient history of India, his this technique is intriguing yet interesting. So at times, it becomes predictable what may follow next if you are already aware of Indian History. Yet, his perspective has a potential to add new leash to the narrative.

Starts from British in India and their occupation of Delhi after the mutiny of 1857 and takes you into personal lives of British officers like William Fraser. Their contribution in architecture as well as memoirs has been well recognized and documented. You then take a back seat in to Mughal era. Their architectural achievements and their legacy to Delhi has been portrayed. The legacy of Mughals with respect to societal developments has also been highlighted. Particularly of interest being etiquette of aristocratic Delhi, sporting pleasures of nobles, etc. Mr. William traces out one of the last surviving Mughal descendent and tries to acquire insights into and of their family tree. Again you take a back seat and further find yourself awash in to Sultanate period. Although the contribution of Sultanate period in terms of architecture is meagre, certain administrative measures of the period especially during Muhammad Bin Tughlaq's reign that went into a debacle, were elaborately mentioned. The extensive research in this part accrues from memoirs of various foreign travelers of the time like Ibn Battuta can be seen here. As we again move backwards in History, we come across contributions and legacies on kingdoms in and around Delhi, but this time quite less than their later counterparts. However, evidence of PAINTED GREY WARE pottery around Nigambodh ghat-One of the oldest places in Delhi-helps us trace the history of this Historical place to ancient times. This way Mr. William tries to trace the history of Delhi.

Let me focus on the title of the book. Clearly when you search for the meaning of DJINN, you tread across mythical realms. The Book with such a title thus would demand a portion particularly on The Mythical Aspect. Mr. William's work tries to address this demand, in fact, he also takes on a research and meet certain persons in OLD DELHI to vindicate the Title. His work serves you a platter that has Originality and Rationality although with a tinge of superstitious elements, which he leaves unto readers to decide for! And hence at some point it seems Myths may be real where logic fades.

While reading you might have to struggle to keep pace with the narration. As stories and characters shift, you can at times find yourself in bewilderment, this might be due to the employment of Reverse Chronology technique, I guess. However the flow of narration is precise to ensure you are diverted to track gradually. As we approach last pages, we expect something dramatic (Generic of us), however the end portion in this work disappoints you, as you fail to receive as per your expectation.

Overall, the book enhances your inventory of information on Historical Cities, this time, Delhi. This is a must read for those residing in and around Delhi since imagining to be part of a place which shares historical roots, gives you Goosebumps already!

William Dalrymple's 'The Anarchy'

 History in academics has always been a nightmare to many, especially when we are to face exams/tests for the subject. Remembering dates, facts, personalities is a challenging task, made worse when you don't like the subject. My experience is that, reading History from academic curriculum's point of view, is a challenging task. Academics focus on just facts, they do not have scope of going into depths. This makes it difficult to remember. In such a case you either end up cramming or skipping the topic/subject forever! Reference books especially in Historical subjects, is a must. They enable you to draw a picture by yourself of the subject so that you don't end up as a stranger while reading.

There are many renowned Historians who have provided insightful material on various Historical subjects. Today here I'd like to review the work of Scottish Historian, William Dalrymple's "The Anarchy-The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and The Pillage of an empire"

The Book is placed in a non-fictional category. However, Will has made such an effort that the book feels like fictional although with non-fictional facts attached to it. In short, the flow of the work goes like a story. What starts like a story, turns dramatic chapter after chapter. You end up at a junction of climax that races your heart, force you to clutch your book even harder, you grind the air between your teeth! The experience becomes more alive when you realize that the incidents occurred in real world, just few centuries ago. The experience is more real when you are an Indian and even more when you belong to a place which has been described in the work. The facts make reading even more realistic and interesting. If you are interested in history but you are unable to cope with it without dozing off, this work can be a good start. The Graphical Images makes the work even more beautiful. It not only entertains you, but at the end it leaves you with barge full of academic insights. The energy poured and the work that results out is just commendable.

The work focuses mainly on East India Company, however local affairs are well portrayed so as to give a detailed picture. The rise and decline and prominence of Mughal Empire is well laid out. Several local fiefdoms also finds a place in the work. The Marathas too find a decent place in the work. The book weaves events and empires together in such a manner that at the end you realize that
 every thing happens for a reason.

I would recommend reading this book for students in school, or at least their teachers can share insights with their students. I would also like to recommend it for aspirants preparing for competitive exams, especially UPSC Civil Services. The facts mentioned in here can come handy in written exams.

Books like such, can alter your perspective towards History and would push you to further delve deeper in the subject.