Charles Allen (1)Reseñas

This book tackles what has become a fiercely contested topic in the newly resurgent India of today. The contention is because the dominant communities in India, or more specifically Hindu, society were claimed to be the descendants of an alien, Indo-European or Indo-Iranian/Aryan immigrant population (or less benignly, maurading tribes) from the Central Eurasian steppes across the Hindu Kush. Although this purported immigration was relegated to the millennia before the present era (BC), and nobody questions the right of the so-called Indo-Aryans to their present places of residence as citizens in India (and in many other countries of the world!), it still raises a fierce sense of indignation that their legitimacy is being questioned in their own motherland, and that too based on conjectures and theries spun by colonial rulers, who have always tried to drive a wedge between different sections of the people they ruled, and their modern successors. The author has brought together the various threads of the argument, posted us up on the results of archaeological discoveries and comparative linguistics investigations in both the Indian area and in Central Asia and Anatolia, correlated the Aryan (Indo-Iranian) pre-history with various other sources, and generally tried to present the state of the field based on what is known to be factual, as against speculations. However he has also not hidden his distaste for the more strident strands of Hndutva lines of argument, some of which challenge the Aryan Immigration theory with an equally argumentative Out-of-India hypothesis.½

Started this with enthusiasm - a fan of Charles Allen's previous work, but rather too much complicated Tibetan history for my taste.

One of the best Historical Books I have read. There are few minor errors, which no doubt will be corrected in the next edition. This book is like a detective story, once you start, you can not let it go. It also shows the works of the European Orientalist to uncover the lost history of India and they should be applauded for their work.

For the first time, I have read a book about South India and I enjoyed it. Indian history books are usually Delhi centric and neglect almost everything south of the Vindhays. The Indian culture we see in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Bali etc. would not have been possible without South Indian influence.
Also, this is about time, the history we learn in school is re-written. What we learned was a simplistic view and too many things, which the Muslim Sultans/Emperors did like killing Hindus, forced conversions, looting temples etc. have been glossed over for the sake of unity. Historians Like Prof. Romila Thapar got more importance than R. C. Majumdar.
This book is a start but not a comprehensive history. I would like to read a proper history of South India, including Telegu speaking land, which has been largely omitted.

This book is a well researched and chronologically ordered book. Author’s writing skills will keep you glued to the book as you would do for a wonderfully written mystery book. He creates a historical series of events starting from Tughlaq dynasty in 13th century and culminates in final restoration of Ashoka’s legacy with independent India adopting his sign as national emblem. A must read for anyone who is interested in history.

An entertaining collection of entries from various expats in British colonial Southeast Asia, with the highlight perhaps being from the Ranee of Sarawak and her stories of rat kings and the like.

history, british india, colonial

Reich illustrierte Kulturgeschichte des Alltags von der Steinzeit bis zum Ausgang des 19. Jahrhunderts; schon für Jugendliche.

much better than I expected.

One of the best Historical Books I have read. There are few minor errors, which no doubt will be corrected in the next edition. This book is like a detective story, once you start, you can not let it go. It also shows the works of the European Orientalist to uncover the lost history of India and they should be applauded for their work.

For the first time, I have read a book about South India and I enjoyed it. Indian history books are usually Delhi centric and neglect almost everything south of the Vindhays. The Indian culture we see in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Bali etc. would not have been possible without South Indian influence.
Also, this is about time, the history we learn in school is re-written. What we learned was a simplistic view and too many things, which the Muslim Sultans/Emperors did like killing Hindus, forced conversions, looting temples etc. have been glossed over for the sake of unity. Historians Like Prof. Romila Thapar got more importance than R. C. Majumdar.
This book is a start but not a comprehensive history. I would like to read a proper history of South India, including Telegu speaking land, which has been largely omitted.

East Africa Biography

A history of India south of the Narmada - from ancient times to recent history.

This is a nice introduction to the subject and reads easily. It also rambles on in some parts. Some other important dynasties like that of the Chalukyas, Pallavas and Pandyas are mentioned only in passing.

Overall, good for the lay reader only casually interested in the history of a part of India mostly neglected. A "History of South India" by KA Nilakanta Sastri is a better, more thorough volume on the subject.

Social history, recounting the experiences of the men and women who lived and worked in South East Asia, mainly in what is Malaysia, including Sarawak. Good detail from first person interviews, derived from a BBC radio series. The period covered starts in the 1920s and continues to the 1960s, including the terrible experiences of those who survived imprisonment, at the hands of the Japanese, from 1942 to 1945.

Tough going. Not a book you can read right through. I found I was only able to read short bits at a time, so I read the book slowly over a few months. I did find it worth it though. I am very interested in the subject and era it described, and it is fascinating.

A new account ot the Younghusband Mission to Lhasa in 1903-4, making good use of many contemporary sources, from the highest to the lowest. As the Independent's reviewer noted "Allen's histories have a unique focal length, bringing the past near with extreme clarity." The ups and downs of the Mission, both politically and topographically, are clearly recounted, making a measured judgement of the strengths and follies of the key players.½

A journey into Tibetan History

Surprisingly enjoyable read from the perspective of the colonial service workers from pre-WWI to the 1960s.

History of the Wahhabi movement and its influence on Al Qaeda and the Taliban

Well researched and exhaustive account of how the history of Ashoka and Buddhism in India was rediscovered in the 1800s. Charles Allen has transformed the dry, historical account into an interesting journey by adopting a unique perspective of revealing only what the principal actors knew at the time. His personality sketches of the people as well as his commentary on Ashoka, Chandragupta make this a great read for anyone interested in Indian history.

Well researched and exhaustive account of how the history of Ashoka and Buddhism in India was rediscovered in the 1800s. Charles Allen has transformed the dry, historical account into an interesting journey by adopting a unique perspective of revealing only what the principal actors knew at the time. His personality sketches of the people as well as his commentary on Ashoka, Chandragupta make this a great read for anyone interested in Indian history.

As a child growing up, we studied all about Indian History, of course, and the tales of how people like Robert Clive entered and slowly conquered India. History books have not generally been kind to the British rulers, and certainly they have much to account for. Yet, there are precious few books that have done good service to unsung English people. John Keay's "Into India" is one such book, as is his "The Great Arc."

This is another such book. Of course, it covers much ground beyond India, South East Asia as well as Africa. These lands, and the times, through the voices of English people who lived during those times brings history to life. These tales bring those times to life, and give us a very good insight into how the English lived their lives in our countries, how they interacted with the local people, their hopes and ambitions, and finally, their thoughts when they departed.

This is an excellent book, and to be read by anyone who wants to get a glimpse into the British Empire beyond the tales of swashbuckling Generals, battles fought and treaties negotiated.

Woven using collected pieces of surviving rock edicts, sculptures, Buddhist stupas, accounts of Huen Tsang and Fa Hien, an accepted history is now established. Sadly however, story of Ashoka had remained buried for around two thousand years, the rediscovery coinciding only with retracing of the Buddhist past in India.

Charles Allen in his book Ashoka -The Search for India's Lost Emperor meticulously presents these steps of retracing a grand era that had started with discovery of few mysterious monuments with inscriptions in an encoded script. Richly full of illustrative figures, this is a scholarly study of how historians and archaeologists had succeeded in mapping the historical clues to frame the forgotten epic of India's antiquity.

Read the review of Ashoka - The Search for India's Lost Emperor at http://www.thebookoutline.com/2013/04/book-review-ashoka-by-charles-allen.html

This is the first book of a trilogy based on the personal and recorded accounts of residents of the British Empire between the world wars and the closing stages of British rule. This book is on India, the sequel on Africa is Tales from the Dark Continent, and the third on the magical lands of the ”Far East” is Tales from the South China Seas. These books are edited extracts from the British Broadcasting Company Radio archives. Charles Allen, the ‘oral historian’ for the series was himself born (1940) in India to a family of six generations who served in the British Raj.

Each of the chapters (of all the books in the series) are edited narrations from BBC radio 4 interviews with the actual raconteurs. Many of them, if not most, are now gone of course, so these works form their last true oral history.

Despite our rather jaundiced modern view of imperialism these fascinating accounts show some of the very positive benefits of realistically benevolent government. These voices from an imperial past offer insights into the motivation of the British Raj in India, including a sense of giving service, great courage and leadership and of personal sacrifices. But they also reveal the class-ridden lifestyle of relative luxury that was perhaps at the core of the eventual resentment and strengthening of the Indian emotional need for independence.

This is the second book of a trilogy based on the personal and recorded accounts of residents of the British Empire between the world wars and the closing stages of British rule. The first book is on India Tales from the Raj, the next, this work, and the third on the magical lands of the ”Far East”;Tales from the South China Seas. These books are edited extracts from the British Broadcasting Company Radio archives. Charles Allen, the ‘oral historian’ for the series was himself born (1940) in India to a family of six generations who served in the British Raj.

Each of the chapters (of all the books in the series) are edited narrations from BBC radio 4 interviews with the actual raconteurs. Many of them, if not most, are now gone of course, so these works form their last true oral history.

Service in “British Africa” was in the infrastructure provision (engineering and public works), missionary, education and public health areas, and in administration. It is mainly the voices of the latter we hear in these accounts, the junior officers of district administrators rising through their respective careers to the senior roles in government. The service was undertaken even in relatively early days – the whole of the role of the British in Africa covers just a century – with the objective of developing the ability for an indigenous rule. In a short time, mostly within these narrators own careers, that march to self-determination was achieved. The rate of progress of the so-called ‘Africanization’ accelerated, alarming some as they realized their own self-replacing roles were to lead to an early termination of their own careers and overseas life.

The head of service, Lord Lugard's ideas concerning indirect rule and dual government set the attitudes of those in the FSO:”Our policy was always to leave as much as possible to the African people themselves and not to interfere with their lives' ...”. Indeed, rule and the Pax Britannia was only ever possible (throughout the Empire) by a deep cooperation and mutual education. The British in Africa it seems from the words of those who were there, supported rather than displaced the traditional roles and structures of the African culture and rulers.

Despite our rather jaundiced modern view of imperialism these fascinating accounts show a very positive benefit of realistically benevolent government. ”…when one considers colonial rule one has got to remember what was there before it started…Cannibalism, slavery, human sacrifice and various other abominations all existed…it taught them they could have a democratic rule… and fair laws.” By the end of the British involvement in Africa these narrators and their British government had provided a complete and self-governed infrastructure, a health, legal and education system, and a democratic structure of laws. Our current perspectives and media accounts sometimes encourage the view that imperialism, that empires, were only ever exploitation and suppression, but this book (and series) offers us an alternative view.

“Yeah, I know, education, plumbing, law …but other than all that what did the Roman Empire ever do for us?”(Monty Python, Life of Brian)