As Indians, questions about our origins—who we are, where we came from and what defines us—will always intrigue and vex us in equal measure. This is the result of a complex, multi-layered past that stretches from one of the earliest known examples of urban culture, to the birth of a nation carved out of a subcontinent. 

In an audacious theatrical piece titled ‘The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation’, playwright and director Feroz Abbas Khan weaves together dance, music and speech in his definitive style to depict how India’s history—present and future—are in constant conversation, without speaking over each other. “It captures the nation’s story from the genesis of Om to the Constitution of India,” he says about his upcoming production. 

The director of ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ and ‘Tumhari Amrita’ traces the stages of India’s evolution—the Vedic era and the Natya Sastra; the birth of Jainism and Buddhism; the enterprise of the Mughals; and finally, the freedom struggle. In the 90-minute production, he references Swami Vivekananda’s articulation of Indian civilisational values, which rejected social divides.

As you gear up to watch Abbas Khan’s new play at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre this April, here is a list of the best books on the history of India’s civilisation, handpicked by two Indian contemporary historians:

Gem In The Lotus; The First Spring; and other titles by Abraham Eraly (Penguin India)

Manu S Pillai, historian and Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar awardee, says beginners should look up Abraham Eraly, “who produced a whole series of books on Indian history, ranging from the Indus Valley period down to the Mughals. The set is a delight.” Eraly is a lesser-known master of the subject, and his style has been described as colourful and thought-provoking.

In books such as Emperors Of The Peacock Throne, Eraly chose to depict the Mughal emperors and nobles as flesh-and-blood people. And though he may not have enjoyed a wide audience of readers, his scholarship was recognised by peers like William Dalrymple. 

Indians— A Brief History of A Civilization by Namit Arora (Penguin Viking)

If questions such as ‘Was there ever a preference for dark skin in India?’ or ‘Why did the sculptors at Khajuraho carve out erotic figures at a temple?’ have ever puzzled you, Namit Arora’s Indians may be the right pick. With chapters that traverse cities, like the Harappan site Dholavira and the Buddhist learning centre Nalanda, as well as the accounts of famous travellers—Megasthenes and Marco Polo—who visited the subcontinent, this book examines the churn of values and ideas that have shaped our culture.

Those who enjoy reading travel writing will be drawn to the photographs and local stories that punctuate Arora’s writing. 

A History of India by Romila Thapar (Penguin India)

Ira Mukhoty, author of Akbar: The Great Mughal, recommends the Jawaharlal Nehru University professor’s book “for the depth of scholarship, and its comprehensive coverage of the history of India up to the Mughal era.”

For students of Indian history, Thapar’s work is a foundational beginning, as it introduces a wide variety of figures such as Ashoka, and dynasties like the Guptas and Mauryas. A History of India is considered essential reading also for its exploration of institutions such as class, marriage and astronomy.

Ancient India: Culture of Contradictions by Upinder Singh (Aleph Book Company)

Stereotypes and misconceptions about India flatten its diversities and leave no room for intricacy and nuance. In this book, distinguished scholar and professor Singh asks the reader to view India as a site of paradoxes and opposing positions—whether it is violence and non-violence, desire and detachment, or goddess worship and misogyny.

She juxtaposes the non-violent dhamma of Ashoka with the realpolitik of Kautilya, figures who may seem irreconcilable at face value: Just as Ashoka discouraged animal sacrifice, Kautilya’s Arthashastra laid down punishments for causing injury to animals. Singh encourages the reader to consider the present with this framework.

India: A History by John Keay (Harper Press)

Mukhoty, who is known for her fiction and work in narrative history, puts forth a second recommendation—one of historian John Keay’s works. In his introduction, Keay writes that it is not only a documentation of India, but also a history of Indian history, as he relies on the work of discoverers and scholars who have uncovered our past from stone and brick.

“It is written in a much more entertaining and engaging style, easier to access for the lay reader,” Mukhoty says. Keay’s book begins with the Harappan civilisation and ends with the nuclear arms race, covering two generations after Partition, or “Midnight’s Grandchildren”. 

Early Indians: The Story of Our Ancestors and Where We Came From by Tony Joseph (Juggernaut)

Journalist Tony Joseph travels 65,000 years back in time to trace India’s genetic past, by examining the DNA evidence from the Harappan civilisation to test the popularly known ‘Aryan migration’ theory. In this award-winning book, he draws from archaeology, linguistics, philology and population genetics to study how Homo sapiens made their first migration from Africa to the Indian subcontinent. 

Joseph tackles subjects such as the caste system and the perceived difference between North Indians and South Indians, bringing forth data about migrations to dispel the myth of a homogenous origin.

Feroz Abbas Khan’s ‘The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation’ will premiere at The Grand Theatre, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, in Mumbai from April 3 to 23, 2023.