Hachette India, 208 pages, Rs 399

 

The ‘Indian Knowledge System/s’ (IKS) is the buzzword in academia. The New Education Policy has emphasized it. Universities and colleges are hastily designing courses around it. A premier university, for example, has offered a course that introduces students to fifteen shastras, ranging from Chikitsashastra, Vanaspatishastra, Rasayanshastra, Sangitashastra, nrityashastra, Vaimanikashastra, Ashwashastra, Gajashastra, Chhandashastra, Niruktashastra and Vyakaranashastra. That ancient India had great scholars of grammar and etymology is well known. Many would have also known that this land had produced experts in the fields of medicine, music and dance. But, the fact that there were scholarly treatises on chemistry and elephants or horses were also subjects of erudite studies may come as a surprise.

 

It is so surprising that there is not a single book that covers them all. ‘The Greatest Books of Ancient India’, however, comes close to the description. While it is obviously meant for children, it covers a lot of ground. And school-going children would do well to familiarize themselves with the intellectual achievements of early India. It will be a fun-filled quest for them.

 

The authors first introduce the young readers to the language, its ingredients – script and grammar including a brief note on Panini, so that they can appreciate the nitty-gritty of the world of knowledge in the ancient era. 

 

Then, there are 14 brief but well organized chapters on as many great books: Aryabhatiya (atronomy and mathemcatics), Mayamata (architecture), Rasaratna-Samucchaya (chemistry), Manasollasa (encyclopedia), Krishi Parashara (farming and agriculture), Arthashastra (governance), Lilavati (mathematics, again), Sushruta Samhita and Charak Samhita (medicine), Sangita Ratnakara (music), Chitra Sutra (painting), Natya Shastra (performing arts), Vriksha Ayurveda (plants and trees) and Malla Purana (wrestling). The interactive presentation is full of puzzles, experiments and breakthroughs.

 

There are astonishing facts here: The description of plastic surgery in one of the two medical manuals, exact measurements for every part of the body from tooth to toenail, calculation of the exact duration of Earth's year and more.

 

How did these brilliant minds map the skies, decode numbers, design temples, and revolutionize medicine, farming and the arts – recording it all in Sanskrit verses, a couple of thousands of years ago?  The reader is left wondering about those ancient geniuses who achieved so much amid rudimentary conditions – not to mention the lack of modern labs or computers with the internet.

 

The presentation is kept simple, keeping in mind the young readership – every technical term has to be explained first, but that helps non-specialist adult readers too. Also, notwithstanding the target readership, the content is qualitative, as the authors are formidable experts in this field. 

 

Dr. Pradeep Chakravarthy graduated from the London School of Economics, UK, and JNU, Delhi. He has a PhD in history. His corporate career at TVS, Cognizant, Infosys and McKinsey helps him connect history to human behaviour. He has authored 12 books for adults, and published several articles in magazines and newspapers on history and its relevance today. He has started 'Anantya in the Village’, a heritage hotel close to one of India's oldest villages where he organizes summer workshops for children. 

 

Prof. (Dr.) R. Thiagarajan started his career as a teacher and went on to become Reader and Head, Department of Sanskrit, Presidency College, Chennai, teaching Sanskrit and allied cultural subjects there for over 30 years. He has authored many audio and print books in Tamil, Sanskrit and English, besides translations and textbooks for schools and colleges. He is the founder of the Fellowship of Sanskrit Culture and has been awarded twice by the governor of Tamil Nadu for his contributions to Sanskrit. He is the chairman of Swami Dayananda's Digital Library and Research Centre, Chennai, and the chairperson of the Sanskrit Text Book Committee, Government of Tamil Nadu.

 

Books like ‘Sapiens’ come out in new editions for young readers. This one deserves a new edition for adult readers.