History matters

Through a series of essays, Sudeshna Guha's book examines the history of prehistoric and modern-day artefacts and the ethics of heritage-making that nationalises a past bereft of nation states

A History of India Through 75 Objects

Author: Sudeshna Guha

Publisher: Hachette India

Pages:  xviii + 669

Price: Rs 1,299

A History of India through 75 Objects is history told through a selection of objects from prehistoric times to modern-day India. As the author, Sudeshna Guha, tells us in the introduction, object-driven history books have become commonplace since the publication in 2011 of A History of the World in 100 Objects by the British Museum. It also appears to have inspired the present volume.

The 75 essays cover vast ground — the Ajanta frescoes, the Bhimbetka cave paintings, the Dancing Girl and the Jade Necklace of