Information Madness

Many history books have been written. The best history book that we have come across is probably Edward Gibbon's account on the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. On an account of the last stages of the Mughal period in India, this book comes as a breath of fresh air. Its author, William Dalrymple, has reached the heart of the reader by utilising a captivating style of writing with accounts from diaries of people involved in the period in context.

It is actually quite a brisk read unlike the boring biographical and essayist history noels. In fact, this is quite a revolutionary style of history writing. It really tells many how a history book has to be written. It makes you feel that you are very much there in 1857 as eye witnesses to the proceedings where you can see and even smell the decaying 'bodies' by the river bed. It makes you sigh on the helplessness of Bahadur Shah Zafar II.

Excellent research has been done by Dalrymple. The narration is neutral to both the British as well as the Mughal and Sepoy sentiments; it gives you a film director's account without bias on an epic level. It is amazing that a Scotch and not an Indian has been able to read the pulse of Mughal Delhi so well. Some accounts come to mind with the brilliant adaptation of Mirza Ghalib played by Naseeruddin Shah. In this Television serial, the turbulent times of Delhi are very nicely brought out through the eyes of Ghalib.

`The Last Mughal’ is another account that brings out the visuals through words in a very effective manner. We will not come across a more interesting version of the events of 1857 in the context of Indian historical development than in these pages here. This book is a must read for all history buffs and avid readers of non-fiction. It is a cracker for those thriller readers too who like their read to be fast paced. This is one of the most thrilling history books to come out ever.