RBSI - The Wonder that was India By A.L. Basham Published by Sidgwick & Jackson, London, 1954 Professor Arthur Llewellyn Basham (24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a noted historian and indologist and a

Posted on: 22 September 2010

The Wonder that was India
By A.L. Basham
Published by Sidgwick & Jackson, London, 1954

Professor Arthur Llewellyn Basham (24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a noted historian and indologist and author of a number of books. It is perhaps not a mere coincidence that two of the most renowned living historians of early India, Professors R.S. Sharma and Romila Thapar, received their doctoral blessings from Basham (who had guided a generation of historians from India at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London in the 1950s and the 1960s) and were either closely associated with or inspired by D.D. Kosambi.

WRITTEN for a Western audience in 1954 at a time when the sun had set on the British Empire, A.L. Basham's The Wonder that was India is among the "must reads" for every undergraduate pursuing history in India. And, herein lies the greatest testimony to the fact that this book had successfully "decolonised" Indian history.

Translated into a dozen languages including Spanish, Russian, Polish and Croat, The Wonder, along with nationalist historian, R.C. Majumdar's multi-volume History and Culture of the Indian People sought to replace the imperial histories of India. According to Trautmann, "Basham and Majumdar, moving toward one another from different directions" were a counter to the hegemonic texts that claimed "Indians were never so happy as when they were held in good order under the rule of a firm but benevolent empire such as that of the Mauryas, the Guptas, the Mughals or the British".

View Post on Facebook

Comments from Facebook

The Wiki on Professor Basham : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.L._Basham

Mixed feelings on Basham. he is also compulsory reading for UG Sociology courses in DU at least...so am closely acquainted with him.

Sorry. Cannot find pdf download of this book anywhere on the Net.

It is available in book shops but of course has to be paid for, also in most libraries.

Most of us who love India's history would have begun their journey with Basham's spectacular book. It was a surefire antidote for the minds of those having any mixed feelings about India !

I wish that half the occidentals now nattering on South Asia had had a large dose of Basham et al at 19...

RBSI: In the USA, the Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA) of 1998 "froze" the advancement date of the public domain in the United States for works covered by the older fixed term copyright rules. Most material published prior to 1923 is entering the public domain online. Books published in 1924 will become openly available in 2019. Does India have a shrter copyright protection?

Among all numerous RBSI fans, there are quite a few non-historians too! I just ordered a paperback copy of the book on Indiaplaza.com

I hope someone could clarify Qamar Rehmani's query ??

Very strange to find the write-up on Basham---extolling him as an "noted historian and" INDOLOGIST"--- now where did I read that terms like "Indologist and Egyptologist " are vigorously 'patronizing"--- yes @Sumedha"s carping in another post.Guess we will just have to live with it---another well-loved "DWM" judging from the comments on the 'Indologist" himself

Wiki too has to be told to be politically "propah"