Description:
'Charmingly illustrated and irresistibly readable, this is history without the drudgery' Dr Shashi Tharoor
Did you know that in Mughal times, sixty feet of incredibly fine Indian muslin could fit into a small pocket snuffbox? Or that the first Indian stunt heroine, the swashbuckling 'Hunterwali' Fearless Nadia, was actually an Australian actress called Mary Evans? Did you know that there are more than 300 versions of the Ramayana, across India and around the world? Or that Harappan children also played games like lagori or pitthu? With eighty quick, exciting stories, this book is perfect for curious kids who love to ask, 'Wait . . . really?' Every page opens a tiny door into a India's past, filled with wow moments, strange facts and awesome surprises.Packed with cool trivia, bright illustrations and a fun, playful design, this is the ultimate history book--without any of the boring stuff. Prepare to jump and shout, 'I never knew that!' again and again!
Review Quotes:
'Obscured as they are behind the tedium of textbooks, some of the most exhilarating and
exciting episodes from our immemorial history fail to reach a majority of young Indians, who
must know their past like the back of their hands if they are to go on to helm our future. In
A to Z of Indian History, Archana Garodia Gupta and Shruti Garodia seek to ignite the spark of
historical curiosity in the minds of the changemakers of tomorrow. They do this by unveiling a
score of little-known stories, each more captivating and crazier than the last, from our history's
infinite ocean of wonder tales.
Here is a rumbustious, alphabet-led romp through India's most astonishing sagas--from
buffaloes marching to the Middle East to scare lions, and champi turning into shampoo, to
Alexander's super-powered Indian war dogs, and Mahatma Gandhi's ballroom lessons in
London. Packed with eighty short, surprising tales, it opens tiny doors into a past full of wonder,
unforgettable facts, and fantastical whimsicalities and oddities. Charmingly illustrated and
irresistibly readable, this is history without the drudgery--guaranteed to transmute our past
from an academic obligation into a luminous zeal, and transform our young ones into curious
readers and seekers of historical clarity, all while they, flipping through these pages, exclaim,
again and again, "Wait, what, really?"'