Valour without vision

India's strategic blind spot through history

- BY PRATUL SHARMA

THE DECLINE OF THE HINDU CIVILIZATION: LESSONS FROM THE PAST

By Shashi Ranjan Kumar Published by Rupa Publications Pages: 362; price: ₹995

How did a civilisation with deep cultural continuity and intellectual achievement fail repeatedly to secure itself strategically? This is the question senior bureaucrat Shashi Ranjan Kumar examines in The Decline of the Hindu Civilization: Lessons from the Past. The book offers a balanced, analytical examination of India's historical vulnerability and highlights ancient India's intellectual and cultural achievements through comparisons with other civilisations.

Kumar, an IIT Delhi alumnus and 1992-batch Tripura-cadre IAS officer, is now secretary of the Union Public Service Commission. His training is evident in the book's structured, evidence-driven method, avoiding rhetorical flourish and ideological assertion.

The book reflects a broader trend: authors outside academic history are engaging seriously with India's past. While not formally trained historians, they approach historical questions with rigour and curiosity, signalling renewed interest in India’s civilisational experience beyond conventional historiography.