Everything I'm Saying Is Hiding in Plain Sight

Historian William Dalrymple, who was in the city, discusses his latest book, India's role in shaping Eurasia in antiquity, and B'luru's Roman connection

- TUNIR BISWAS

NE, two buckle my shoe, three, four shut the door... We all know how it goes. But what are these one and two and three and four? As students, we learned that they are Arabic numerals. But we had learned wrong. If you rewind the chronicler's tape a couple of centuries before the Islamic Golden Age (8th century CE-14th century CE), you'll find these symbols found their home in modest Indian allies by 6th century CE. And yet, most of the world and even most Indians err in its origin.