India Discovered

John Keay takes a look at a very little-known aspect of British rule. That of the application of Western attitudes towards history, culture and art on India's own culture and heritage - which had been forgotten at best or taken-for-granted at worst by Indians themselves.

He manages to bring out the story beautifully - that of British officers reporting these various finds with other academics trashing these finds as being of sub-standard quality. That there is an acceptance, albeit grudging, of the exquisiteness of India's crafts, culture and heritage is a testament to those anonymous craftsmen whose works still enthrall us so much.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the sub-continent's history and how people's attitudes show more towards India's art and culture have been shaped, and indeed continue to be shaped, by the comments/actions of these few officers of the Raj. show less

I thought that this is quite an amazing book. I have read much of the history of India, but this is the first time that I read anything about how much we Indians owe to a few intrepid and committed British people who lived in India over the course of two centuries.

The book is laid our very well indeed, and I like the manner in which John Keay takes us through the lives of these Englishmen in a very balanced and nuanced manner.

This is an excellent read, especially for an Indian. It does help to put the British Raj into a better light than is generally portrayed. Indian history owes much to these forgotten Englishmen.