Indic history, Indology, the history of the native (by the native) and the other side of Indian history are coming to the fore. These subjects are not coming to the front suddenly. The rise of Indic history is a constant phenomenon, suppressed by various forces in different times. However, with the regime change in India in 2014, Indology has definitely sprung more than it ever did. More people are interested in knowing the Indian side of Indian history. Earlier, it was about Mughals, the British, and a specific section of political biggies. However, the awakening of the masses and rising interest in the Indian narrative has given the podium to many talented authors, historians and Indologists. In this article, I am listing Indian historians, Indologists and Indic authors you may read to understand the aspects erstwhile suppressed. 

Rajiv Malhotra: Perhaps the most popular figure globally in Indic studies, Rajiv Malhotra has written many books. Though he was active in the early 2000s waging an intellectual war against the biased Western academics in the USA, he has become more eminent in recent years. Standing tall in the global arena of intellectual wrestling, Rajiv has written books directly criticising the prejudiced and polluting practices of the West. Rajiv’s books offer insights, perspectives and the way forward. You can read books by him to understand the importance of Indic knowledge in shaping the minds of the West and how an ungrateful West doesn’t acknowledge the source of information. 

Vikram Sampath: Sampath wrote the biography of Veer Savarkar, the great Indian freedom fighter who spent many years in an inhuman jail in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. This biography refutes many lies and propaganda against Veer Savarkar propagated by the left historians and Congress’ in-house academia. There are two volumes of this biography. The book has become a bestseller in no time. To know the facts hitherto unknown, to understand the importance of Savarkar in Indian history and to understand his thoughts, do read Samapth’s biography of him. 

(Note: Sampath’s challenging dare to the status-quo academia has rattled many ‘historians’ in the West and politicians in India. Sampath has won a court order that barred ‘scholars’ from writing any demeaning tweets against him.)

Anuj Dhar: Anuj Dhar is a challenging historian. He has revived the debate around Netaji Subhas Chandra’s mysterious disappearance from the scene of the Indian freedom struggle. He has also written about Shastri Ji’s death under suspicious circumstances in Tashkent. Anuj Dhar’s writing style, research quality, and exhibition of arguments are remarkable. And that’s why his books are popular. You can read him to enter into the unknown territories of Indian history deliberately kept away from us for many decades. Reference link: Anuj Dhar

J Sai Deepak: With his arguments and appearances in TV debates, J Sai Deepak has made a discerning space for himself on the horizon of Indic scholars. A practising lawyer, he also wrote a book on Indian history. J Sai Deepak’s book takes the readers into the arena of intellectual discourse that pits the Westerners against their arguments and practices. India that is Bharat, Sai Deepak’s book, presents the ignored side of British history in India. It also touches on a few major episodes of the Mughal’s atrocities and the act of hiding them under the carpet of harmony and peace. Reference link: India that is Bharat book review

List by Agastya for Intellectual Reader