India Through Questions and Answers (Set of 2 Volumes)

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The book in the hands of the reader is a valuable collection of Questions and Answers that help the reader know about India from its earliest civilisations to the present day democratic set up in India. It addresses all types of readers from Research Scholars to enthusiastic students of History, those preparing for IAS, IFS, IPS etc. and also those preparing for TV Quiz like KBC2 and other competitive games based on knowledge. Indeed it is a first attempt of its kind, looking at the large encyclopedic volume of questions and answers it contains. Volume I Part I of the book [History of India] covers all periods of History from Ancient India to the present day renunciation episode of Sonia. It has a special coverage of Mahamta Gandhi, his assassination, his various movements for India's freedom, without forgetting the noblest work he did in South Africa. The tragic end of Kalpana Chawla, the attack by terrorists on India's temple of democracy i.e. the parliament, are all notable sections of the book. This part has a detailed History of Jammu and Kashmir through Questions and Answers with circumstances that led to terrorism, the 'Intifada' phase and the subsequent 'Fidayeen' attacks. Special sections covering Mother Teresa and her beatification, Swami Vivekananda and his speeches in the 'Parliament of Religions' [1893] & Sister Nivedita are other attractions [Ch. 10]. A brief section on the births and deaths of India's intellectuals/saints like Tulsidas, Mirabai etc. add to the merits of the book. Volume 2 Part I [Religions] enriches the reader about various faiths in our country and contains the names of all 5 conches of the Pandavas and that of Lord Krishna, the names of Krishna's 8 queens and Prophet Muhammad's 12 wives, the 12 Apostles of Jesus, the 10 Commandments, the 8-fold path of the Buddha, the 6 Shankracharyas, the 24 Tirthankuras of Jainism and the 5 seats of Sikh Polity along with contents of the 'Dasam Grantham' and the names of all the poets/gurus whose verses constitute the 'Guru Granth Saheb' of the Sikhs.

The book 'India Through Questions and Answers' has been prepared with hard work of six years and addresses all readers from Research Scholars, Academicians and enthusiastic History students to those who prepare for TV Quiz and other competitions like the IAS, IFS etc. It has been really an enriching experience for me to read History without preparing for any academic degree or qualification. The last decade of the 20th century was full of political turmoil in India with communal and caste forces dividing the nation ruthlessly and attempting to destroy India's secular fibre for trivial political interests. Certain forces were unable to accept India as a beautiful combination of varying cultures and religions and were trying to bind the nation in the rope of a single culture leading to furious riots, disturbances, demolition, of a dilapidated structure and so much of disaster in this otherwise harmonious nation. I was finding myself in the grip of some sort of curiosity about India and began to study History from Satyaketu Vidyalankar's Pracheen Bharat (Ancient India). My studies did not stop here and I found myself reading Medieval History, India's Struggle for Independence, India after independence and many other titles soon. The most fascinating experience was to read about Gandhi whose spiritual personality is comparable to those of Jesus, Buddha and Rama and whose worship of the scriptures of Hinduism distinguished him from the fanatics nay mavericks of Savarkarite Hindutva (Hinduness or Hindudom not Hinduism!) as also the Golwalkarite Cultural Nationalism'! The speeches by Swami Vivekananda in the PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS at Chicago (1893), the beatification of Mother Teresa at the Vatican City and the renunciations of Buddha & Mahavir for human welfare from princely lives...there seemed to be no end to reading astonishingly about this great country as India that is Bharata of King Bharat and wondering why certain forces were determined to destroy the noblest value-system of our beloved country.

Study of books like 'Kashmir, a Tragedy of Errors' by Tavleen Singh or The Origin of a Dispute - Kashmir 1947' by Prem Shankar Jha inspired me to feel the problem of the Kashmiri people. The valuable suggestions in the form of Paths to Peace in the book 'Kashmir, Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace' by Sumantra Bose with precious models of the solution of dispute in the North Ireland between nationalists and loyalists made me realize that India's continuous aversions that Kashmir is the integral part of India' and those of Pakistan that 'Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan' are now futile and that Kashmir needs a solution which can bless the Kashmiri people with peace. It gradually became my habit to read History and make my personal views on every subject. One fine morning it occurred to me that I must share my knowledge with the fellow beings who keep asking me questions, noticing that reading about India is my mission as well as passion and I read very enthusiastically about India. But in return, it also became my habit to ask them certain questions to seek answers and know their mindsets. I thus became an enthusiastic questioner in my society in return to being questioned. The result was obvious; this vast questionnaire entitled 'India Through Questions and Answers'. 1 have attempted to cover as much of India as possible in about 7400 questions (counting each part separately) with answers. Where answers do not suffice my appetite for answering, I have added certain 'Notes' from various books/magazines/ websites in order to elaborate the answer. These 'Notes' are given at the end of each chapter where necessary. I hope the reader will not get only crisp questions like 'Who was the First Indian beauty to be crowned Miss World' but also be confronted with Questions like To which gods did media & other intellectuals compare her sacrificial step, praising her & even nicknaming her 'Saint Sonia'? The questions on Mahatma Gandhi and Jammu & Kashmir are rich with knowledge, reading answers to which, the reader will get an insight into India. The pride of India lies in having astronauts like Kalpana Chawla who tragically left us, as also having sportspersons like PT Usha, Milkha Singh, Leander Paes, Sachin Tendulkar and great actors like Devika Rani Roerich, Ashok Kumar and Dev Anand.

**Contents and Sample Pages**