About this Course
The imperialist version of Indian history, according to which the “meek Hindu” had always been preoccupied with pure speculations and seldom stood up in defence of his country and culture, has been predominant. The same narrative has not only continued after independence but has become more entrenched in our history textbooks. From the invention of decimal numbers to the practice of Yoga, various knowledge systems have sprung from India. Yet, history books present a sordid story of how India was shaped and reshaped after many waves of foreign invasions. In a fresh departure from this trend, we offer a course on India’s true history, free from the Colonial and Marxist biases that characterize most academic narratives. In this course, we will teach history from an Indic perspective; we will see how we consider history in our tradition so that we can witness the living ceremony and sense of historical consciousness deeply rooted in our people. This course on Indian history will highlight cultural continuities that have endured the test of time. This course will not only narrate the stories of elemental kingdoms and their role in shaping our past but also focus on socio-economic changes and India’s historical position in the world.
Course Information
Duration: 3 months
Lecture: 90 minutes
Frequency: Twice a Week
Level: Introductory
Medium: Bilingual (English/Hindi)
Delivery: Online through CIS Course Platform
Timings: Will be finally decided by the instructors after discussion with enrolled students
Enrollment Last Date: 28th May 2022
Course Start Date : 03rd June 2022
Limited scholarships are available. Interested candidates can apply here: https://forms.gle/27tJHCGEZLB9JTd36
Contact Details: cis@indusuni.ac.in
What You Will Learn
• Important dates, kings and empires, as also the life and culture of the Indian people.
• About the unsung warriors of Indian history who fought valiantly in defence of their motherland.
• India’s rich cultural heritage in philosophy, art, architecture, literature, martial arts, science, environmental awareness and so on.
• The four limbs of Indian culture Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha and their incorporation into day-to-day life.
• The Indian concept of Rashtra, administrative system, village economy, and foreign policies.
• The histories of various Hindu empires such as The Vijayanagara Empire and The Maratha Empire that flourished in the medieval period.
• India’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage, which has remained intact despite various foreign invasions.
• India’s unique economic position and cultural diversity.
What You’ll Get
• Live and interactive lectures with Instructor(s) twice a week.
• Special guest interactions (Prof. Meenakshi Jain, Prof. Saumya Dey, Prof. V.N. Prabhakar, Tanmay Kelkar and Sai Priya) with external experts to get comprehensive perspective.
• Reference materials like articles, online discussions and links to books and videos.
• Quizzes which will make you learn faster and more thoroughly.
• Indus University Certificate to certify that you have gone through and passed this course.
• An opportunity to work on various Indian Knowledge System (sponsored by Ministry of Education) projects to meritorious students.
Course Curriculum
| 1. History Matters: The Key Question? | |||
| 1.1 Exploring the Key Questions: Why, What, When and How? | 00:00:00 | ||
| 1.2 Culture and Civilization: What is the difference? | 00:00:00 | ||
| 1.3 Indic Vs. Western Approach: Where we are missing the train? | 00:00:00 | ||
| 1.4 Anthropology, Archaeology and Genetics: Facts Vs. Interpretations | 00:00:00 | ||
| 1.5 Beginning of Historical Journey: From Traditional Texts to Field Work | 00:00:00 | ||
| 2. Exploring the history of Mankind: Geology, Prehistory and Primatology | |||
| 2.1 General Timeline of Research in Prehistory | 00:00:00 | ||
| 2.2 Rethinking Human Evolution: Does Man Really Makes Himself? | 00:00:00 | ||
| 2.3 Earth System | 00:00:00 | ||
| 2.4 Life on Earth: Before the Dawn of Humanity | 00:00:00 | ||
| 2.5 Climatic System and Adaptation Mechanism | 00:00:00 | ||
| 2.6 Cultural Components of Being Human | 00:00:00 | ||
| 3. Neolithic Period: Climate and Emergence of Early Food Producing Society | |||
| 3.1 Domestication: Who has Domesticated Whom? | 00:00:00 | ||
| 3.2 Finding the Key: Human, Plant and Animal or Vice Versa | 00:00:00 | ||
| 3.3 Settled Way of Life: Blessing or Curse | 00:00:00 | ||
| 3.4 Emergence of Villages and Role of rituals to connect on another | 00:00:00 | ||
| 3.5 Expending the horizons: Core and Periphery | 00:00:00 | ||
| 3.6 Challenges | 00:00:00 | ||
| 3.7 What was happening in Indian Subcontinent: Regional Cultures | 00:00:00 | ||
| 4. Fortified Life: Further Complexity | |||
| 4.1 Urbanism and Civilization: Defining the key concepts | 00:00:00 | ||
| 4.3 Control and Conflict: Emergence of Administration | 00:00:00 | ||
| 4.4 Taxation System | 00:00:00 | ||
| 4.5 Risk and Resource Management | 00:00:00 | ||
| 4.6 Role of Ideology in Assimilation | 00:00:00 | ||
| 5. Harappan Civilization: Variability is Key | |||
| 5.1 Timeline of Discovery | 00:00:00 | ||
| 5.2 Geographical Setting: Diversity Matters | 00:00:00 | ||
| 5.3 Degree of Integration: Monsoon Variability and Cultural Resilience | 00:00:00 | ||
| 5.5 Crafts | 00:00:00 | ||
| 5.6 Social Security and Trade Mechanism | 00:00:00 | ||
| 5.7 Harappan Script | 00:00:00 | ||
| 5.8 Disintegration of Harappan | 00:00:00 | ||
| 6. Old Wine in New Bottle: Aryan Invasion Theory | |||
| 6.1 What is Invasion? | 00:00:00 | ||
| 6.2 Are there any archaeological traces of Invasion? | 00:00:00 | ||
| 6.3 Debate on Indo-European and Indo-Aryan Languages: Linguistic Approach | 00:00:00 | ||
| 6.4 Out of India Theory | 00:00:00 | ||
| 6.5 Horse and Chariot Debate | 00:00:00 | ||
| 6.6 Ancient DNA and its limitations | 00:00:00 | ||
| 6.7 Recent approaches for old debate | 00:00:00 | ||
| 7. Literature and Archaeology: Early Historical Period | |||
| 7.1 Early Historical Archaeology and Early Historical Literature | 00:00:00 | ||
| 7.2 Rishi Parampara Vs. Muni Parampara | 00:00:00 | ||
| 7.3 Janpadas, Mahajanpadas, Kingdom and Republics | 00:00:00 | ||
| 7.4 Punch-marked Coins | 00:00:00 | ||
| 7.5 Connecting the zones: Uttarapath and Daksinapath | 00:00:00 | ||
| 7.6 Emergence of Script: Brahmi, Kharosthi and Tamil- Brahmi. | 00:00:00 | ||
| 7.7 Trade | 00:00:00 | ||
| 7.8 Architecture and Technology | 00:00:00 | ||
| 8. Geo-Political History of Northern and Southern Part of India | |||
| 8.1 Why politics matters: Key points | 00:00:00 | ||
| 8.2 Ashoka and his Inscription | 00:00:00 | ||
| 8.3 Chola, Chera and Pandyas | 00:00:00 | ||
| 8.4 Kushanas | 00:00:00 | ||
| 8.5 Guptas and Vakatakas | 00:00:00 | ||
| 8.6 Contacts with West Asia and South-East Asia: Alternative Route via North-East | 00:00:00 | ||
| 8.7 Maritime Trade and Connecting through Ocean | 00:00:00 | ||
| 9. Intangible Heritage of Ancient India | |||
| 9.1 Literature: Kavya and Natyashastra | 00:00:00 | ||
| 9.2 School of Arts and Architecture | 00:00:00 | ||
| 9.3 Temples, Gurukulas and Land Grants: Interwoven History | 00:00:00 | ||
| 9.4 Water Management and Rituals | 00:00:00 | ||
| 9.5 Mathematics, Astronomy and Dharmashastra | 00:00:00 | ||
| 10. An Introduction to Medieval India | |||
| 10.1. Background of medieval historical records | 00:00:00 | ||
| 10.2. Dharma Vs. Religion: The difference | 00:00:00 | ||
| 10.3. Hindu Vs. Islamic Kingdoms: A comparison | 00:00:00 | ||
| 10.4. Decline of Classical Civilization | 00:00:00 | ||
| 11. Islamic Invasions and Hindu Resistance | |||
| 11.1. Overview of Early Islamic Invasions and Attacks | 00:00:00 | ||
| 11.2. Timeline of Early Hindu Responses from Bappa Rawal to Jayachandra | 00:00:00 | ||
| 11.3. Key Battles of Tarain; Chandawar etc. | 00:00:00 | ||
| 11.4. The Sultans of Delhi and Mughals | 00:00:00 | ||
| 11.5. Hindu Responses to Mughals: Rana Pratap; Lachit Borphukan; Shivaji etc. | 00:00:00 | ||
| 12. The Kingdom of Vijayanagar | |||
| 12.1. Emergence as a bulwark against Islamic Invasions | 00:00:00 | ||
| 12.2. Artistic and Cultural Achievements | 00:00:00 | ||
| 12.3. European Visitors | 00:00:00 | ||
| 12.4. Governance | 00:00:00 | ||
| 13. Maratha Empire: What, How, When, Why? | |||
| 13.1. Historical and cultural backdrop of Maharashtra | 00:00:00 | ||
| 13.2. Precursors of the vision of “Hindavi Swarajya” | 00:00:00 | ||
| 13.3. A brief biography of King Chh. Shivaji | 00:00:00 | ||
| 13.4. Maratha empire after King Shivaji | 00:00:00 | ||
| 13.5. Rise and decline | 00:00:00 | ||
| 13.6. Marathas and the Europeans | 00:00:00 | ||
| 14. Maratha Empire: Echoes across the Indian life | |||
| 14.1. Social life in Maharashtra | 00:00:00 | ||
| 14.2. Marathas and Bengal | 00:00:00 | ||
| 14.3. Marathas and Gujarat | 00:00:00 | ||
| 14.4. Marathas and the South | 00:00:00 | ||
| 14.5. Marathas and Malwa | 00:00:00 | ||
| 14.6. Marathas beyond the modern-day borders | 00:00:00 | ||
| 15. Islamic Iconoclasm and Hindu Perseverance | |||
| 15.1. Timeline of Destruction of Hindu Temples | 00:00:00 | ||
| 15.2. Flight of Deities | 00:00:00 | ||
| 15.3. Persecution of Priests and Monks | 00:00:00 | ||
| 15.4. Destruction of Libraries and Universities | 00:00:00 | ||
| 16. Cultural Encounters in Medieval Bengal | |||
| 16.1. What is Culture? | 00:00:00 | ||
| 16.2. Religious Identity in Bengal | 00:00:00 | ||
| 16.3. Relations between Hindus and Muslims | 00:00:00 | ||
| 17. Establishment of British Rule in India and Early Reactions and Resistance | |||
| 17.1. Fundamental factors and causes that led to the establishment of British Rule in India | 00:00:00 | ||
| 17.2. Expansion of the British dominance | 00:00:00 | ||
| 17.3. Early reactions against British Rule | 00:00:00 | ||
| 17.4. Growing discontent and earliest attempts to drive out the British | 00:00:00 | ||
| 18. The Revolt of 1857 – Outbreak, Impact & Aftermath | |||
| 18.1. Causes behind the outbreak of the Revolt of 1857 | 00:00:00 | ||
| 18.2. Spread of the revolt | 00:00:00 | ||
| 18.3. Subsequent causes for the failure of the movement | 00:00:00 | ||
| 18.4. Measures taken by the British to quell the uprising | 00:00:00 | ||
| 18.5. Anti-British Outbreaks that take place after 1858 | 00:00:00 | ||
| 19. Birth of Indian Nationalism | |||
| 19.1. Factors contributing to the growth of Nationalism in India | 00:00:00 | ||
| 19.2. Reform Movements | 00:00:00 | ||
| 19.3. Development of Political Ideas and Organizations | 00:00:00 | ||
| 19.4. Genesis of Indian National Congress | 00:00:00 | ||
| 20. Era of Nationalism | |||
| 20.1. Partition of Bengal | 00:00:00 | ||
| 20.2. Beginning of the Swadeshi Movement | 00:00:00 | ||
| 20.3. Split in the Congress and Repercussions of the Surat Congress | 00:00:00 | ||
| 20.4. Home Rule League Movement | 00:00:00 | ||
| 21. Rise of Revolutionary Activities | |||
| 21.1. Rise of Revolutionary Nationalism | 00:00:00 | ||
| 21.2. Early Revolutionary Activities in Bengal and outside Bengal | 00:00:00 | ||
| 21.3. Indian Revolutionary activities abroad in the light of World War 1 | 00:00:00 | ||
| 21.4. Plan, Program and Agenda of the Revolutionaries in India and outside India | 00:00:00 | ||
| 22. Indian Political Situation – Non Cooperation Movement & Civil Disobedience Movement | |||
| 22.1. British attitude towards different strands of movement | 00:00:00 | ||
| 22.2. Background of the Rowlatt Acts and Nationwide Repression | 00:00:00 | ||
| 22.3. Factors which led to the rise of Gandhi as a National Leader | 00:00:00 | ||
| 22.4. Non-Cooperation Movement | 00:00:00 | ||
| 22.5. Political events between 1921-1928 | 00:00:00 | ||
| 22.6. Events that led to the Civil Disobedience Movement and its Aftermath | 00:00:00 | ||
| 23. The Revival of Revolutionary Movement | |||
| 23.1. Revival of revolutionary movement across India | 00:00:00 | ||
| 23.2. Revolutionary activities in Bengal | 00:00:00 | ||
| 23.3. Revolutionary activities happening outside of Bengal – the HSRA, Lahore Conspiracy Case and other activities | 00:00:00 | ||
| 23.4. Repercussion of these activities on the National Movement. | 00:00:00 | ||
| 24. Indian Politics (1934-1939) and World War 2 | |||
| 24.1. Face of Indian Politics during the period between 1934-1939 | 00:00:00 | ||
| 24.2. Framing of the Constitution, Revival of Swarajya Party | 00:00:00 | ||
| 24.3. The Congress Program and the Formation of Forward Bloc | 00:00:00 | ||
| 24.4. Events leading to the World War 2, the Indian position and the opportunities that the war opened up for Indian liberation | 00:00:00 | ||
| 24.5. Quit India Movement of 1942 and the British Attitude after 1942 | 00:00:00 | ||
| 25. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army | |||
| 25.1. Campaign of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in different theaters of the World during World War 2 | 00:00:00 | ||
| 25.2. Links that existed between Netaji’s campaign and the early revolutionary movements | 00:00:00 | ||
| 25.3. The INA and its Campaigns | 00:00:00 | ||
| 25.4. Red Fort Trials | 00:00:00 | ||
| 25.5. Revolt of 1946 and the impact of these revolts on the British Decision to quit India | 00:00:00 | ||
| 26. Attainment of Freedom | |||
| 26.1. Changing attitude of the British towards the question of Indian Freedom | 00:00:00 | ||
| 26.2. Cabinet Mission | 00:00:00 | ||
| 26.3. Negotiations for an Interim Government | 00:00:00 | ||
| 26.4. The Constituent Assembly | 00:00:00 | ||
| 26.5. Circumstances leading to Partition | 00:00:00 | ||
| 26.6. Transfer of Power and the Indian Independence Act of 1947 | 00:00:00 | ||
| 26.7. Subsequent attainment of Dominion status on 15 August 1947 | 00:00:00 | ||
| 26.8. Official documentation of the History of Freedom Movement in India | 00:00:00 | ||
