Any methodological attempt to rediscover the past profile of a country certainly brings forth the new agenda before the researchers and this becomes much evident in the case of India wherein we find huge diversities in the thought processes and ideologies each denoting a specific tone of conviction. The ongoing research practices pertaining to humanities obviously demand a fresh lease of life and the attempt to apply the available scientific tools and knowledge for clearing the gaps, ambiguities in the documentation of history and culture of a nation seeks endorsement from the scholarly world. The current issue looks into the evolution of human species in ancient India, the transformation of Harappan life into post-Harappan phase, ancient Indian educational centers like , architectural values of Mughal structures, relocating Sufism from a cultural heritage point of view, European trading companies in early modern Andhra and revisiting of celluloid sensation (Slumdog Millionaire) of recent times from a subaltern school of thought.

There is a general assumption (in Anthropology and History of Religion) that religion started with the worship of many gods or of a female deity now termed as Mother Goddess. The evidence in some ancient cultures, particularly the Rgveda shows that in the beginning there was a divinity, neither male nor female; from that arose all other deities. Thus the anthropological, archaeological and historical evidences need radical reexamination. Nicholas Kazanas in the paper titled, “Tad ekam: Not Female, Not Male”, has brought out a new insight into anthropological study of the early history of the country.

Sujay Rao’s, “Syncretism and Acculturation in Ancient India: A New Nine Phase Acculturation Model Explaining the Process of Transfer of Power from the Harappans to the Indo-Aryans–Part Two”, brings the findings presented in Part One to their logical conclusion and provides a template for Indological studies in the 21st century. It also encompasses new methods to reconstruct the languages spoken by the Harappans, giving us a peek into their lost world. Many new tools and techniques to understand India’s past have also been proposed.

, an ancient university, was for a period of nearly one thousand years the cynosure of the ancient academic world. The University of is still treated as a role model for the modern educational institutions for its peculiar and efficient functions and its authorized contributions. It is a paradoxical situation that probably every Indian knows about the ancient University more or less but it has very less representation in ancient Indian historiography as a historical place or as a reputed centre of organized education. The first generation of nationalist historians like H D Sankalia, A S Altekar, R K Mukherjee, Santosh Kumar Das, etc., discovered University to glorify India. They explained as the first international university attracted students from across the world when Europe was passing through the Dark Age. Pintu Kumar’s paper, “Cultural Life at University”, discusses the prominence of University as a center of learning in ancient India.

The influence of the Persian culture, religion and education in the entire gamut of socio-cultural life of India has not yet been reflected in a proper way. Ananda Bhattacharya has been able to depict the influence of Sufism in the paper, “Indo-Iranian Cultural Heritage in the Context of Sufism”, from a new dimension. It is also revealed in the paper as to how the Hindus became proficient in Persian language and how the legend of Buddha entered the Muslim literature.

R Balasubramaniam in the paper, “On the Origin of Modular Design of Mughal Architecture”, makes an attempt to use inter-disciplinary knowledge in the study of monumental wealth of the country. The paper discusses the modular planning in Mughal structures and Metrology.

One of the most debated periods in Indian history has been the nature of the 18th century and its implications for late medieval/early modern history. Right from a traditional perspective which sees the period as one of serious decline/degeneration, the historiography on the century covers various other interpretations such as one of decline albeit the criteria for such a view has been totally different. While most of the approaches are based on regional case studies, the study on Andhra region is conspicuous by its absence. Naga Sridhar’s paper, “Negotiation for Power: Local Chieftains vs. State in 18th Century Andhra”, looks at the Andhra region with the studies in other regions so as to arrive at a generalization about the nature of 18th century.

As former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan had rightly pointed out, global poverty is moving to cities, leading to an urbanization of poverty. Setting aside the controversy surrounding Slumdog Millionaire, the Oscar winning film of Bollywood, A J Sebastian’s paper, “Studying Slum-Subaltern in Recent Indian Fiction and Celluloid: The Case of Slumdog Millionaire”, brings to light the role of academia in understanding the transformation process of contemporary times.

R Venkatanarayanan critically examines India’s image from a culture point of view with the review on the book titled, India: A Cultural Decline or Revival? Om Prakash’s review on the book Mohandas: A True Story of a Man, His People and An Empire underscores the relevance of further research on Gandhian studies. Madhavi Garikaparti in her review of the book, The Root of All Evil: An Exposition of Prejudice, Fundamentalism and Gender Imbalance, looks at different religions from new perspectives.

-- Radha Mohan Chebolu
Consulting Editor