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Who Invented the Zero
India. A land where history, myth and email forwards have come together to create a sense of a glorious past that is awe-inspiring...and also kind of dubious. But that is what happens when your future is uncertain and your present is kind of shitty—it gets embellished until it becomes a totem of greatness and a portent of potential.
Sidin Vadukut takes on a complete catalogue of ‘India's Greatest Hits’ and ventures to separate the wheat of fact from the chaff of legend. Did India really invent the zero? Has it truly never invaded a foreign country in over 1,000 years? Did Indians actually invent plastic surgery before those insufferable Europeans? The truth is more interesting—and complicated—than you think.
Sidin Vadukut takes on a complete catalogue of ‘India's Greatest Hits’ and ventures to separate the wheat of fact from the chaff of legend. Did India really invent the zero? Has it truly never invaded a foreign country in over 1,000 years? Did Indians actually invent plastic surgery before those insufferable Europeans? The truth is more interesting—and complicated—than you think.
23 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2014
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979 people want to read
About the author
Sidin Vadukut
7 books282 followersSidin Vadukut is a journalist, columnist and blogger. He has an engineering degree from NIT Trichy and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad.
In a career spanning around a decade he has made automotive parts, developed online trading platforms, almost set up a retailing company and had a sizeable portion of a tree fall on his head. He is currently an editor with the Mint business newspaper.
Sidin lives in New Delhi with his wife, two PlayStations, four laptops and a desktop computer. He blogs at http://www.whatay.com.
Twitter: twitter.com/sidin
In a career spanning around a decade he has made automotive parts, developed online trading platforms, almost set up a retailing company and had a sizeable portion of a tree fall on his head. He is currently an editor with the Mint business newspaper.
Sidin lives in New Delhi with his wife, two PlayStations, four laptops and a desktop computer. He blogs at http://www.whatay.com.
Twitter: twitter.com/sidin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
October 23, 2017
A myth is far truer than a history, for a history only gives a story of the shadows, whereas a myth gives a story of the substances that cast the shadows.
The Sceptical Patriot, as the title explains, explores the truth behind the various myths related to India. From the discovery of zero to the discovery of plastic surgery, from whether India has invaded a foreign nation in the past millennium to the extent of India's riches in the Pre-British era.
The author goes about searching for these 'truths' in an inquisitive manner and along the way he gives anecdotes from his own life, with a writing style full of humour and wit.One realises that our past can be complicated and not so straightforward as we would like to think. Instead of offering a definite verdict, the author encourages you to read and explore more.
The early chapters about the discovery of Zero or the Chola empire are indeed fascinating. While some chapters do drag a bit without reaching a satisfying conclusion in the end. But the book's pace keeps you engaged till the end. Much of the myth busting is backed by research, though in some cases you wish the author would had offered more insights.
The closing chapter of the book talks about how History is not a manifesto for action, a list of crimes to be avenged, a litany of positions to be reversed or a collection of rights to be wronged.
Overall, the book is an enjoyable read. If you enjoy History or Trivia, you will enjoy this book.
The Sceptical Patriot, as the title explains, explores the truth behind the various myths related to India. From the discovery of zero to the discovery of plastic surgery, from whether India has invaded a foreign nation in the past millennium to the extent of India's riches in the Pre-British era.
The author goes about searching for these 'truths' in an inquisitive manner and along the way he gives anecdotes from his own life, with a writing style full of humour and wit.One realises that our past can be complicated and not so straightforward as we would like to think. Instead of offering a definite verdict, the author encourages you to read and explore more.
The early chapters about the discovery of Zero or the Chola empire are indeed fascinating. While some chapters do drag a bit without reaching a satisfying conclusion in the end. But the book's pace keeps you engaged till the end. Much of the myth busting is backed by research, though in some cases you wish the author would had offered more insights.
The closing chapter of the book talks about how History is not a manifesto for action, a list of crimes to be avenged, a litany of positions to be reversed or a collection of rights to be wronged.
Overall, the book is an enjoyable read. If you enjoy History or Trivia, you will enjoy this book.
May 17, 2014
"History, it turns out, is far more complicated and interesting than it looks."
Let me begin this review with a disclaimer before I'm accused of bias. None of the praise that might be directed towards this book stems from the admiration I have for Mr. Vadukut's columns & travelogues in Mint (where he's an editor) and none of the criticisms I might point out are influenced by my dislike of the extravagance that Indulge is.
Before you start wondering what that was all about, let me clarify right away. "The Sceptical Patriot" is very much a book about bias - the biased selves we Indians tend to slip into every time someone famous or not-so-famous says about the supposed achievements of our country, depending on who it is & what has been said. And it is this very bias that often results in a sense of pride that is somewhat misplaced on many occasions - Sidin Vadukut's first work of non-fiction is an exploration into the validity of some of these very instances.
"The Sceptical Patriot" starts off with an introduction titled "Extensive Disclaimers" in which Vadukut proceeds to tell us how a speech and a blogpost by former Chief Justice of India Markandey Katju, a parliamentary discussion and a string of patriotic mail forwards were the inspiration behind writing this book. He explains his approach in this truth-seeking quest & the limitations of his research while exhorting the reader to keep an open mind & even question the approach itself if one should find it necessary.
Vadukut dedicates the first seven chapters to seven such individual 'great India facts' in this book - beginning with the most popular ones. An investigation into the legend of Sushruta, the world's first known plastic surgeon, leads him to connect links to the marketing strategies of an American pharma giant, the world's first-known magazine and a murder mystery in the North-Western Frontier Province of undivided India. His fascination in the history of the Chola empire results in him questioning the authenticity of the oft-quoted 'fact' that India were far too polite to invade another country or kingdom.
But surely Indians were the ones who invented the zero & the radio? Vadukut discovers they did - and then, they probably did not. His search for the truth about India being the wealthiest nation before the British took over reveals that the only source for the claim itself stands on shaky ground & the Empire perhaps can be absolved of some of the accusations. The argument of Sanskrit being the best language for computer programming is exemplary of the Indians' love for the approval of NASA scientists while Takshashila's (now in Pakistan) claim to fame as being the site of the world's oldest university might not be the one-horse race many perceive it to be.
Besides the 'facts', there are also the oft-mentioned quotes outlining the greatness of India & the wickedness of the much-maligned Lord Macaulay. As the author looks into the original versions of these quotes as such, instances of omission, excision & even misrepresentation (as in the case of the Macaulay one) begin to surface - leaving the reader to make his own conclusions.
In one chapter towards the end of this book, Vadukut stresses upon the need to approach history with skepticism. While talking about the history textbooks in most of the Indian schools, he laments the lack of important post-independence events such as the 1962 Indo-China War or the Kashmir problem in them, which he believes will only ensure that the prejudices of earlier generations will continue to prevail among the current & upcoming ones.
In the final chapter, the Sceptical Patriot (read, the author) explains the point of writing this book by revealing the epiphanies he'd had during the process of research & writing, which in brief serves the purpose of social commentary & provides some much-needed insight on the idea of being Indian, the need for history to take lessons for the future & an open society being the pre-requisite to provoking and promoting intellectual discussion.
What distinguishes this book from any other book aiming to sift fact from fiction is the author's recounting of past experiences from his life to explain his interest in a particular legend. Or citing anecdotes & analogies to shed more light on his own approach - at times even to counter-question it. Every chapter ends with a 'fact score card', which tries to mark the possible validity of each 'fact' on a scale of 1 to 10 while offering a modified & reconciled version of the same that is much closer to the actual findings.
At the time of writing, the election season in India is finally over & looking back at it (just a little bit), one cannot have missed out on the unabashed distortion of historical facts & legacies, often going to the extent of rewriting even the geography of the nation. While it's too late to change the outcome this time around, "The Sceptical Patriot" will have accomplished its objective if it induces the reader to be inquisitive every time he or she hears something that sounds dodgy & hollow.
I'm going with 4 to 4.5 stars for "The Sceptical Patriot" by Sidin Vadukut. Laced with the trademark wit & humour of the bestselling Dork Trilogy and the much-loved Cubiclenama columns, it is a funny, enjoyable & sensible - if somewhat superficial - book on the Indian outlook towards pop-history. If you're looking for the big summer read that will engage & enlighten your mind, your search ends here. Highly recommended.
P.S. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher & I solemnly maintain that my review was in no way influenced by the same.
Let me begin this review with a disclaimer before I'm accused of bias. None of the praise that might be directed towards this book stems from the admiration I have for Mr. Vadukut's columns & travelogues in Mint (where he's an editor) and none of the criticisms I might point out are influenced by my dislike of the extravagance that Indulge is.
Before you start wondering what that was all about, let me clarify right away. "The Sceptical Patriot" is very much a book about bias - the biased selves we Indians tend to slip into every time someone famous or not-so-famous says about the supposed achievements of our country, depending on who it is & what has been said. And it is this very bias that often results in a sense of pride that is somewhat misplaced on many occasions - Sidin Vadukut's first work of non-fiction is an exploration into the validity of some of these very instances.
"The Sceptical Patriot" starts off with an introduction titled "Extensive Disclaimers" in which Vadukut proceeds to tell us how a speech and a blogpost by former Chief Justice of India Markandey Katju, a parliamentary discussion and a string of patriotic mail forwards were the inspiration behind writing this book. He explains his approach in this truth-seeking quest & the limitations of his research while exhorting the reader to keep an open mind & even question the approach itself if one should find it necessary.
Vadukut dedicates the first seven chapters to seven such individual 'great India facts' in this book - beginning with the most popular ones. An investigation into the legend of Sushruta, the world's first known plastic surgeon, leads him to connect links to the marketing strategies of an American pharma giant, the world's first-known magazine and a murder mystery in the North-Western Frontier Province of undivided India. His fascination in the history of the Chola empire results in him questioning the authenticity of the oft-quoted 'fact' that India were far too polite to invade another country or kingdom.
But surely Indians were the ones who invented the zero & the radio? Vadukut discovers they did - and then, they probably did not. His search for the truth about India being the wealthiest nation before the British took over reveals that the only source for the claim itself stands on shaky ground & the Empire perhaps can be absolved of some of the accusations. The argument of Sanskrit being the best language for computer programming is exemplary of the Indians' love for the approval of NASA scientists while Takshashila's (now in Pakistan) claim to fame as being the site of the world's oldest university might not be the one-horse race many perceive it to be.
Besides the 'facts', there are also the oft-mentioned quotes outlining the greatness of India & the wickedness of the much-maligned Lord Macaulay. As the author looks into the original versions of these quotes as such, instances of omission, excision & even misrepresentation (as in the case of the Macaulay one) begin to surface - leaving the reader to make his own conclusions.
In one chapter towards the end of this book, Vadukut stresses upon the need to approach history with skepticism. While talking about the history textbooks in most of the Indian schools, he laments the lack of important post-independence events such as the 1962 Indo-China War or the Kashmir problem in them, which he believes will only ensure that the prejudices of earlier generations will continue to prevail among the current & upcoming ones.
In the final chapter, the Sceptical Patriot (read, the author) explains the point of writing this book by revealing the epiphanies he'd had during the process of research & writing, which in brief serves the purpose of social commentary & provides some much-needed insight on the idea of being Indian, the need for history to take lessons for the future & an open society being the pre-requisite to provoking and promoting intellectual discussion.
What distinguishes this book from any other book aiming to sift fact from fiction is the author's recounting of past experiences from his life to explain his interest in a particular legend. Or citing anecdotes & analogies to shed more light on his own approach - at times even to counter-question it. Every chapter ends with a 'fact score card', which tries to mark the possible validity of each 'fact' on a scale of 1 to 10 while offering a modified & reconciled version of the same that is much closer to the actual findings.
At the time of writing, the election season in India is finally over & looking back at it (just a little bit), one cannot have missed out on the unabashed distortion of historical facts & legacies, often going to the extent of rewriting even the geography of the nation. While it's too late to change the outcome this time around, "The Sceptical Patriot" will have accomplished its objective if it induces the reader to be inquisitive every time he or she hears something that sounds dodgy & hollow.
I'm going with 4 to 4.5 stars for "The Sceptical Patriot" by Sidin Vadukut. Laced with the trademark wit & humour of the bestselling Dork Trilogy and the much-loved Cubiclenama columns, it is a funny, enjoyable & sensible - if somewhat superficial - book on the Indian outlook towards pop-history. If you're looking for the big summer read that will engage & enlighten your mind, your search ends here. Highly recommended.
P.S. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher & I solemnly maintain that my review was in no way influenced by the same.
July 28, 2014
Dinanath Batra, your move.
I somehow don't like Sidin. Maybe because I found his Dork painfully unfunny or maybe because he didn't reply to me on Twitter once. But I find him overrated (As an author. I still like his tweets). So I was not planning on liking this book and was gleefully looking forward to tear apart all those glowing five star ratings. Too bad. I liked it. I won't give it Five Stars, but maybe I'll give it a Perk.
You're not a True Patriotic Indian if you haven't received one of those emails with India Facts that you have to forward to all True Patriotic Indians if you are a True Patriotic Indian. You get bite sized pieces of those facts on Whatsapp these days. I delete such emails without opening them and have even sent some of my Patriotic friends permanently to the spam folder. So just when I was about to tick the box that said False Patriot against my 'Level of Patriotism' , Sidin thankfully gives me another option . One that I can comfortably tick, guilt free: Sceptical Patriot.
Yes, the book does meander and digress a lot. There's quite a bit of unrelated personal stories that gives the book a blogposty feel. But forgiven. He doesn't claim to be writing as a fuddy duddy serious historian and some chuckles are needed to break the academic feel of the topics. There is so much that has been covered, and well researched. Was Sushruta the person behind Michael Jackson or Sridevi's nose? Did Marconi steal the thunder from Jagdish Chandra Bose? Should we blame ancient Indians for placing Zero in the dangerous hands of Kapil Sibal? Was the whole world at Takshasila long long long before they were at Sharadha University? (And oh. Takshashila is not in Bihar). Was ancient India richer than Mukesh Ambani? Would I have been less intimidated by computerese if my developers used Sanskrit instead of Java? All these questions have answers. Interesting answers. Medicine, economics, physics, history, geography, the range of topics covered seems a bit ambitious. But everything is served in Baby Bear portions, just right. The scorecards at the end of each chapter had me nodding in agreement.
But he has been too politically correct. Come on Sidin, waiting for spicier topics in your next book. Like Tejomahalaya or this or this. And while you're at it, please tell me what will happen if I drink Coca Cola with Mentos inside the ATM and then enter my PIN backwards.
I somehow don't like Sidin. Maybe because I found his Dork painfully unfunny or maybe because he didn't reply to me on Twitter once. But I find him overrated (As an author. I still like his tweets). So I was not planning on liking this book and was gleefully looking forward to tear apart all those glowing five star ratings. Too bad. I liked it. I won't give it Five Stars, but maybe I'll give it a Perk.
You're not a True Patriotic Indian if you haven't received one of those emails with India Facts that you have to forward to all True Patriotic Indians if you are a True Patriotic Indian. You get bite sized pieces of those facts on Whatsapp these days. I delete such emails without opening them and have even sent some of my Patriotic friends permanently to the spam folder. So just when I was about to tick the box that said False Patriot against my 'Level of Patriotism' , Sidin thankfully gives me another option . One that I can comfortably tick, guilt free: Sceptical Patriot.
Yes, the book does meander and digress a lot. There's quite a bit of unrelated personal stories that gives the book a blogposty feel. But forgiven. He doesn't claim to be writing as a fuddy duddy serious historian and some chuckles are needed to break the academic feel of the topics. There is so much that has been covered, and well researched. Was Sushruta the person behind Michael Jackson or Sridevi's nose? Did Marconi steal the thunder from Jagdish Chandra Bose? Should we blame ancient Indians for placing Zero in the dangerous hands of Kapil Sibal? Was the whole world at Takshasila long long long before they were at Sharadha University? (And oh. Takshashila is not in Bihar). Was ancient India richer than Mukesh Ambani? Would I have been less intimidated by computerese if my developers used Sanskrit instead of Java? All these questions have answers. Interesting answers. Medicine, economics, physics, history, geography, the range of topics covered seems a bit ambitious. But everything is served in Baby Bear portions, just right. The scorecards at the end of each chapter had me nodding in agreement.
But he has been too politically correct. Come on Sidin, waiting for spicier topics in your next book. Like Tejomahalaya or this or this. And while you're at it, please tell me what will happen if I drink Coca Cola with Mentos inside the ATM and then enter my PIN backwards.
November 25, 2014
Though I was burned by the Dork book which I had to abandon, I picked this one up because I thought the podcasts on Indian history were really good and filled a gap. But it was a mistake. I can think of hundred things wrong with this book starting right with its treatment, narration, content and general laziness, not to mention glaringly obvious factual errors. More on this later. Any book with that many things wrong does not deserve to be bothered about. I'd imagine it would merit a special sort of dunce to actually like this book, for he must have read very few books, if at all.
Indians apparently exchange a lot of 'India facts' in emails that are dubious and without proof. Sidin shamelessly constructs a few pages of baloney around these spurious facts wearing a pretend investigative hat with hacks of irrelevant personal stories, godawful narrative tone peppered with street standard jokes and a few homework assignments to complete this so called history book. A book built by googling stuff is neither a book nor history. It's riding one horse too many.
Let me give you an example, consider these paragraphs from the first chapter on plastic surgery:
'Each issue of The Gentleman’s Magazine came with a few pictures, and the October 1794 edition was embellished with three. Two were unremarkable: a ‘Picturesque view of Lullintgon Church, in Somersetshire’, and one page of ‘Accurate plans of the keeps of Chilham and Canterbury Castles’. The third was something quite different: ‘A portrait illustrative of a remarkable chirurgical operation’. The illustration features a Maratha man called Cowasjee. Cowasjee looks quite splendid in it. He is dark, lean and quite muscular. He wears a turban and is bare-chested except for a cloth over one shoulder. He also has the doleful eyes of a St. Bernard....
But one thing is beyond dispute: the Cowasjee story of October 1794 set in motion a series of events that changed medical science forever. Its impact was so immediate and so widespread that it is considered a milestone in the history of European surgery in general, and plastic surgery in particular.'
First, 1794 October edition of Gentleman's Magazine, could not come with one, never mind three pictures. Because the first basic camera was not developed until 30 years later, so there were no pictures in the world, not even on a frame on any wall, forget mass publication in magazines. What Sidin so disingenuously describes are hand drawn sketches! Yes, sketches, that you can find on google.
This is a huge deal of difference, given the spurious misleading description, especially if you are taking upon yourself to examine claims and counterclaims.
Secondly and far more importantly, Cowasjee's story did not set into motion a series of events that changed medical science forever ! ( Good Lord!) So called Plastic surgeries were being performed in India and elsewhere for ages. There are quite a lot of stories ( I'm sure googlable) about East India Company doctors spending time in India to try and learn various graft procedures practiced by indigenous doctors. Nevertheless, there is enough evidence to say many other civilisations, esp. The Egyptians knew of plastic surgery, hell they might have been even doing mastectomy with reconstruction. What the Cowasjee's story did was to hasten the experimental process of plastic surgery that coincided with the larger general bloom of interest in surgical field of the times. So essentially Sidin attributes a greater significance to an event that he is declaredly examining , without even bothering to ask one medical historian or surgeon! A series of such stories is this book.
He might as well just put his thoughts in an email and forwarded it to everyone.
Two stars for the effort, however dictated it is.
Indians apparently exchange a lot of 'India facts' in emails that are dubious and without proof. Sidin shamelessly constructs a few pages of baloney around these spurious facts wearing a pretend investigative hat with hacks of irrelevant personal stories, godawful narrative tone peppered with street standard jokes and a few homework assignments to complete this so called history book. A book built by googling stuff is neither a book nor history. It's riding one horse too many.
Let me give you an example, consider these paragraphs from the first chapter on plastic surgery:
'Each issue of The Gentleman’s Magazine came with a few pictures, and the October 1794 edition was embellished with three. Two were unremarkable: a ‘Picturesque view of Lullintgon Church, in Somersetshire’, and one page of ‘Accurate plans of the keeps of Chilham and Canterbury Castles’. The third was something quite different: ‘A portrait illustrative of a remarkable chirurgical operation’. The illustration features a Maratha man called Cowasjee. Cowasjee looks quite splendid in it. He is dark, lean and quite muscular. He wears a turban and is bare-chested except for a cloth over one shoulder. He also has the doleful eyes of a St. Bernard....
But one thing is beyond dispute: the Cowasjee story of October 1794 set in motion a series of events that changed medical science forever. Its impact was so immediate and so widespread that it is considered a milestone in the history of European surgery in general, and plastic surgery in particular.'
First, 1794 October edition of Gentleman's Magazine, could not come with one, never mind three pictures. Because the first basic camera was not developed until 30 years later, so there were no pictures in the world, not even on a frame on any wall, forget mass publication in magazines. What Sidin so disingenuously describes are hand drawn sketches! Yes, sketches, that you can find on google.
This is a huge deal of difference, given the spurious misleading description, especially if you are taking upon yourself to examine claims and counterclaims.
Secondly and far more importantly, Cowasjee's story did not set into motion a series of events that changed medical science forever ! ( Good Lord!) So called Plastic surgeries were being performed in India and elsewhere for ages. There are quite a lot of stories ( I'm sure googlable) about East India Company doctors spending time in India to try and learn various graft procedures practiced by indigenous doctors. Nevertheless, there is enough evidence to say many other civilisations, esp. The Egyptians knew of plastic surgery, hell they might have been even doing mastectomy with reconstruction. What the Cowasjee's story did was to hasten the experimental process of plastic surgery that coincided with the larger general bloom of interest in surgical field of the times. So essentially Sidin attributes a greater significance to an event that he is declaredly examining , without even bothering to ask one medical historian or surgeon! A series of such stories is this book.
He might as well just put his thoughts in an email and forwarded it to everyone.
Two stars for the effort, however dictated it is.
May 6, 2014
I post this review with great trepidation, for it seems most people have given the book rave reviews.
I'd picked up The Sceptical Patriot with a lot of hope. I thought the book would probably debunk a lot of myths that a typical Indian believes in. The second part was that after being disappointed by Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese, I was hoping that Mr. Vadukut would be as amusing as he is on his twitter feed.
Sadly, both my hopes lie dashed to the ground.
I am not a fan of circuitous, meandering writing that aims purely to fill up pages. Also, forced attempts at humour completely turn me off. I must concede that the overall premise is good, and I stand corrected on a number of 'facts'. However, I still don't get the point of writing a book about what could be expressed with more lucidity in a few blog posts. (This point is mostly rhetorical - I do get the financial implications of a book versus a blog. :) )
The book improves towards the end, but marginally so. If you like Sidin's writing style, you might like reading this. Otherwise, I suggest avoiding it.
I'd picked up The Sceptical Patriot with a lot of hope. I thought the book would probably debunk a lot of myths that a typical Indian believes in. The second part was that after being disappointed by Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese, I was hoping that Mr. Vadukut would be as amusing as he is on his twitter feed.
Sadly, both my hopes lie dashed to the ground.
I am not a fan of circuitous, meandering writing that aims purely to fill up pages. Also, forced attempts at humour completely turn me off. I must concede that the overall premise is good, and I stand corrected on a number of 'facts'. However, I still don't get the point of writing a book about what could be expressed with more lucidity in a few blog posts. (This point is mostly rhetorical - I do get the financial implications of a book versus a blog. :) )
The book improves towards the end, but marginally so. If you like Sidin's writing style, you might like reading this. Otherwise, I suggest avoiding it.
October 14, 2014
Actually my problems with this book are manyfold.
A)Could have definitely been shorter.A lot of gibberish is added to make it lengthier and the book could have easily been around a 100 pages short!
B)After reading the whole book,I don't feel any wiser or more informed about the "India facts" discussed in the book!It is a popular and intelligent formula which the author has cooked up for this book.It is to google extensively about a particular topic and then summarise it with anecdotes and satires and sometimes crassy,unneeded humor!In his narration,one can easily figure out that he is trying to unlayer the fact and the whole story behind it one by one!The problem is that while it feels good somehow in the first two chapters,the formula becomes mundane and redundancy becomes the annoying factor of his book,which doesnot change its formula of narrative at all in any of the rest of chapters!After a while you start getting irritated with the same old start to a chapter as to where he got this idea from through the descriptions of his own autobiographical endeavors!
C)Definite attempt to produce artificial sensationalism in sarcasm,which is unappreciated and many a times not funny but annoying and too oversmartly narrated.
D)Probably the whole point of writing this book fails due to his ambiguity of all the facts he tries to verify.Reason being that he doesnot take the pains to one sidedly declare whether a fact is a complete fallacy or stands true to the best of his knowledge!The facts which he considers completely untrue get a rating of 2/10 or 4/10 !Why,I ask?Would they feel ignored or left out?Sorry but that is not why I bought this book,diplomacy and playing safe doesn't work for a book that rides on the audaciousness of the choice of topic and the repercussions attached with being wrong in one's research and such!I was expecting much more committment from an IIM-A alumni!
The last thing which sucked was his sources were mostly the sources of those people on blogs whom he derides,by calling them unaware patriots and stuff like that!Yes I agree that he has done his research through books of famous people across centuries and tried to verify his facts to the best of his knowledge!But nowhere was he able to make his verdict a final statement with complete surity!there was always a cloud of dubiousness hanging over all his facts and even within a chapter,it was easily evident!The book raises more questions than it answers!Also,It would have been good if he had included atleast one fact which he could prove once and for all and give it a 10/10 ! That would have been gutsy and a welcome change!
Now lastly ,the questions he has added at the end of all chapters for the "Excessively sceptical" ,a term which makes me instantly question as to which category he belongs to,having written an entire book about India facts and their veracity ! One would think he is the torch-holder for the excessively sceptical !
Anyhow,that is what I felt about this book ,which started with a concept that amused me but having read two chapters,became a monotonous and redundant read and I was already counting the pages which I had to go through to just be done with this book!If I had to read about his personal experiences,opinions and anecdotes,I would have preordered "Sidin Vadukut:An autobiography" As simple as that! This wasn't what I signed up for!A feeble attempt which didnt enrich much about my country than I already knew!
A)Could have definitely been shorter.A lot of gibberish is added to make it lengthier and the book could have easily been around a 100 pages short!
B)After reading the whole book,I don't feel any wiser or more informed about the "India facts" discussed in the book!It is a popular and intelligent formula which the author has cooked up for this book.It is to google extensively about a particular topic and then summarise it with anecdotes and satires and sometimes crassy,unneeded humor!In his narration,one can easily figure out that he is trying to unlayer the fact and the whole story behind it one by one!The problem is that while it feels good somehow in the first two chapters,the formula becomes mundane and redundancy becomes the annoying factor of his book,which doesnot change its formula of narrative at all in any of the rest of chapters!After a while you start getting irritated with the same old start to a chapter as to where he got this idea from through the descriptions of his own autobiographical endeavors!
C)Definite attempt to produce artificial sensationalism in sarcasm,which is unappreciated and many a times not funny but annoying and too oversmartly narrated.
D)Probably the whole point of writing this book fails due to his ambiguity of all the facts he tries to verify.Reason being that he doesnot take the pains to one sidedly declare whether a fact is a complete fallacy or stands true to the best of his knowledge!The facts which he considers completely untrue get a rating of 2/10 or 4/10 !Why,I ask?Would they feel ignored or left out?Sorry but that is not why I bought this book,diplomacy and playing safe doesn't work for a book that rides on the audaciousness of the choice of topic and the repercussions attached with being wrong in one's research and such!I was expecting much more committment from an IIM-A alumni!
The last thing which sucked was his sources were mostly the sources of those people on blogs whom he derides,by calling them unaware patriots and stuff like that!Yes I agree that he has done his research through books of famous people across centuries and tried to verify his facts to the best of his knowledge!But nowhere was he able to make his verdict a final statement with complete surity!there was always a cloud of dubiousness hanging over all his facts and even within a chapter,it was easily evident!The book raises more questions than it answers!Also,It would have been good if he had included atleast one fact which he could prove once and for all and give it a 10/10 ! That would have been gutsy and a welcome change!
Now lastly ,the questions he has added at the end of all chapters for the "Excessively sceptical" ,a term which makes me instantly question as to which category he belongs to,having written an entire book about India facts and their veracity ! One would think he is the torch-holder for the excessively sceptical !
Anyhow,that is what I felt about this book ,which started with a concept that amused me but having read two chapters,became a monotonous and redundant read and I was already counting the pages which I had to go through to just be done with this book!If I had to read about his personal experiences,opinions and anecdotes,I would have preordered "Sidin Vadukut:An autobiography" As simple as that! This wasn't what I signed up for!A feeble attempt which didnt enrich much about my country than I already knew!
August 14, 2016
the book was so boring with some non required humor which by the way was forced.. I had to abandon the book 10% into it.. Thanks to Kindle Unlimited, I did not have to pay much and I can return it back to shelves with looming danger to someone who attempts to read this poor piece of literature..
September 25, 2020
If you've ever received WhatsApp forwards or seen posts on social media, extolling the virtues of ancient Indians and urging you to be proud of them because of the discoveries they made, and wondered how much of what those posts say is true, this is the book for you.
In a style that's similar to conversing with someone in person, the book takes some of the most propagated ' India facts' and attempts to verify them. And because that's not very 'patriotic', the title!
Was the zero India's contribution to the world? Did plastic surgery originate here at the hands of Sushruta? Was Sanskrit really thought to be a natural language easiest to use for computer programming? These and other oft heard facts like them are put under the scanner and investigated with the help of historical sources and the internet.
It's all done in a very entertaining way and that's why this is fun to read and not like a textbook. With personal anecdotes and a witty tone embellishing historical fact, I learnt many things and enjoyed doing so as well!
In a style that's similar to conversing with someone in person, the book takes some of the most propagated ' India facts' and attempts to verify them. And because that's not very 'patriotic', the title!
Was the zero India's contribution to the world? Did plastic surgery originate here at the hands of Sushruta? Was Sanskrit really thought to be a natural language easiest to use for computer programming? These and other oft heard facts like them are put under the scanner and investigated with the help of historical sources and the internet.
It's all done in a very entertaining way and that's why this is fun to read and not like a textbook. With personal anecdotes and a witty tone embellishing historical fact, I learnt many things and enjoyed doing so as well!
January 24, 2023
It was a nice book which debunked a lot of "facts" that i had taken to be true simply because of how popular they are. At times i felt that it got a bit too heavy and sort of info-dumped on the readers but otherwise it was a good read.
I agreed with some points and disagreed with others(personal opinions) but have to admit that the research was well done and the format was easy to understand and read.
One thing which i found particularly funny was the popular "3 facts" that were put at the end of chapter 8 - for a brief minute, i believed the facts to be true despite knowing that they were not and that in and of its self highlights how easily misinformation can spread.
I agreed with some points and disagreed with others(personal opinions) but have to admit that the research was well done and the format was easy to understand and read.
One thing which i found particularly funny was the popular "3 facts" that were put at the end of chapter 8 - for a brief minute, i believed the facts to be true despite knowing that they were not and that in and of its self highlights how easily misinformation can spread.
May 8, 2014
Sidin Vadukut has found his niche methinks. And boy, has he nailed it! Sidin’s The Sceptical Patriot is a racy, fun read. Writing non-fiction is easy and tough at once. It is easy because, unlike fiction, you needn’t design characters, plot, and story arcs. It is tough because to make it engaging you need to move mountains. Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything comes to my mind: science served with humor. Sidin achieved more or less the same: history and humor. And I am inclined to believe that he moved mountains to achieve that.
My maternal grandfather, G. Srinivasachari co-authored ‘The Advanced History of India’ with the great Nilakanta Sastri. When I was sixteen, I discovered that only half of the hardbound version of gramps’ magnum opus was left. Termites had eaten the rest. I enquired within the family and was shocked to discover that not one person had bothered to keep a copy. This has nothing to do with the review of The Sceptical Patriot. I know. I just wanted to highlight how important History is to an average Indian. Even the immediate family of an acclaimed historian didn’t give a shit about history.
It was 1988 and I was applying for my pre-university admissions. I mentioned to one of our family friends,
“I am thinking of signing up for History and Economics.”
He just blanked out for a moment and said,
“Are you into drugs?”
No sane person studied History.
“Learn Typing and short-hand instead,” they suggested.
That’s how I ended up NOT studying History.
I am fascinated by History and I tried reading my grand pa’s book (it was a prescribed book for B.A. History back in the day.) I hope my grand pa will forgive me for saying this, but he made Ayn Rand look good as a writer. Now, that’s the problem with textbooks: death by prose. So, I stopped reading grand pa’s book after 11 pages.
In the years that has passed since, I didn’t bother reading up on History. Enter: Internet. I was consuming e-mail forwards, blog posts, Facebook notes, and what have you, about the wondrous, inspiring past of our great country. It took me a few years to realize that not everything the internet serves up is verified, authentic information.
I always wondered– how could a country that was so prosperous, inclusive, liberal, and diverse, fuck up so bad? What happened in-between? Well, those pages in history were never written or, they are stuck to each other.
Through The Sceptical Patriot Sidin addresses these key questions. Was India the richest country in the world before the Brits came in? Did Arya Bhatta invent zero? Was Sushruta the world’s first plastic surgeon? Will Pulli Raja get aids? (Okay I made up the last one.)
Sidin picks all the popular ‘facts’ on India that the internet has been bombarding you with and takes you on a journey of discovery and investigation. The Vedas, Cholas, and Indus valley. To Marconi the bastard (Italian hehehe), Bose, and Neuro-linguistic programming… It is one hell of a roller-coaster ride.
Every Indian needs to read The Sceptical Patriot. It helps in understanding what exactly being Indian means.
I need to add that Sidin walks the tight-rope of history like Prabhudeva on steroids. It is so easy to offend people these days and it is not easy to write an honest story and also make it inoffensive. A friend from Orissa stopped talking to me because I threw a food packet at him in a house-party. So there.
Stay with me da! I am almost done. There are a few things Sidin could have done better. Nothing major, but these things do intrude on the book’s experience.
I think he should have dwelt a little more on the concept of India. Was it a single country hundreds of years back? Or an odd amalgam of fiefdoms and princely states? I have heard some ‘nationalist’ friends thunder,
“India never attacked any country in ten thousand years you sickular, paid-media, Congi traitor!’
Was there a country called India thousands of years back? I don’t know. But yes, if only The Sceptical Patriot had dealt with that topic a bit more… Oh well.
Each chapter has an elaborate preamble before Sidin cuts to chase. I did wonder a couple of times, “Wasn’t this chapter about Takshasila? Why is he talking about Iran here for so long?” It is my ignorance that makes me say this, but I am sure a better ‘design’ would have made it an YES Bank Awesome-max.
Now go buy the book and tell me what you thought of it.
My maternal grandfather, G. Srinivasachari co-authored ‘The Advanced History of India’ with the great Nilakanta Sastri. When I was sixteen, I discovered that only half of the hardbound version of gramps’ magnum opus was left. Termites had eaten the rest. I enquired within the family and was shocked to discover that not one person had bothered to keep a copy. This has nothing to do with the review of The Sceptical Patriot. I know. I just wanted to highlight how important History is to an average Indian. Even the immediate family of an acclaimed historian didn’t give a shit about history.
It was 1988 and I was applying for my pre-university admissions. I mentioned to one of our family friends,
“I am thinking of signing up for History and Economics.”
He just blanked out for a moment and said,
“Are you into drugs?”
No sane person studied History.
“Learn Typing and short-hand instead,” they suggested.
That’s how I ended up NOT studying History.
I am fascinated by History and I tried reading my grand pa’s book (it was a prescribed book for B.A. History back in the day.) I hope my grand pa will forgive me for saying this, but he made Ayn Rand look good as a writer. Now, that’s the problem with textbooks: death by prose. So, I stopped reading grand pa’s book after 11 pages.
In the years that has passed since, I didn’t bother reading up on History. Enter: Internet. I was consuming e-mail forwards, blog posts, Facebook notes, and what have you, about the wondrous, inspiring past of our great country. It took me a few years to realize that not everything the internet serves up is verified, authentic information.
I always wondered– how could a country that was so prosperous, inclusive, liberal, and diverse, fuck up so bad? What happened in-between? Well, those pages in history were never written or, they are stuck to each other.
Through The Sceptical Patriot Sidin addresses these key questions. Was India the richest country in the world before the Brits came in? Did Arya Bhatta invent zero? Was Sushruta the world’s first plastic surgeon? Will Pulli Raja get aids? (Okay I made up the last one.)
Sidin picks all the popular ‘facts’ on India that the internet has been bombarding you with and takes you on a journey of discovery and investigation. The Vedas, Cholas, and Indus valley. To Marconi the bastard (Italian hehehe), Bose, and Neuro-linguistic programming… It is one hell of a roller-coaster ride.
Every Indian needs to read The Sceptical Patriot. It helps in understanding what exactly being Indian means.
I need to add that Sidin walks the tight-rope of history like Prabhudeva on steroids. It is so easy to offend people these days and it is not easy to write an honest story and also make it inoffensive. A friend from Orissa stopped talking to me because I threw a food packet at him in a house-party. So there.
Stay with me da! I am almost done. There are a few things Sidin could have done better. Nothing major, but these things do intrude on the book’s experience.
I think he should have dwelt a little more on the concept of India. Was it a single country hundreds of years back? Or an odd amalgam of fiefdoms and princely states? I have heard some ‘nationalist’ friends thunder,
“India never attacked any country in ten thousand years you sickular, paid-media, Congi traitor!’
Was there a country called India thousands of years back? I don’t know. But yes, if only The Sceptical Patriot had dealt with that topic a bit more… Oh well.
Each chapter has an elaborate preamble before Sidin cuts to chase. I did wonder a couple of times, “Wasn’t this chapter about Takshasila? Why is he talking about Iran here for so long?” It is my ignorance that makes me say this, but I am sure a better ‘design’ would have made it an YES Bank Awesome-max.
Now go buy the book and tell me what you thought of it.
July 15, 2014
The author's inimitable style of writing does make this book a breezy read.To read on Brahmagupta,Taxila,Persepolis and other such esoteric topics without yawning itself shows what the author has done here.Yet,two major complaints
1.The author has got his basic research wrong.He laments about the lack of NCERT material on post-independence history but there is indeed a good text book on the same topic (12th standard book for political science) which covers all topics from mandal politics to wars with China and pakistan.He has missed this book totally.For a book which relies a lot on research,this is a major goof up.
2.Too much of diversions into irrelevant episodes like the Crippen case show that Sidin has filled pages up to make it a 200 page book. With more editorial stringency, this book could have been trimmed down to around 120 pages.
1.The author has got his basic research wrong.He laments about the lack of NCERT material on post-independence history but there is indeed a good text book on the same topic (12th standard book for political science) which covers all topics from mandal politics to wars with China and pakistan.He has missed this book totally.For a book which relies a lot on research,this is a major goof up.
2.Too much of diversions into irrelevant episodes like the Crippen case show that Sidin has filled pages up to make it a 200 page book. With more editorial stringency, this book could have been trimmed down to around 120 pages.
January 5, 2017
The articulation is unconventional and so is the approach to revisiting some historical events. The author has the courage to term the legal system in India as "uncommonly inefficient". He goes on to add that "For most Indians, courts are bottomless pits of misery where you only go when you want to make sure that your law suit never achieves closure". He doesn't even spare his own clan, the journalists : "In the mind of Indian public, journalists currently occupy a position of respect somewhere between pond scum and Ebola virus". He calls history an " enigmatic mistress who likes to keep her lovers on their toes". One may disagree with some of the conclusions that the author arrives at but the book makes for a very interesting read.. There is a rare compliment as well before he concludes as admits "that the textbooks have vastly improved since my days in school"
April 3, 2018
"Sceptical Patriot", if nothing else, makes us question the bias we all carry in our hearts for our motherland. This book by Sidin Vadukut has a simple structure - take some of the most commonly held and the most widely believed "India" facts and methodically investigate their veracity. Did India really invent the zero ? Was India really THE richest country in the World ? Was Takshashila the first University of the ancient world ? We have all heard these factoids before - either via email and WhtsApp forwards or sometimes even perpetrated by pop culture and the media. What Sceptical Patriot tries to do is, instead of blindly accepting these factoids at face value, it subjects them to a "litmus test" of checking historical records, searching for real, verifiable and evidential proof and as far as possible arriving at an "informed" conclusion - you know, the sort of thing we all should be doing always - before "accepting" anything as truth.
The effort is definitely commendable here. The author wants to debunk the commonly held India myths - and while doing so the conclusions that he arrives at do appear logical and convincing.
That being said, the book is not without its faults. The big put off for me was the unnecessary humor ! Just when things get interesting and it looks like we are getting at some inconvenient truths, the author takes it all away by cracking a silly joke. And this is a recurring pattern. In all honesty, it felt to me that the author didn't want to appear too sceptical ! Secondly, with all the talk of being detail oriented and scientific when getting to the roots of something, the author chooses a hand-wavy explanation sometimes. An example of this is the Chola invasions on Myanmar chapter.
But these things aside, "Sceptical Patriot" is a breezy and an entertaining read - a mixture of some new interesting historical details about ancient India coupled with some insightful anecdotes. A definite 4/5 from me.
The effort is definitely commendable here. The author wants to debunk the commonly held India myths - and while doing so the conclusions that he arrives at do appear logical and convincing.
That being said, the book is not without its faults. The big put off for me was the unnecessary humor ! Just when things get interesting and it looks like we are getting at some inconvenient truths, the author takes it all away by cracking a silly joke. And this is a recurring pattern. In all honesty, it felt to me that the author didn't want to appear too sceptical ! Secondly, with all the talk of being detail oriented and scientific when getting to the roots of something, the author chooses a hand-wavy explanation sometimes. An example of this is the Chola invasions on Myanmar chapter.
But these things aside, "Sceptical Patriot" is a breezy and an entertaining read - a mixture of some new interesting historical details about ancient India coupled with some insightful anecdotes. A definite 4/5 from me.
October 30, 2019
Enjoyable read
I liked the flow of the author's language. I liked the initial chapters more. I guess at some point, we all ask whether these quotes and facts we hear are for real. And Indians are the kings of glorifying their past. So essentially, this is a book that explores some of these 'facts' and quotes about india we come across often. The author painstakingly read through a lot of material to eatablish facts. And for that, a huge laud of applause.
I liked the flow of the author's language. I liked the initial chapters more. I guess at some point, we all ask whether these quotes and facts we hear are for real. And Indians are the kings of glorifying their past. So essentially, this is a book that explores some of these 'facts' and quotes about india we come across often. The author painstakingly read through a lot of material to eatablish facts. And for that, a huge laud of applause.
August 6, 2014
By Sidin Vadukut. Grade A.
It’s always a moment of pride when we read about India having invented the number zero, or that Takshashila was the oldest university in the world. Our patriotic hearts regard Jagadish Chandra Bose as the creator of radio and not Marconi. Many such ‘facts’ have been fed in to our mind over the years, either through books, movies, television shows or speeches by leaders. However, have we ever really thought – “how factual are these facts?”
Sidin Vadukut brings forth numerous such ‘Indian’ (or rather Indianised) truths that we have embraced over the years. He delves into the context, finds out the root, and then presents a radical account of the subject, dissecting it in ways more than one, often rummaging through documents and researched artefacts that he came across while working on this book.
And this is one of the several positives that make ‘The Sceptical Patriot’ such an engrossing read. As you move from one page to the next, you will notice the effort that has been put towards each word, annotation and quote, that has any significance to the subject at hand. The author, in an unbiased manner, unearths data and information justifying the scepticism regarding these so called facts, leading to a well versed conclusion.
Numerous topics have been examined in this book. The opening chapter deals with the belief that Sushruta was the first to invent plastic surgery. Now, how true is that? Didn’t anyone else try this method before Sushruta? What about the notion that India had never invaded another country in 10,000 years? Perhaps, that’s what we think. But then, the reports in this book throws light on a completely contrasting image.
The concept of zero again is believed to have originated in India. However, there are evidences elsewhere where ‘zero’-like representation had been used in scriptures as place-value holder. Is this belief absolutely false then? It’s know that India was basking in wealth and glory before the British rule? Really. Was India among the richest nations in the world, or is this another of those myths that we love to narrate?
Many would argue that J.C.Bose invented the radio before Marconi did, with the latter grabbing all the accolades for the invention. Also, Sanskrit is widely presumed to be the best language for computer programming. How true are these beliefs, and is it really safe to jump into a verdict without traversing the various edges attached to them?
Sid’s narrative is crisp, straightforward, insightful, and often humorous. He cites several examples to throw a clear light on his findings, his documentation serving the purpose of binding together the loose ends. Several portions of the book make you sit up and re-read the lines, as it’s not too easy to accept words that contradict our ‘assumed facts’, but then, as you read further, the picture certainly evolves and you, the reader, start possessing a good grasp on the subject.
Another feature I loved in the book is the last chapter, that goes by the title – ‘What is the point of all this?’ The author speaks from his heart, searching answers to questions that we, as humans, have unknowingly created, whether it be fighting among us based on religion or regionalism, or the evolution of the education system in India, that gives prominence to marks and numbers but not to the willingness and the desire to learn. This applies perfectly to the modern day context, and the readers surely are left pondering over these thoughts.
‘The Sceptical Patriot’ is one of those books that you really need to read, to know more about our country, past and present. It’s not a book of doctrine or ideologies and thesis, but rather, it serves to separate the truth from the dark, and gives us the reason to think beyond what we term as obvious.
Originally reviewed at Vaultofbooks.com, a close-knit community of fanatical readers. We are looking for perceptive readers who can write well, and we are eager to provide lots of free books in exchange for reviews. Shoot us a mail at contact@vaultofbooks.com
It’s always a moment of pride when we read about India having invented the number zero, or that Takshashila was the oldest university in the world. Our patriotic hearts regard Jagadish Chandra Bose as the creator of radio and not Marconi. Many such ‘facts’ have been fed in to our mind over the years, either through books, movies, television shows or speeches by leaders. However, have we ever really thought – “how factual are these facts?”
Sidin Vadukut brings forth numerous such ‘Indian’ (or rather Indianised) truths that we have embraced over the years. He delves into the context, finds out the root, and then presents a radical account of the subject, dissecting it in ways more than one, often rummaging through documents and researched artefacts that he came across while working on this book.
And this is one of the several positives that make ‘The Sceptical Patriot’ such an engrossing read. As you move from one page to the next, you will notice the effort that has been put towards each word, annotation and quote, that has any significance to the subject at hand. The author, in an unbiased manner, unearths data and information justifying the scepticism regarding these so called facts, leading to a well versed conclusion.
Numerous topics have been examined in this book. The opening chapter deals with the belief that Sushruta was the first to invent plastic surgery. Now, how true is that? Didn’t anyone else try this method before Sushruta? What about the notion that India had never invaded another country in 10,000 years? Perhaps, that’s what we think. But then, the reports in this book throws light on a completely contrasting image.
The concept of zero again is believed to have originated in India. However, there are evidences elsewhere where ‘zero’-like representation had been used in scriptures as place-value holder. Is this belief absolutely false then? It’s know that India was basking in wealth and glory before the British rule? Really. Was India among the richest nations in the world, or is this another of those myths that we love to narrate?
Many would argue that J.C.Bose invented the radio before Marconi did, with the latter grabbing all the accolades for the invention. Also, Sanskrit is widely presumed to be the best language for computer programming. How true are these beliefs, and is it really safe to jump into a verdict without traversing the various edges attached to them?
Sid’s narrative is crisp, straightforward, insightful, and often humorous. He cites several examples to throw a clear light on his findings, his documentation serving the purpose of binding together the loose ends. Several portions of the book make you sit up and re-read the lines, as it’s not too easy to accept words that contradict our ‘assumed facts’, but then, as you read further, the picture certainly evolves and you, the reader, start possessing a good grasp on the subject.
Another feature I loved in the book is the last chapter, that goes by the title – ‘What is the point of all this?’ The author speaks from his heart, searching answers to questions that we, as humans, have unknowingly created, whether it be fighting among us based on religion or regionalism, or the evolution of the education system in India, that gives prominence to marks and numbers but not to the willingness and the desire to learn. This applies perfectly to the modern day context, and the readers surely are left pondering over these thoughts.
‘The Sceptical Patriot’ is one of those books that you really need to read, to know more about our country, past and present. It’s not a book of doctrine or ideologies and thesis, but rather, it serves to separate the truth from the dark, and gives us the reason to think beyond what we term as obvious.
Originally reviewed at Vaultofbooks.com, a close-knit community of fanatical readers. We are looking for perceptive readers who can write well, and we are eager to provide lots of free books in exchange for reviews. Shoot us a mail at contact@vaultofbooks.com
November 14, 2014
Quite liked it!
Its a collection of short pieces about various 'patriotic factoids' that we have often come across, and it digs in with some research into how accurate they are ( or aren't).
Some of the better known ones are about the invention of zero, the oldest university, the first surgery, sanskrit being the super language of computers, etc. I like his casual conversational style, the occasional dollop of humor, and the approach he has taken in trying to research and analyze these. I found pretty much all the chapters quite interesting.What I didn't particularly care for were the prologue and epilogue, I thought they were too long, and somewhat preachy, something which the meat of the book isn't.
Definitely worth a read, and the approach is worth emulating. Even if we usually don't have the time or energy to check up on the gazillion pieces of patriotic forwards which bombard us everyday, it might be worth inculcating just a bit of the skeptical approach. And no, the united nations hasn't just declared the indian national anthem to be the best of all the countries. Yes really. It hasn't.
Its a collection of short pieces about various 'patriotic factoids' that we have often come across, and it digs in with some research into how accurate they are ( or aren't).
Some of the better known ones are about the invention of zero, the oldest university, the first surgery, sanskrit being the super language of computers, etc. I like his casual conversational style, the occasional dollop of humor, and the approach he has taken in trying to research and analyze these. I found pretty much all the chapters quite interesting.What I didn't particularly care for were the prologue and epilogue, I thought they were too long, and somewhat preachy, something which the meat of the book isn't.
Definitely worth a read, and the approach is worth emulating. Even if we usually don't have the time or energy to check up on the gazillion pieces of patriotic forwards which bombard us everyday, it might be worth inculcating just a bit of the skeptical approach. And no, the united nations hasn't just declared the indian national anthem to be the best of all the countries. Yes really. It hasn't.
December 3, 2015
It's a well written book with nicely collected facts and references with really interesting stories. Vadukut does well to weave interesting unrelated tidbits into the narrative and manages to keep one engaged. The only places he fails to do that is when he goes too much in detail while narrating anecdotes from his own life and sometimes when he is trying to crack one of his unfunny jokes.
Overall, this is a nice, brisk read that is also quite informative. I especially liked the information about the Chola empire and the story of the zero. Good read, this one.
Overall, this is a nice, brisk read that is also quite informative. I especially liked the information about the Chola empire and the story of the zero. Good read, this one.
January 26, 2020
This book has a refreshing take on everything we indians we take for granted. Sidin explores the foundation of some indian facts and tries to unravel their authenticity. His style of mixing personal anecdotes, humour and bland historical facts somehow kept me engaged with the book from start to finish. Apart from that one story rf waves, every other story gets top marks from me. Special mention to how the Sushruta chapter is written.
All in all a light breezy read, if you are looking for a break from the heavy non fiction books on your list. This book can be a great break.
All in all a light breezy read, if you are looking for a break from the heavy non fiction books on your list. This book can be a great break.
May 21, 2021
The humor mostly falls flat. Could've been an essay. I did learn a few new things though.
July 12, 2014
A few days ago I was searching for some books that dwell on ancient India..to gather some knowledge on the Vedas, the Upanishads and other ancient Indian text. The thing I was looking was for some concrete ideas on what is this mythical things called the 'Indian Culture'. How much of what we today 'know' as Indian Culture can be traced back to when India was really the World Guru in everything. For instance, Indian women today are expected to wear Ghunghat. But for my recollections of watching episodes after episodes of Indian Epic texts like Ramayana and Mahabharata adopted into TV series as a kid, I never saw any of the many damsel in distresses observing ghunghat/purdah. Infact the upper body garments resembled something of a corset- infact a few inches short in length altogether.Naturally , the born-confused and curious me acquired more levels of confusion and curiosity. So was ghunghat/purdah adopted from the muslim invaders? Was ancient India really the ultimate free, liberal society where women could wear what they like and sex could be spoken of not just in drawing rooms but temple premises as well? Can I Bitch-slap anyone who next time comes and gives me gyan about how ideal Indian women should behave and throw my newly acquired knowledge at their moronic faces?
I'm yet to gain some concrete knowledge on that front. But my efforts of finding books that pertain to such subjects( or somewhere in the ballpark) brought me this. The Skeptical Patriot -by Sidin Vadukut, columnist, writer, blogger and the current managing editor of Livemint.com. Vadukut gives a two fuck flying rat's ass about my Bitch-slap aspirations . Yet, I would recommend almost everyone( okay anyone who has a decent sense of humor) to read this book. Vadukut's journey is different from mine. Did India really invent the zero? Were we the nation from where some of world changing concepts in mathematics, medicine and science in general originate? Were we really the Swiss of the ancient world, not having bothered to worry ourselves in the senseless pursuits of invading other countries?
The book as Vadukut explains, is not a treatise in history. it's more of an pop-history read. To delve into the world of ancient anecdotes, research by researchers who researched into the works of other researchers to find facts ( and sometimes just for the heck of it). The facts Vadukut states are not fabricated or fiction- they all are valid. And what he infers from those facts and the statements he makes make absolute sense. Ofcourse some may differ. Then read the book to differ. And to top it all Vadukut has some serious comic timing ( something I sense seasoned journalists acquire over the course of their rather boring, mundane and badly-paying careers. No seriously look at Manu Joseph and now him) .
So read the book . You might love it. In which case you owe me nothing because I didn't write the book. Just keep me posted
I'm yet to gain some concrete knowledge on that front. But my efforts of finding books that pertain to such subjects( or somewhere in the ballpark) brought me this. The Skeptical Patriot -by Sidin Vadukut, columnist, writer, blogger and the current managing editor of Livemint.com. Vadukut gives a two fuck flying rat's ass about my Bitch-slap aspirations . Yet, I would recommend almost everyone( okay anyone who has a decent sense of humor) to read this book. Vadukut's journey is different from mine. Did India really invent the zero? Were we the nation from where some of world changing concepts in mathematics, medicine and science in general originate? Were we really the Swiss of the ancient world, not having bothered to worry ourselves in the senseless pursuits of invading other countries?
The book as Vadukut explains, is not a treatise in history. it's more of an pop-history read. To delve into the world of ancient anecdotes, research by researchers who researched into the works of other researchers to find facts ( and sometimes just for the heck of it). The facts Vadukut states are not fabricated or fiction- they all are valid. And what he infers from those facts and the statements he makes make absolute sense. Ofcourse some may differ. Then read the book to differ. And to top it all Vadukut has some serious comic timing ( something I sense seasoned journalists acquire over the course of their rather boring, mundane and badly-paying careers. No seriously look at Manu Joseph and now him) .
So read the book . You might love it. In which case you owe me nothing because I didn't write the book. Just keep me posted
August 18, 2014
The first non fiction by Sidin Vadukut tries to debunk some of the commonly held myths about India. A reading of the book will reveal that Vadukut has done a tremendous amount of research for this book. But in his attempt not to make this book another dull history book he has given too much personal details which could have been avoided. Sidin Vadukut may be having an opinion that most of the reading public(and he may also be correct to some extent) are not really interested in serious books. But in spite of this, the book is worth reading. A chapter worth mentioning is about the Chola invasion of South East Asian Countries. I am not surprised about the ignorance of many about these invasions considering the importance given in history textbooks about empires to the exclusion of small kingdoms. But anybody touring ASEAN countries will be presented with material evidence of these invasions when one sees temples with South Indian Architecture. The Myth of Indians never invading any country is widely prevalent even in Tamil Nadu.(I held a contrary view but I had a taste of this myth when I had to watch one of those useless popular ID programmes in a popular channel when one of the professors of Tamil made an assertion of this myth). I also feel that a strict time line to publish the book might have been the reason for some of the errors/factual mistakes. With my understanding of Indian history(which is not masterly)I can point out that the year of Lord Macaulay's address in British Parliament could not have been 1985. Likewise, Sidin is also off the mark when he includes the British in the list of invaders from the North West of India. It was the British who showed to the world that the oceans cannot be a barrier for invading the country. But the invasion was unlike the previous invasions it was not outright attack but a gradual annexation of territory.
May 9, 2014
The Sceptical Partiot can be categorized a history book if you are the type to categorize Rap as classical music. This well researched book is one fast, quirky and interesting read for every one of us Internet Indians.
Taking up the most famous "India Facts" from forwards/whatsapp msgs sent around Independence day to revive patriotism, the author investigates the annals of history. Sidin also manages to fit in his trademark humor in this non-fiction.
As to the content, the skepticism surrounding facts including invention of zero and plastic surgery are explored across centuries and manuscripts. Can't help but feel some point of view judgement of author finds it's way into the presentation. Not to mention anecdotes from the author's personal life, some of which serve as mere breaks from narratives (welcome of course). You can disagree, debate or do your own research, but you cannot claim lack of effort from the author.
Few chapters maybe a tad slow and lesser of the showmanship of the first 3 chapters. The last few chapters on why this book and the relevance of History, sure touch a chord with the sleeping patriot. The author has much more depth to writing and definitely better at presenting palatable non-fiction (at least compared to his fiction)
Brave effort by the entire team
Taking up the most famous "India Facts" from forwards/whatsapp msgs sent around Independence day to revive patriotism, the author investigates the annals of history. Sidin also manages to fit in his trademark humor in this non-fiction.
As to the content, the skepticism surrounding facts including invention of zero and plastic surgery are explored across centuries and manuscripts. Can't help but feel some point of view judgement of author finds it's way into the presentation. Not to mention anecdotes from the author's personal life, some of which serve as mere breaks from narratives (welcome of course). You can disagree, debate or do your own research, but you cannot claim lack of effort from the author.
Few chapters maybe a tad slow and lesser of the showmanship of the first 3 chapters. The last few chapters on why this book and the relevance of History, sure touch a chord with the sleeping patriot. The author has much more depth to writing and definitely better at presenting palatable non-fiction (at least compared to his fiction)
Brave effort by the entire team
October 20, 2014
A crisp read. Have been following the author's soundcloud channel which is very informative and entertaining. Not digressing much about the book here, but as the title suggests, the author has done a "malcolm gladwell" on indian history. As soon as i write that, it appears to me that the book does not have the "chic" factor that a gladwell book has, nor is it make controversial claims like the "10000 hour" rule. The book reads more like a collection of articles published as a book which is expected since the author has been one in the past. What i particularly liked was the questionairre and open-ended statements at the end of each article along with the footnotes from the author.
To summarize, this is a highly comfortable book to read. A novice in history will enjoy it, and so will a person who is well acquainted with the topics. The reader can read the entire book and choose to not think about the topics mentioned and be satisfied with the knowledge that he has gained from reading of the book. Have given 3 stars for the content and writing, one for the footnotes and the epiphanies in the end which is highly relatable to any history enthusiast.
To summarize, this is a highly comfortable book to read. A novice in history will enjoy it, and so will a person who is well acquainted with the topics. The reader can read the entire book and choose to not think about the topics mentioned and be satisfied with the knowledge that he has gained from reading of the book. Have given 3 stars for the content and writing, one for the footnotes and the epiphanies in the end which is highly relatable to any history enthusiast.
September 7, 2016
Such potential, such a disappointment. The idea of proving/disproving commonly held facts about India's achievements and claims to fame was a very intriguing one. However, this book was a complete waste of time. First of all, it is much too long. The author fills up pages with meandering irrelevant writing. It felt as if he was just trying to make the book longer. Secondly, his sense of humour just didn't do it for me. Often, the sarcastic comments seemed unnecessary and crass. Thirdly, this is a neither here nor there type of book. For those interested in history and well-researched and detailed accounts of events, this is definitely not the book for you. However, it also fails to present the "facts" with any clarity and succinctness at all. The author is often ambiguous about what he is trying to verify and whether the "fact" is indeed true or false. It feels as if the information presented in the book was the result of lazy Google searches.
I would definitely not recommend this book to anyone.
I would definitely not recommend this book to anyone.
May 23, 2018
Vadukut manages to touch many high points in this book that I feel otherwise ambivalent about. I was very wary of reading a book that claimed to "debunk" "facts" without a list of references at the end. To his credit, he has added many footnotes but each chapter reads like a story with a blend of facts, personal commentary, yarn-weaving and a heavy dose of sarcasm - a rare template that I am yet to be convinced about. He does place disclaimers and illustrates well how hard it is to do good historical research (something I admit to never have spared a thought for). But he does disappoint me with a list of epiphanies (at the end), where he somehow manages to water-down a lot of the complexity he strove so hard to build earlier.
That said, I did enjoy many parts of the book and his humour. He has left me thinking about how we learn and consume history and how it may have profound impacts on individual and collective identity. And a lot less obviously on literally everything we do or say.
That said, I did enjoy many parts of the book and his humour. He has left me thinking about how we learn and consume history and how it may have profound impacts on individual and collective identity. And a lot less obviously on literally everything we do or say.
January 6, 2023
Sidin is an irrepressibly humorous and logical thinker-writer, a rarity in Indian writing. He takes us on a tour of many popular beliefs about Indian history or India's capabilities that are usually given too much prominence by self-proclaimed patriots and too little respect by self-appointed intellectuals. This book was written much before 2014 but I wish every Indian who forwards anything on Whatsapp must read it. Did Indians invent the concept of zero or the symbol for it? On our behalf Sidin has scoured the records, inscriptions, and views of mathematicians and historians. Is India the only country that has never initiated war in thousands of years? Are Indians 33% (or whatever) of the workforce at Microsoft, NASA etc.? And many more. The answers will surprise, thrill, disappoint... Short and easy read, one of the first I completed on Kindle.
May 7, 2014
A welcome addition to the India-themed books hitting the market. Sidin offers a different more-serious look into the common myths of 'India facts' and yet sprinkles in enough of his typical humor to keep you going. A worthy read not only for anyone obsessed with forwarding those 'India is always great' emails and Whatsapp messages but also for those who're tired of receiving those messages. But don't worry, it's not an India-bashing book either but be prepared for some truths. The last chapter offers plenty of lessons and we all will be better off if half of our countrymen heeded even half of those.
December 28, 2014
Sidin Vadakut through this book might have just spawned a genre of 'Indian Popular history'. I really do hope that it has and it wouldn't be wrong naming it Vadakutan history ;). There is so little written about Indian history which is neutral, in depth and fun that it was about time some one came up with Vadakutan history. If you hate history you should read this book and realize why people love history and that it is indeed fun.
February 5, 2015
I was a little sceptical to buy this book, after the DORK series, but ended up liking it more than I expected. Although the book has a 'blog'-y feel here and there, Sidin has done a nice job of keeping the reader interested till the end. The conclusion is an interesting piece, where the reader has the choice of investigating further on the "facts" of India. Would be happy to read a sequel to this, if any, comes.
May 19, 2014
Witty and at times insightful. Wish the author takes up this subject in greater detail in his next book and goes on busting many more myths spread around us. Especially, now with an establishment in place that is notorious for spewing out a lie so insistently that it begins to be perceived as a truth!
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