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At the outset, I extend my heartfelt new year wishes to all readers of The Dharma Dispatch. Let’s get down to business now.
What would the world be without books? Let’s put this another way. Countless studies done roughly since the beginning of this millennium invariably point to the same finding: the proverbial reading habit has plummeted woefully. Couple this with the millennial generation fed on and addicted to mind-numbing and creativity-killing gadgets, we might soon live in a world bereft of books. And so, for those who still care to read books (I am always partial to real, physical books), here is a selection of my recommendations categorized by subject.
I haven’t maintained any order or preference in making this list. Every single book mentioned in this list has come entirely from memory. Any lapses are mine.
Note: This list is an ongoing effort. It will be updated regularly. If you’re a subscriber of The Dharma Dispatch, you will receive a notification each time this list is updated.
Happy reading!
The History and Culture of the Indian People (in 11 Volumes): Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan: General Editor: R.C. Majumdar
Chandragupta Maurya and his Times: Radhakumud Mookerji
The Gupta Empire: Radhakumud Mookerji
Rajatarangini: Kalhana
The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians: Eliot and Dawson
Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan: Col. James Todd
A Forgotten Empire: Vijayanagar, A Contribution to the History of India: Robert Sewell
Never to be Forgotten Empire: Suryanarain Row
Mackenzie Manuscripts: Edited by T.V. Mahalingam
History of Aurangzib (in 5 volumes): Jadunath Sarkar
A Short History of South India: K.A. Nilakantha Sastri
Imperial Gurjaras: K M Munshi
Sources of Karnataka History: S. Srikanta Sastry
Rise of the Maratha Power: Mahadev Govind Ranade
History of the Freedom Movement in India (in 3 Volumes): R.C. Majumdar
The Tragic Story of the Partition: H.V. Sheshadri
The Lost River: On The Trails of Saraswati: Michel Danino (suggested by Hari Ravikumar)
A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy: Chandradhar Sharma
Outlines of Indian Philosophy: Mysore Hiriyanna
Essentials of Indian Philosophy: Mysore Hiriyanna
Vedanta or the Science of Reality: K.A. Krishnaswamy Iyer
History of Indian Philosophy (in 5 volumes): Surendranath Dasgupta
Be as you are: The Teachings of Ramana Maharshi: Published by Penguin
The Cultural Heritage of India (in nine volumes): Ramakrishna Ashram
Foundations of Indian Culture (in two volumes): G.C. Pandey
The Fundamental Unity of India: Radhakumud Mookerji
India in Kalidasa: Bhagavat Saran Upadhyaya
The Arthashastra of Kautilya: R.P. Kangle
The Complete Works: Swami Vivekananda
Essays in National Idealism: Ananda K Coomaraswamy
Trade and Trade Routes in Ancient India: Motichandra
The World of Courtesans: Motichandra
Suvarnadvipa, Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East: R C Majumdar
Rama and Ayodhya: Meenakshi Jain
Ramayana: Valmiki
Mahabharata: Veda Vyasa
Meghadoota: Kalidasa
Kumarasambhava: Kalidasa
Raghuvamsha: Kalidasa
Kadambari: Banabhatta
Mudrarakshasa: Vishakhadatta
Madhuravijayam: Gangadevi
Mrucchakatika: Shudraka
Panchatantra: Vishnusharma
Niti Shataka and Vairagya Shataka: Bhartruhari
Natyashastra: Bharatamuni
Art Experience: Mysore Hiriyanna
Introduction to Indian Art: Ananda K Coomaraswamy
The Transformation of Nature in Art: Ananda K Coomaraswamy
The Hindu Temple (in two volumes): Stella Kramrisch
Indian Architecture (in two volumes): Percy Brown (suggested by Hari Ravikumar)
Indian Sculpture: Stella Kramrisch
Hindu Achievements in Exact Science: Benoy Kumar Sarkar (suggested by Hari Ravikumar)
The History of Sanskrit Poetics: Pandurang Vaman Kane
Dhvanyaloka of Anandavardhana: English translation by Dr. K Krishnamoorthy
On the Meaning of the Mahabharata: Vishnu Sitaram Sukhtankar
Spiritual Heritage of Thyagaraja: V. Raghavan
History of the Dharmashastras (in six volumes): Pandurang Vaman Kane
India: The Land of Kalpasutras: Ram Gopal
Manusmriti: Translated by Ganganath Jha (suggested by Hari Ravikumar)
Karpasa in Prehistoric India: A Chronological and Cultural Clue: K D Sethna
Legal and Constitutional History of India: Rama Jois
A Case for India: Will Durant
Nature of the Indian Society: Dharampal
India in the Eighteenth Century: Dharampal
Transition from an Indigenous to the Colonial System: Dharampal
A Beautiful Tree: Dharampal
Annam Bahukurvita: Dr. J.K. Bajaj and M.D. Srinivas
Hindu Polity: K P Jayaswal
Essentials of Hindutva: Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
The Indian War of Independence, 1857: Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History: Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
India’s Rebirth: Sri Aurobindo
Ancient Indian Education: Brahmanical and Buddhist: Radha Kumud Mookerji
Travels in India (in two volumes): Jean Baptiste Tavernier
The Untouchables: Who Were They? And Why They Became Untouchables: B.R. Ambedkar
Who were the Shudras? B.R. Ambedkar
Warfare in Ancient India: Organizational & Operational Dimensions: Uma Prasad Thapliyal
Military History of India: Uma Prasad Thapliyal
Festivals, Sports and Pastimes of Ancient India: V. Raghavan
The History of India, as Told by Its Own Historians: Eliot and Dawson
The Story of Islamic Imperialism in India: Sita Ram Goel
Jizyah and the Spread of Islam: Harsh Narain
Negationism in India: Concealing the Record of Islam: Koenraad Elst
The Mughal Harem: K S Lal
Indian Muslims: Who are they: K S Lal
Theory and Practice of the Muslim State in India: K S Lal
The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India: K S Lal
Muslim Slave System in Medieval India: K S Lal
Hindu Temples: What Happened to Them (in two volumes): Sita Ram Goel
Indian Resistance to Early Muslim Invaders Upto 1206 A.D: Ram Gopal Misra
Heroic Hindu Resistance to Muslim Invaders: Sita Ram Goel
Jihad: The Islamic Doctrine of Permanent War: Suhas Majumdar
The Quranic Concept of War: Brig S K Malik
Masir-i-Alamgiri of Aurangzeb: Saqi Mustad Khan, translated by Jadunath Sarkar
The World of Fatwas: Arun Shourie
The Story of Islamic Imperialism in India: Sita Ram Goel
A Short History of Muslim Rule in India: Ishwari Prasad (suggested by Hari Ravikumar)
Understanding Islam through Hadis: Ram Swarup
Among the Believers: V S Naipaul
Beyond Belief: V S Naipaul
Thoughts on Pakistan: B.R. Ambedkar
Harvesting our Souls: Arun Shourie
Missionaries in India: Arun Shourie
History of Hindu-Christian Encounters: Sita Ram Goel
Catholic Ashrams: Sanyasins or Swindlers? Sita Ram Goel
Hindu View of Christianity and Islam: Ram Swarup
Psychology of Prophetism: A Secular Look at the Bible: Koenraad Elst
What Every Hindu Should Know about Christianity: Kalavai Venkat
The Myth of Saint Thomas and the Mylapore Shiva Temple: Ishwar Sharan
The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice: Christopher Hitchens
The Calcutta Quran Petition: Compiled and edited by Sita Ram Goel
Genesis and Growth of Nehruism: Sita Ram Goel
How I became a Hindu: Sita Ram Goel
How I became a Hindu: David Frawley
Arise Arjuna: Hinduism Resurgent in a New Century: David Frawley
Eminent Historians: Their Technology, Their Line, Their Fraud: Arun Shourie
Courts and Their Judgments: Arun Shourie
Perversion of India’s Political Parlance: Sita Ram Goel
Freedom of Expression: Secular Theocracy Versus Liberal Democracy: Compiled and Edited by Sita Ram Goel
Decolonising the Hindu Mind: Koenraad Elst
The Saffron Swastika (in two volumes): Koenraad Elst
Hindu Society Under Siege: Sita Ram Goel
Hinduism and the Clash of Civilisations: David Frawley
Nationalism and Distortions in Indian History: N S Rajaram
NGOs, Activists and Foreign Funds – Anti-Nation Industry: Radha Rajan and others
Breaking India: Aravindan Neelakandan and Rajiv Malhotra
What do you think of this list? If you wish to leave any suggestion or recommendation, please write me an email.
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