Evocative of the rich history and past of India, ‘GENESIS OF TIME: Unveiling the Hidden History by author Abhishek Singh’ which spans about 163 pages is a non-fictional work of intense research, extensive reading and deep analytical skills with proper field work that makes for an engaging and enlightening read. It unveils a lot of the hidden history of the tower called Qutub Minar and unfolds the fact that it has stood tall for so long and has stood through the test of time. To a great extent, the building can be said to be a witness to the efforts of generations that have viewed it and gazed at it with amazement. It has seen a lot and been through a lot and this book is an attempt to document that rich history. To some extent, this book challenges the long held ideas about the Qutub Minar and lays bare new facts based on a recent study. The book is divided into 14 chapters of moderate length.
The argument made by the author is clearly stated in the preface to the book that states that historians with Marxist leanings tend to cite Persian sources while referring to the history of the Qutub Minar which as per the research of the author is a biased way of looking at the monument that is claimed to be symbol of victory of Hindu ruler Prithvi Raj Chauhan over Islamic dominance. Several online discussions and debates made the author highly inquisitive about the history of this monument and he went on to do a detailed and deep research on this topic of which this book is the outcome.
The book is a good read for history buffs, students of archaeology, architecture enthusiasts or simply anyone who is interested in this aspect of the buried historical evidence of this specific monument. The book is not a very easy read as it requires some pre-requisite knowledge of scientific and technical matters particularly astronomical concepts. However, this should not make any reader worried as the book is accessible and thanks to the thoughtful efforts of the author, a lot of the content is simplified or elaborated for easy of understanding. This makes the study in this book manageable and reduces the overall printing cost of the book making it affordable.
Several complex mathematical calculations have been omitted for this reason while the author unleashes his creativity to a whole new level by illustrating several parts of the book. The content begins with the introduction of the author’s argument of distortion of history which is furthered in the subsequent chapters that question the oft accepted and generally understood views regarding the Qutub Minar as laid down by Archaeological Survey of India, NCERT and other educational bodies. The review of previous studies available in this regard constitutes an entire chapter and it may be safe to say that the author has left no stone unturned in bringing out counter claims to the generally accepted views about this monument.
The literature review is thorough and extensive which lays a solid foundation for the main arguments of this book, adds a sense of credibility and opens up a whole new avenue of thought and research that seems to show a lot of positive scope for further study and analysis. For the most part, the book is a presentation of the study and research done solely by the author but the book describes each step of the research which allows for cross checking and counter argumentation. This helps to open new spaces for fresh conversation and allow new perspectives to thrive. Nonetheless, the motive of the author is clearly reiterated throughout which is to allow for facts and authentic research to be in their rightful place instead of mere stories from a distant past that may be difficult to verify. It is this openness to new dimensions of thinking and acting that the author advocates through his multi -disciplinary research.
The book is written in a well organised manner such that the ideas flow one after the other and the arguments pave way for new theories and alternative hypotheses. The content maintains a speculative, objective, and thoughtful tone wherein bullet points, tables and charts showcase the major points or facts that the author wants to highlight.
The images provide a pictorial depiction of that which is mentioned in the content of the book while the free hand sketches done by the author add to the illustrations in the book and blend seamlessly with the other pictorial input. There are also some actual photographs interspersed within the text and between other hand drawn pictures or digitized images. The vocabulary is apt making the book well written though there is a lot of technical and historical information that calls for a deep, immersive reading of this book. It is clearly meant to be devoured slowly and actively with full attention.