Incredible History of the Indian Ocean

Author: Sanjeev Sanyal
Publisher: Penguin Random House India Private Limited
ISBN: 9353059623
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
An adaptation of The Ocean of Churn for young readers When did the first humans arrive in India and how did they get here? What are Roman artefacts from hundreds of years ago doing in a town near Puducherry? How did merchants from Arabia end up near Kochi? From the east coast of Africa to Australia, one big blue body of water has connected diverse peoples and cultures for thousands of years: the incredible Indian Ocean. Read on to learn about the fearless travellers and sailors, pirates and conquerors who set out to cross the ocean in search of gold and glory, and discover how geography can shape the course of history.

The Incredible History of India's Geography

Author: Sanjeev Sanyal
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 9351189325
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 253

Book Description
Could you be related to a blonde Lithuanian? Did you know that India is the only country that has both lions and tigers? Who found out how tall Mt Everest is? If you've ever wanted to know the answers to questions like these, this is the book for you. In here you will find various things you never expected, such as the fact that we still greet each other like the Harappans did and that people used to think India was full of one-eyed giants. And, sneakily, you'll also know more about India's history and geography by the end of it. Full of quirky pictures and crazy trivia, this book takes you on a fantastic journey through the incredible history of India's geography.

The Ocean of Churn

Author: Sanjeev Sanyal
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 9386057611
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 313

Book Description
Much of human history has played itself out along the rim of the Indian Ocean. In a first-of-its-kind attempt, bestselling author Sanjeev Sanyal tells the history of this significant region, which stretches across East Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent to South East Asia and Australia. He narrates a fascinating tale about the earliest human migrations out of Africa and the great cities of Angkor and Vijayanagar; medieval Arab empires and Chinese ‘treasure fleets’; the rivalries of European colonial powers and a new dawn. Sanjeev explores remote archaeological sites, ancient inscriptions, maritime trading networks and half-forgotten oral histories, to make exciting revelations. In his inimitable style, he draws upon existing and new evidence to challenge well-established claims about famous historical characters and the flow of history. Adventurers, merchants, explorers, monks, swashbuckling pirates, revolutionaries and warrior princesses populate this colourful and multifaceted narrative. The Ocean of Churn takes the reader on an amazing journey through medieval geopolitics and eyewitness accounts of long-lost cities to the latest genetic discoveries about human origins, bringing alive a region that has defined civilization from the very beginning.

Land of seven rivers

Author: Sanjeev Sanyal
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 8184756712
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Book Description
DID THE GREAT FLOOD OF INDIAN LEGEND ACTUALLY HAPPEN? WHY DID THE BUDDHA WALK TO SARNATH TO GIVE HIS FIRST SERMON? HOW DID THE EUROPEANS MAP INDIA? The history of any country begins with its geography. With sparkling wit and intelligence, Sanjeev Sanyal sets off to explore India and look at how the country’s history was shaped by, among other things, its rivers, mountains and cities. Traversing remote mountain passes, visiting ancient archaeological sites, crossing rivers in shaky boats and immersing himself in old records and manuscripts, he considers questions about Indian history that we rarely ask: Why do Indians call their country Bharat? How did the British build the railways across the subcontinent? Why was the world’s highest mountain named after George Everest? Moving from the geological beginnings of the subcontinent to present-day Gurgaon, Land of the Seven Rivers is riveting, wry and full of surprises. It is the most entertaining history of India you will ever read.

Wild Sea

Author: Joy McCann
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022662241X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 289

Book Description
“This bracing history charts the myths, the exploration, and the inhabitants of the all-too-real and wild circumpolar ocean to our south.” —The Sydney Morning Herald, Pick of the Week Unlike the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic Oceans with their long maritime histories, little is known about the Southern Ocean. This book takes readers beyond the familiar heroic narratives of polar exploration to explore the nature of this stormy circumpolar ocean and its place in Western and Indigenous histories. Drawing from a vast archive of charts and maps, sea captains’ journals, whalers’ log books, missionaries’ correspondence, voyagers’ letters, scientific reports, stories, myths, and her own experiences, Joy McCann embarks on a voyage of discovery across its surfaces and into its depths, revealing its distinctive physical and biological processes as well as the people, species, events, and ideas that have shaped our perceptions of it. The result is both a global story of changing scientific knowledge about oceans and their vulnerability to human actions and a local one, showing how the Southern Ocean has defined and sustained southern environments and people over time. Beautifully and powerfully written, Wild Sea will raise a broader awareness and appreciation of the natural and cultural history of this little-known ocean and its emerging importance as a barometer of planetary climate change. “A sensitive portrait of a complex ecosystem, from krill to blue whales, and of the ice, winds, and currents that are critical to the circulation of the world’s oceans.” —Harper’s “Wilderness seekers will rejoice in this stirring portrait . . . McCann deftly navigates both natural glories and archival complexities.” —Nature

Rowing After the White Whale

Author: James Adair
Publisher: Birlinn
ISBN: 0857905996
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 295

Book Description
What's it like to be on a small boat with no power but oars, and over 1,500 miles from the nearest land? Two friends decided to find out... Over a boozy Sunday lunch, flatmates James Adair and Ben Stenning made a promise to row across an ocean despite having no sailing or rowing experience whatsoever. This is an account of their 116 days at sea as they undertook the voyage of a lifetime. From eerie calms to their capsize in stormy seas, their determination and perseverance pushed them through the relentless dangers of rowing and sleeping under sun, moon, wind and stars for day upon day. Their tale is one of moonbows and meteor showers, passing whales and thieving fish, lurking sharks and giant squid ... and a terrifying fight for survival.

The Indian Renaissance

Author: Sanjeev Sanyal
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 9812818782
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 263

Book Description
India's recent economic performance has attracted world attention but the country is re-awakening not just as an economy but as a civilization. After a thousand years of the decline, it now has a genuine opportunity to re-establish itself as a major global power.In ?The Indian Renaissance?, the author, Sanjeev Sanyal, looks at the processes that led to ten centuries of fossilization and then at the powerful economic and social forces that are now working together to transform India beyond recognition. These range from demographic shifts to rising literacy levels, but the most important revolution has been the opening of mind and the changed attitude towards innovation and risk.This book is about how India found itself at this historic juncture, the obstacles that it still needs to negotiate and the future that it may enjoy. The author tells the story from the perspective of the new generation of Indians who have emerged from this great period of change.Published and distributed worldwide by World Scientific Publishing Co. except India, UK and North America

War on America

Author: James Mancham
Publisher: Paragon House Publishers
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Book Description
On September 11, 2001, the United States of America was surprised by a deadly terrorist attack fueled by hatred for the United States that Americans could not understand. This book is written to help Americans understand how people in other parts of the world are impacted by a U. S. foreign policy that often seems arbitrary, self-serving, and inconsistent with the ideals of democracy. The author is past president of the Seychelles, neighbor to Diego Garcia, from which many of the airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan were launched. His comments are informative and constructive for anyone interested in creating a better and more coherent U. S. foreign policy that will lead to a more peaceful world and prevent a recurrence of terrorist attacks on America.>

Sea Power

Author: Admiral James Stavridis, USN
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735220611
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 386

Book Description
From one of the most admired admirals of his generation—and the only admiral to serve as Supreme Allied Commander at NATO—comes a remarkable voyage through all of the world’s most important bodies of water, providing the story of naval power as a driver of human history and a crucial element in our current geopolitical path. From the time of the Greeks and the Persians clashing in the Mediterranean, sea power has determined world power. To an extent that is often underappreciated, it still does. No one understands this better than Admiral Jim Stavridis. In Sea Power, Admiral Stavridis takes us with him on a tour of the world’s oceans from the admiral’s chair, showing us how the geography of the oceans has shaped the destiny of nations, and how naval power has in a real sense made the world we live in today, and will shape the world we live in tomorrow. Not least, Sea Power is marvelous naval history, giving us fresh insight into great naval engagements from the battles of Salamis and Lepanto through to Trafalgar, the Battle of the Atlantic, and submarine conflicts of the Cold War. It is also a keen-eyed reckoning with the likely sites of our next major naval conflicts, particularly the Arctic Ocean, Eastern Mediterranean, and the South China Sea. Finally, Sea Power steps back to take a holistic view of the plagues to our oceans that are best seen that way, from piracy to pollution. When most of us look at a globe, we focus on the shape of the of the seven continents. Admiral Stavridis sees the shapes of the seven seas. After reading Sea Power, you will too. Not since Alfred Thayer Mahan’s legendary The Influence of Sea Power upon History have we had such a powerful reckoning with this vital subject.

Alone

Author: Brett Archibald
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
ISBN: 1250143306
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 384

Book Description
For fans of The Perfect Storm, the heroic story of the 28 hours the author spent alone and helpless in the Indian Ocean, enduring the elements, creatures of the deep, and his own inner demons.