“On the whole India at 70 is a fair selection and it will undoubtedly be useful for children and adults who need a quick refresher course in Indian history post Independence.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
Roshan Dalal’s India at 70 has 71 chapters covering the years 1947 to 2017. The book is ready reckoner of sorts for people to flip through on the go and pick up facts about those landmark seventy years. Dalal covers quite a few people and events – Dev Anand, Sharukh, Uday Shankar, Janpith award winners like Ashapurna Devi, the first woman to win.
India at 70 covers many of the people who contributed to making India what it is, not all of them political. There is an emphasis on music, dance and literature, bringing in elements like music videos and young Dalit singers like Ginni Mahi whom most people would not normally know about. Dalal’s wealth of research is quite evident.
The illustrations are in black and white, personally handpicked by Dalal but occasionally Sayan Mukherjee’s strokes miss their aim, though he does do a scene from Satranj ke Khiladi with aplomb. There is, rather unusually a poster from Mr India, in keeping with Dala’s interest in cinema..
Quite obviously Dalal has had to pick and choose to provide a manageable book. Some people may disagree with her choices but on the whole India at 70 is a fair selection and it will undoubtedly be useful for children and adults who need a quick refresher course in Indian history post Independence.
Reviewed by:
Anjana Basu
Added 14th October 2017
