The idea had come as a simple thought. Roshen Dalal and Sohini Mitra of Puffin’s thought of presenting the last 70 years — years after India became independent — in an interesting format, because, to put it plainly, many youngsters are unaware of the huge number of changes that have taken place in these seven decades.
So Roshen wrote India at 70, Snapshots Since Independence covering the changes through literature, cinema, music, politics and so on. “Obviously everything could not be included. I tried to find a balance between different topics, and with a minimal political background, focused on ecology, sports and culture. Having lived through many of these 70 years, and having observed everything, there was a lot that I felt needed to be recorded and conveyed to the younger generation. For example, I have written quite a lot about Irom Sharmila, as though she has ended her fast and may fade into obscurity, I believe she needs to be remembered. I have also included something on wildlife and national parks, which are an important part of our heritage,” Roshen writes, in an email interview.
A history writer who has authored such books as the two-volume Puffin History of India and the two-volume Puffin History of the World, Roshen knew most of what she wrote for India at 70. “I was familiar with most of the topics, but I had earlier not gone into any details on the changes and transformations taking place in culture. I was aware of those in literature and partly in music, but the new media in art and the new trends in classical dance were fascinating. There was a lot that was new to me even in music — for instance, I came across Ginni Mahi, the young pop singer; in sports, to make the topic of marathons more interesting, I added the story of this couple who celebrated their marriage by running a marathon; I realised that our young squash players are performing extremely well, something that is rarely highlighted.”
She most enjoyed writing about literature and music. Sports and cinema were relatively difficult spheres. “Though it was very interesting, it was a problem choosing which sportsperson to include, because there are so many, and also those from the movie industry. So much had to be left out.” Roshen got inputs from friends on what to include. One of them said she should include new comedians, another pointed out the importance of Rabindranath Tagore’s 150 years.
“He had, of course, died before independence, but I wanted to include him in some way, and this gave me the opportunity. Also at the time, I had read Margaret Alva’s autobiography, and it provided some details on Nehru’s birth centenary celebrations, that I had not found elsewhere.”
Roshen’s interest in history began in Intermediate Arts in Bombay University, where she became fascinated by ancient Egypt.
She decided to study history further, and after a BA in History, she was fortunate to be able to specialise in Ancient Indian History at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, from where she later completed a Ph.D.
“Along with history, I was always interested in religion and philosophy,” she says. She has authored books like The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths and Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide.
She went to Rishi Valley School because of an interest in the philosophy of J. Krishnamurti, and she was inspired by the young students there to start writing history. “After the success of the first book, my editors at Penguin encouraged me to write more books. I have six books for youngsters on history, and three for adults on religion/philosophy. Currently, I am working on two more books,” she says.
