William Dalrymple explores 'The Golden Road' and the impact of ancient India on various civilizations.
Chat Transcript:
🤖 ASSISTANT:
Long before the Silk Road, there was India's Golden Age Route, according to historian William Dalrymple. This ancient epic played a vital role in connecting the Roman world with the Far East, enriching humanity with everything from precious gems and spices to revolutionary philosophies, scientific advancements, languages, and literature. His new book is "The Golden Road: The Transformative Impact of Ancient India on the World," and we're thrilled to have him join us today from Houston on his U.S. book tour. Cheers for being here, Will!
🤗 WILLIAM DALRYMPLE:
Thanks a lot! Delighted to be here!
🤖 ASSISTANT:
You've referred to India as a crux for economic growth and a potent civilization. Can you elaborate on how it influenced the world? Let's dive right in!
🤓 WILLIAM DALRYMPLE:
Well, on a fundamental level we can start with its revolutionary philosophies and scientific concepts. Half the world today is influenced by ideas that originated in India – ideas like Hinduism and Buddhism. But the impact extends beyond religion; India is also the source of the number system we all use. In the West, we know it as Arabic numbers, but the truth is that the Arabs received them from the Indians. Without it, we wouldn't have higher mathematics like algebra, algorithms, and binary—staples that underpin our modern world.
🤖 ASSISTANT:
Right, and don't forget the decimal system and the concept of zero.
🤓 WILLIAM DALRYMPLE:
Bingo! Exactly. We owe them for those too. I reckon, over the last 40-50 years, people have come to realize that a lot of these groundbreaking ideas came from the Arab world. However, many are still oblivious to the fact that they originated in India.
🤖 ASSISTANT:
So, what do you think makes us in the West unaware of India's contributions?
🤓 WILLIAM DALRYMPLE:
I believe it can be traced back to the colonial phase of India's history, when the Victorian British denigrated its subtlety and brilliance. Men like Macaulay in the 19th century insinuated that a single shelf of a good English library was worth all the native literature of India and Arabia. Although we laugh at those opinions today, the influence of such ideas persists in our education system. Most of us will have heard about Pythagoras or Archimedes by our seventh or eighth birthday, but few will be familiar with Aryabhata, who determined the exact circumference of the Earth, the distance from the Earth to the moon, and the heliocentric model – a thousand years before Galileo!
🤖 ASSISTANT:
Impressive! How did India's central position in the world open it to the outside world?
🤓 WILLIAM DALRYMPLE:
Meteorology played a tremendous role in this. The winds. India's geographical location under Tibet is the beneficiary of a remarkable wind system, which leads to the monsoon seasons. In summer, when Tibet thaws, winds blow out – creating this unique void that induces monsoon winds which blow for six months of the year in one direction and then reverse. This system has made India the hub of maritime trading networks for centuries, with large Indian trading communities established in East Africa, Aden, the Red Sea, Singapore, and Burma.
🤖 ASSISTANT:
Intriguing! Now, let's touch on India's impact on faith and belief. Beginning with the birth of Buddhism.
🤓 WILLIAM DALRYMPLE:
Today, we tend to view Buddhism through a mystical lens, but early Buddhist monasteries were financial institutions, lending merchants money and providing them shelter. We even have records of Indian sailors repaying loans to Buddhist monks and offering gifts as interest! Buddhism expanded rapidly – Buddha was a historical figure who lived in the mid-fifth century BCE in the Gangetic Plain – and it took less than 500 years for his ideas to spread across Asia. Indian philosophies like Hinduism also infiltrated China, Southeast Asia, and other regions, paving the way for what some scholars call the Sanskrit Cosmopolis – a vast world where the sacred language of Sanskrit was used across Afghanistan, Indonesia, and beyond.
🤖 ASSISTANT:
You didn't just rely on Google research for this, did you?
🤓 WILLIAM DALRYMPLE:
(Laughing) No way. This was a five-year odyssey of travel and exploration. I traversed Southeast Asia, and I believe it's high time we brought this knowledge into the spotlight. India's impact on the world is nothing short of monumental, especially considering its re-emergence as a powerhouse economy in the 21st century.
🤖 ASSISTANT:
Finally, you raise an exciting question at the end of your book – has India's moment come again? Can you touch on that?
🤓 WILLIAM DALRYMPLE:
Economically, I am optimistic about India's future. However, history shows that India flourishes when open to receiving and sharing ideas. With India's current authoritarian right-wing government, we must remain hopeful that it will embrace these values to maintain its creative potential.
🤖 ASSISTANT:
William Dalrymple, the golden go-to-guy for all things ancient India, on "The Golden Road: The Transformative Impact of Ancient India on the World." Thanks a billion for joining us!
🤗 WILLIAM DALRYMPLE:
Thanks for having me! Great chat! 🤗
- India's contributions to civilization, education, and science have been profound and widespread.
- The number system we use today has roots in India, and numerous essential mathematical concepts such as the decimal system and zero originated there.
- The British colonial era resulted in a diminished understanding of India's achievements in the West, leaving many people ignorant of India's influence on fields like mathematics.
- The Indian Buddhist monks played crucial roles in the economic arena, acting as financial institutions, providing loans, and offering merchants shelter.
- India's unique geographical position and wind systems facilitated maritime trade networks, which connected the country to various regions across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
- The current Indian government's stance on openness to ideas will have a significant impact on the country's creative potential and future economic prosperity.
