Truth Never Dies

My father belonged to an artisan caste classified as one of the OBCs. Though I did well in all examinations meritoriously, in 1949 when I requested for a character and conduct certificate needed for applying for admission to higher education, the principal of the college, a Brahmin, declined, asking me why I could not follow my caste profession. It was the affirmative action that enabled my admission to an engineering college.

During my entire lifetime in India, I never knew about the historical origin of either the caste system or the disabilities imposed on the Hindu population, except mythological stories. I never knew that Buddhism had prevailed in India, nor any details about Indus Valley civilization, except a passing mention in textbooks claiming them as parts of Brahmanic Hinduism. Books exposing such facts, are generally excluded in Indian public libraries.

Ever since I came to the United States, I had been looking for a truthful account of India’s social, religious, and political history and my conclusion is that the ancient history of India, as the Western researchers recovered, is not a biased concoction, as being alleged by vested interests in India, but one that has come out of genuine research and evidence. This book is written with all good intentions of enlightening the public and finding a way to mitigate India's social problems.