The Personality of India: Pre- and Proto-historic Foundation of India and Pakistan c4: Preface to the Second Edition
The Personality of India: Pre- and Proto-historic Foundation of India and Pakistan c4
- Language
- English
Preface to the Second Edition
c4.1
I had a very pleasant surprise, when sixteen months after the release of the first edition, I was asked to prepare a second edition in February 1958. I am more than gratified by the excellent reception the book had in India and abroad, in particular. Fortunately, there were more bouquets than brick-bats, though the latter included some of the most valuable suggestions accompanied by constructive and friendly criticism. I am grateful to the admirers and critics alike of this preliminary survey of Pre and Proto-history of India and Pakistan.
c4.2
Being a first attempt I had to frame a system of terminology and the same had been continued in this edition. I have taken advantage of suggestions in reviews and opinions from my professional colleagues. The most important changes and additions are: (1) historical aspects of regionalism, (2) a detailed sequence of cultures in the Indus basin, (3) an attempt at correlation of tradition and archaeology. Naturally advantage was taken to bring the work upto date. The general response to some of the matters, which I thought myself, to be controversial has made me bolder still. I have added a few more controversial suggestions with the hope that it would provoke my colleagues to find more acceptable solutions. As Sir Mortimer remarked in his foreword to the second edition, Indian archaeology is developing at a fast rate and the writer is satisfied that this work attempts a theoretical background to the understanding of Indian archaeology. Since the first edition was published, the subsequent discoveries have confirmed most of the hypothesis made earlier. Finally, the illustrations have been inserted into the body of the text to make them more easily accessible and intelligible at the time of reading.
c4.3
I cannot express my gratitude more deeply to my teachers—Sir Mortimer Wheeler and Dr. H. D. Sankalia,—who readily responded to my request and have very carefully gone through the text with their usual thoroughness. The text was considerably refined in their hands. I take the responsibility for whatever blemishes that have remained in the text. I take this opportunity to thank the reviewers—particularly Prof. Grahame Clark, Prof. K. I. Janert, Dr. Olaf Prufer and Col. D. H. Gordon. It is a great privilege to record that Late Prof. Gordon Childe went through the text of the first edition and has left illuminating comments from page to page. I am deeply beholden to this great *savant*.
c4.4
As the text was passing through the press, the results of C-14 tests of specimens from the excavations at Navdatoli (1957-58) came from the C-14 Laboratory of the University of Pennsylvania. Advantage was taken to insert these valuable materials. I take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation of the help rendered by the Pennsylvania University and to my teacher Dr. H. D. Sankalia, who permitted me to refer to them in this edition.
c4.5
The expansion in the body of the text also resulted in the addition of about twelve new illustrations to those already used in the first edition and revision of a few old ones. It is my duty to thank, Prof. O. H. K. Spate and M/s. Methuen & Co. for using some of the maps in "India and Pakistan—a general regional Geography". His maps have been slightly modified for figures 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 31 and 35. Similarly, the maps published by the Director General have been used and adopted for figures 13, 15, 20, 26, 27 and 28. Cambridge University Press permitted me to reproduce figs. 24 and 25. I have to repeat my thanks to Dr. A. Aiyappan for permission to publish specimens from Kurnool, to Prof. Zeuner for permission to illustrate a few specimens from Adilabad Collections, to Prof. Braidwood for permission to use Fig. 2, to Shri C. Sivaramamurty for the Hoshangabad-Narsingpur specimens, and finally to Prof. Haimendorf for illustrations of the Reddi and Kolami photographs.
c4.6
I should take this opportunity to renew my thanks to my Draftsman Shri R. J. Khatri, whose untiring zeal and perseverance were always at my disposal in revising the old drawings and preparing new ones. The press copy was nicely prepared by Shri H. S. Akolkar. My colleague Shri S. C. Malik and my pupil Shri B. R. Subrahmanyam helped me in going through the press copy and correcting the proofs and preparing the index. I am obliged to all of them.
c4.7
Finally, I cannot adequately express my gratitude for the help and encouragement, I have received at the hands of Dr. J. M. Mehta, the present Vice-Chancellor, Shrimati Hansaben Mehta, the former Vice-Chancellor, Dr. C. S. Patel, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and our Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Shri V. Y. Kantak. Before closing this preface, I must place on record the great help rendered by Shri R. J. Patel, the Manager of the University Press and his efficient staff, which enabled the early appearance of this book.
c4.8
Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Vijaya Dasami, 21st October, 1958.