Review: India and the Pacific World
By P. C. Bagchi
Summary
The reviewer discusses Kalidas Nag’s book India and the Pacific World, which seeks to correct the Eurocentric bias of early geography textbooks by demonstrating India’s historical connections with Pacific countries. Nag, a widely travelled professor, argues that the Pacific was presented to Indian schoolchildren as distant and irrelevant, whereas in reality India had long interacted with these regions. The book surveys the cultures of Polynesia, Maori land, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Indo‑China, Java, Sumatra, China and Japan. For each country Nag examines pre‑history, anthropology, archaeology and modern history, highlighting available materials for further study. He pays special attention to India’s role in disseminating cultural and religious influences across the Indian Ocean and into Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The reviewer notes that Nag’s narrative is enlivened by sympathy for the peoples he describes, sometimes leading him to express enthusiastic judgments. Nevertheless, the book remains valuable because it draws attention to neglected regions and underscores India’s historical contribution. The reviewer praises Nag’s effort to compile data on countries often omitted from mainstream histories and to present the information in a readable style. He hopes that the book will inspire greater interest in the Pacific world among Indian readers.
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Conclusion
The review concludes that Kalidas Nag’s India and the Pacific World is a welcome corrective to Eurocentric narratives. By surveying the history and culture of Pacific countries and emphasising India’s links with them, the book broadens readers’ horizons and encourages further research. While the author’s enthusiasm occasionally colours his judgments, his wide knowledge and accessible presentation make this work an important contribution to modern history.