Resurrecting the Ruins

The book,priced at Rs 200 and written in Hindi,gives an insight into the riveting history of the civilisation and is also a travelogue. “I first visited Mohenjodaro five years back. But even before that,I was intrigued by it,” says Thanvi,54,who points out that it is not just a travel diary written by a curious tourist. He terms his experience as “an inward and outward journey”,one with depth and meaning and notes that he is overwhelmed by the response.

Apart from describing his travels to the “mound of the dead”,the publication also dwells into rather controversial subjects,including how the excavations were stopped in Mohenjodaro. Thanvi stresses that the spelling should be Muanjodaro (Muan as in ‘of the dead’ in new Urdu) and not Mohenjodaro (as in Mohan — Lord Krishna),which is commonly used. “It is one of the greatest civilisations in the world,yet Indian and Pakistani governments are losing interest. Excavations have been stopped because of insufficient budgets,” says Thanvi. His travels were numerous and enlightening,as he visited the ruins more than a few times. “I also visited the Mohenjodaro museum in Pakistan and realised that from all the 50,000 pieces of artefacts that were excavated from the site,not one was a weapon. Not one. It reveals that it was a very peaceful civilisation.”

Even as he basks in the glow of his debut book,Thanvi is busy working on other publications. While one on “serious cinema” will be released later this year,another based on Gandhi’s take on the Hindi language,is slated for release in 2012.