The State by the Sea

We see the region welcoming waves of immigrants (“To the threshold of this land came the entire world,” writes a poet) and forging trade links with West Asia and Africa. We see the formation of the famed Gujarati mercantile ethos and the increasing influence of the trading community. We see the rash of invasions — by various Muslim conquerors, the Portuguese and the Marathas — that paved the way for the entry of the British.

While telling the history of the region, the authors delve deep into its socio-cultural life as well. We see the emergence of the mahajan tradition that helped organise protest against unfair practices, the lure of enterprise that drew even the intellectually inclined, the links between the upper classes and the administration, the inhumanity of the rich during the Chhapaniyo famine, religious conversions, caste barriers and the rise of reformist trends. Along the way we meet fascinating individuals such as the poet, lexicographer, historian Narmad who entered into public debate on the subject of widow remarriage accompanied by a wrestler friend; Premchand Raichand, the “Napoleon of the Share Bazar”; Shyamji Krishna Varma who founded the Indian Home Rule Society in London and Gandhi as a son of Gujarat.

It’s a compelling narrative that urges questions such as: how did a state with a history of pluralism and tolerance (the Turkic invasions in the 10th century did not invite retaliation on the peaceful Arab-Iranian merchants for example) acquire a reputation for hatred and savagery? How did a people so enterprising, pragmatic, outspoken become unquestioning followers of an ideology?

It is here that the book falters. Events of the last 50 years — political shifts, anti-reservation and communal riots, the decline of the mills and the growing influence of Hindutva — are chronicled somewhat hastily and without the liveliness of the first half. Apart from stray suggestions, the authors do not draw links or use their rich material to analyse or explain the present. It is left to the reader to draw conclusions. In this the book disappoints, by raising, through its presentation and timing, expect-

ations that it does not deliver. It does not detract from the fact, however, that given the paucity of literature on Gujarat in English this is a valuable and enlightening addition.