Indus Basin Uninterrupted: A History of Territory and Politics from Alexander to Nehru
Penguin Random House India
About the Book
The Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan marks six decades, but carries the reflection of several thousand years of history. Indus Basin Uninterrupted, with an easy narration and rich archival material, brings alive a meandering journey of peace, conflict and commerce on the Indus basin. The Indus system of rivers, as a powerful symbol of the passage of time, represents not only the interdependence and interpenetration of land and water, but equally the unfolding of political identities, social churning and economic returns. From Alexander’s campaign to Qásim crossing the Indus and laying the foundation of Muslim rule in India; from the foreign invaders and their ‘loot and scoot’ to the Mughal rulers’ perspective on hydrology and water use; from the British ‘great game’ on the Indus basin to the bitter and bloody Partition; and finally, as a historical pause, the signing of the Indus Waters Treaty—this book is a spectrum of spectacular events, turning points and of personalities and characters and their actions that were full of marvel.
About the Author
UTTAM KUMAR SINHA is one of India’s leading commentators on transboundary water issues. After a brief stint in the print media and a doctoral degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, he joined the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in 2001 (now renamed as Manohar Parrikar-IDSA) where he heads the non-traditional security centre and is the managing editor of Strategic Analysis, the institute’s flagship journal, published by Routledge.
He is a recipient of many fellowships, including senior fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (2018-20); an academic visitor at the Harvard Kennedy School (2015); Chevening ‘Gurukul’ scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science (2008); and a visiting fellow at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (2006).
His noted works include Riverine Neighbourhood: Hydro-Politics in South Asia (2016) and Climate Change Narrative: Reading the Arctic (2014).
Content
Settlers, Invaders and Successions
Ageing of India’s History
Alexander Thought Indus to be Head of Nile
Qásim Crosses the Indus
As Observed by Foreign Travellers
Suyya, the Waterman of Kashmir
Genghis and the Battle of Indus
Fathering Medieval Canals
Indus the Territorial Marker
Diplomacy and Commerce on The Indus
Minto’s Three Wise Men
Huff and Puff of Navigation
Navigation Steamrolled by Railways
Colonization, Canals and Contestation
Engineering the Watercourse
Irrigation Debate
Disputes and Settlements
Lower Riparian Angst
Knowledge-power
Partition of Land and Rivers
Drawing a Line in a Maelstrom
An Engineer Named Kanwar Sain
Punjab Canal Water Dispute
Flurry of Correspondence
Pakistan Strides Towards a ‘Third Party’
TVA-inspired Water Projects
Making of The Indus Waters Treaty
US Knocks at Kashmir’s Door
Who’s There? The World Bank
Unequal Music on the Indus
Clamour for Water and Peace
Heated Debate in Lok Sabha
Nehru Convincingly Unconvincing
A Few Lines to Conclude
Postscript
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
