सहनशीलता की संस्कृति (हिन्दुस्तान के इतिहास का एक अध्ययन)

History is not the story of rulers and their politics alone. It encompasses all spheres of life. Thus, taking the strand of ‘tolerance, this book in Hindi, Sahansheelta ki Sanskriti, presents the history of the Indian Subcontinent. Tolerance has been historically so present in the life of the Indians that it denotes a culture for them. From ancient times, India has experienced a continual inflow of people such as the Aryans, Greeks, Scythians, Parthians, Kushans, Huns, Arabs, Turks, Afghans, Portuguese, Dutch, French and British, who brought here every time a new set of ethnicity, culture, custom, religion and language. The country, at the same time, acquitted itself well, demonstrating its adroitness in the art of co-existence. At the highest level, the rulers have made efforts to maintain a balance between the communities, while rishis, munis, Sufis, and bhagats have ruled their hearts and minds. Setting aside the episodes of struggle and brutalities for political power at higher levels, love, understanding and accommodation have been the ground realities. The people learned new arts and sciences of life from each other; took many things of value from one and gave their own to the other. Such a togetherness has been a great spur to the development of a race and a civilization, which is called ‘Indian’. The fabric of society which was woven with diverse strands over thousands of years was, however, torn into shreds during the British rule by instilling intolerance in the communities.