<p>10/ So in all these regards, the book is an absolutely essential work of history. But it also has some real flaws. ↵</p>

<p>9/ The most surprising thing about the book is probably the rise and strength of Kannada culture. The Cholas are documented well, but how many people there were inscriptions in Kannada all the way in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh? ↵</p>

<p>8/ The other is language. I learned about the strong Sanskritic culture in the South, but also the rise, especially, of Kannada (often treated like Tamil&#39;s poor cousin) from a vernacular to courtly language. ↵</p>

<p>7/ Along the way, he discusses two major cultural changes. One is the growth of Hinduism generally, and Shaivism specifically. But again, it is not a linear progression, and while the Buddhists mostly exit, the Jains do not. (Remember Shravanabelagola?) ↵</p>

<p>6/ Lords of the Deccan sweeps up almost all the kingdoms that were briefly mentioned in the books, but focuses on the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas, and the Cholas. There are many branches of each, and they keep leaving and reappearing. There&#39;s a lot to track. ↵</p>

<p>5/ But the complex history of the non-coastal areas, the Deccan, is almost nowhere in sight. All the things I could tell you about the Rashtrakutas, for instance, could have fit in a tweet. This is what Kanisetti fixes. ↵</p>

<p>4/ Of course, what I said is not *strictly* true. You do hear about the coastal kingdoms, especially the mighty Cholas. An uncharitable view is that it&#39;s safer for central curriculum writers to not irritate Tamil Nadu. ↵</p>

<p>3/ You couldn&#39;t help but notice our textbooks had two big gaps: one of space and one of time. The space is the South, and the time is the medieval period. Hundreds of years over space the size of many countries goes largely unmentioned. ↵</p>

<p>2/ Much of Indian history is the story of glorious northern civilizations and empires, and of northern invaders, pillagers, and settlers. Then the British come. Then independence. Fin. Strike up the band and roll credits. ↵</p>