Prabir Ghosh to Release Fifty Grey Shades from Indian History by End of July.

Prabir Ghosh has a rare mix of corporate wisdom and love for history. At 65, after spending 35 busy years working as a top-level executive in a big Indian corporate house, he decided to follow his true passion — history and literature. As a chartered accountant by profession, he always had a packed schedule, but books and stories were close to his heart. He also travelled widely across Europe, USA, Africa, and Asia in his role as Head of Global Business.

His love for writing first showed up in 2023 when he published A Small Bouquet of my Feelings, a collection of Bengali poems. This book even made it to the International Book Fair 2024 in New Delhi, which was a proud moment for him.

Previous Book on Indian History

After his poetry book, Ghosh wrote India — Glimpses of her Journey: 500000 BCE till Today. In this book, he gave readers a big, sweeping look at Indian history — not just the usual kings and battles, but also stories about society, art, science, and nature. He also paid attention to South and Eastern India, regions that don’t always get enough mention.

What to Expect in the New Book

Now, he is back with his new book, Fifty Grey Shades from Indian History, coming by the end of July. In this book, Ghosh talks about the lesser-known stories and hidden twists that most of us never hear about. While working on his earlier book, he collected many stories that did not make it in. This book is his way of sharing them with us.

The book brings to the readers FIFTY lesser known but interesting events that happened in India during a vast span of about 6000 years between 4000 BCE till 1991. Digging  into topics like how Indus Valley Civilization got lost or how ancient Indian kingdom conquered entire South East Asia to how a bhisti ruled India for a day, the true story behind the London-Calcutta bus service, the treasure hunt at Jaigarh Fort, and India’s biggest cover-up called the Marichjhapi incident. There’s even a chapter about when India almost went bankrupt — stories that sound more like thrillers than dry history lessons.

Hidden Architectural Wonders

The book doesn’t stop there. In the second section, Ghosh introduces readers to thirty lesser-known architectural wonders. We all know about Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar, but there are so many other gems across the country.

He writes about the Musical Stairs at the Airavatesvara Temple in Tanjavur, the Thousand Pillar Hall of Madurai Temple, the echo secrets at Gol Gumbaz, Rani ki Vav in Gujarat, the iron pillar in Delhi, and many more. Even places like Bada Bagh in Jaisalmer and Undavalli Caves in Andhra Pradesh make an appearance.

Stories of Ten Important Indian Cities

In the last part of the book, he shares the background stories of ten important Indian cities. These pages might make you look at familiar places in a new light and understand them better.

A Fresh Way to Look at History

With Fifty Grey Shades from Indian History, Prabir Ghosh wants to make history fun and interesting, especially for younger readers who might find the subject boring otherwise. He brings out the hidden, surprising, and even strange sides of Indian history, making it feel alive and full of color.

The book will be available by the end of July. If you enjoy stories about India’s past that you won’t find in textbooks, this one might be the perfect read for you.

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Follow Prabir Ghosh on Instagram: @prabirg59