Mohan Peggy. Wanderers, Kings, Merchants: The Story of India through Its Languages

Penguin Viking. 2021. — 352 p. — ISBN-10 0670093688; ISBN-13 978-0670093687.One of India's most incredible and enviable cultural aspects is that every Indian is bilingual, if not multilingual. Delving into the fascinating early history of South Asia, this original book reveals how migration, both external and internal, has shaped all Indians from ancient times. Through a first-of-its-kind and incisive study of languages, such as the story of early Sanskrit, the rise of Urdu, language formation in the North-east, it presents the astounding argument that all Indians are of mixed origins. It explores the surprising rise of English after Independence and how it may be endangering India's native languages.