Shiva as Lord of the Dance, ca C10/11

Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, Kate S. Buckingham Fund, 1965.1130

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11417

I begin with a disclaimer: I have very little direct experience of the subcontinent. Now that may seem an odd way to introduce a course which I am offering, but stay with me.

Why the disclaimer? After all, I’ve had little direct experience of Cistercian monasticism (my original academic specialism), but I’ve happily offered many courses on that without feeling the need to point out that I’ve never taken holy orders! Well… when I was first talked into offering a history of India in my WEA days, I instantly felt overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of the subject. The very many Indias that have existed - and still exist to this day – initially seemed too daunting a task for a non-specialist. And yet the more overwhelmed I felt, the more fascinated I became … and the more determined to have faith in my historical training in order to get to grips with this complex web of intriguing histories. Those who attended the resultant course declared it to be my best in years.

And yet it’s still taken me some time to venture back and remake my personal ‘passage to India’. But everything has its time, and now is the time for this!

Here, then, is a history of India from Mohenjo Daro to Mahatma Gandhi. Along the way we’ll get to know the Sultantate of Delhi, the Great Moguls, and the British Raj. The course will also introduce the history and scriptures of Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and other religions. But it’s not just going to be about the empires and kingdoms of the north; we shall not neglect India’s south – especially the dazzling Chola.

Join us for a very very colourful journey!

RJW F2603 Online course (via Zoom)

10 weeks, Wednesday 14 January - Wednesday 25 March (incl., with half-term break on 18 February)

£120 (individual registration); £216 (for two people sharing one screen).