Indica - A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent - Pranay Lal

20 years of research, travel, conversations, and interviews have gone into the making of this book. The book is hailed as the first definitive natural history of the Indian Subcontinent. The author begins the book with a personal note to the reader in which he discusses his love for nature. He recollects the days he has spent examining stones and logs, climbing trees, swimming in ponds. As a child and as an adult, he is excited about the ways in which nature constantly work and how everything is related to each other. He also pays homage to true scientists/researchers who are like explorers. They work tirelessly, excavating through layers of rocks and sediment. He celebrates these discoveries in this book. He starts the journey to discover the beginnings of the Earth and India at Nandi Hills in Mysore. He invites the reader to look at ‘the grey rock that glistens darkly in the rain’ He tells us that the rock belongs to the family of rocks called the Dharwar Craton which was formed 3.5 million years ago. The author then takes us around India to provide examples of different rock formations keeping the tale of how the Earth was formed as a background. His passion for geology is quite evident when he says that if we take a train from Bengaluru to Jammu, more than the 2700 kilometres that we may cover, it is the 3 million years of Earth’s history that we will uncover - just by simply looking out of the window. The book with its 15 chapters has beautiful illustrations and detailed maps to complement the narrative.