The World by Simon Sebag Montefiore is a huge and wonderful book. I listen to the audiobook on long drives and it is a LOT of fun. chock full of interesting anecdotes and touching on everything from ancient Egypt to the Kennedys. There is no obvious grand plan or theory, just lots of facts and the author’s cheery interjections. I think it works very well for someone who drives a lot and is interested in history and wants to jump in at random points and listen to fun stories and interesting facts. It was so much fun that I got it on kindle as well and now read random pieces at lunch.. the book does presume some background knowledge and the more you know about the particular time period, the more fun the book is. There is no attempt at finding some sort of grand theory behind history (here it is taken for granted that it is one damn thing after another, though you could say his world weary and somewhat cynical amusement is itself a theory of life and power). These are just stories, really interesting and fascinating ones. And yes, lots and lots of sex. Simon sahib does not stint on the sexual escapades of rulers and conquerors and clearly believes that the few powerful people who did NOT have dozens of partners are the abnormal ones; normal humans who get power, want sex. Usually a lot of it.
Well worth buying and keeping and digging in whenever you feel like it.
Month: January 2025
Gana Sangha and Rajatantra in Ancient Bharat

Script for the Youtube Video:
Partition’s Impact on India’s Regional Quadrants
Partition profoundly reshaped the subcontinent’s socio-political and cultural framework. Undivided India can be thought of five main regional quadrants—Northwest (“Punjab”), North (-“United Provinces”), Northeast (“Bengal”), Central (“Bombay & Central”), and South (“Madras Province”).
The Indo-Gangetic: Fragmented Identities
Partition shattered Punjab’s cultural and linguistic cohesion, severing ties from Delhi to Peshawar. The Indo-Gangetic heartland also suffered, with mass migrations and communal violence stifling regional solidarity. Bengal’s Eastern periphery faced similar disruptions, where linguistic fragmentation replaced unity, limiting potential cross-regional influence (that’s why the 1905 Partition of Bengal was met with such outcry by the Bhadralok).
Bengal and the Northeast: Diluted Cultural Power
The partition of Bengal broke the economic synergy between Kolkata and Dhaka. Dhaka’s industrial vibrance, lost to East Pakistan, left Bengal diminished, while the Seven Sisters languished in isolation. Greater Bengal, once poised to rival the Hindi Belt, was splintered, its cultural and linguistic reach thwarted by communal, geographical & international barriers. Continue reading Partition’s Impact on India’s Regional Quadrants
Capsule Review: A History of the Muslim World
An outstanding book. Michael Cook is wiser than he lets on (ie he does not explicitly make big sweeping statements about the lessons of history, but his presentation of the facts is nonetheless based on very sophisticated and wise analysis, which may remain implicit, or he may just hint at the issue and expect that the reader will know why he brought it up exactly like this) and always worth reading.
This is a survey of all of Muslim history from the time of the prophet to the early 20th century. He covers every region and pretty much every dynasty or group that ever ruled from Morocco to Malaysia, but it is not just a recitation of facts; at every point he has interesting things to say and he has a remarkable ability to convey a lot of information in a very short passage. Still, a lot of the details can be skipped if it is not an area you are interested in.
For example, I am very interested in Indian history and I found the short (just 60 pages) section on India to be one of the most balanced and accurate summaries of the 800 years of Islamicate colonization of India and its consequences. So the book passes the Gell-Mann test with flying colors.
A must read.
Justice Sajjad Ahmed Sipra; 1936-2025
Justice Sajjad Sipra (who happens to have been my maternal uncle) passed away in Services Hospital Lahore on January 7th 2025 at the age of 88. I wanted to write a short note focused mostly on his public life, as a tribute and as a way to preserve some of his memories. His niece set up a website in his honor (https://sajjadsipra.com/ ) with several more personal memories and tributes, please do visit it to learn more about this extraordinary man. Continue reading Justice Sajjad Ahmed Sipra; 1936-2025