A Podcast and Two Books
Yes, my blog subjects seem to be confusing, and blame my amateurism for not being able to come up with a better substitute. These are unrelated subjects — but I am sure both the takeaways are related to history: one which has already shaped history forever, and the other which has all the potential to shape it in the future.
Okay, back to the genre I like to keep exploring — a learning curve which I would like to go up: history and geopolitics.
In a world of social media reels and an instant, unverified knowledge pool, I intend to stick to books. A lot of them, if ever I could. There is so much to read, and Kindle has been my friend and, more importantly, a guide.
Without any hesitation, lately I have been a fan of Hourly History — precise and simple. The absence of jargon and exhaustive pages has been a delight for a novice reader like me.
Even while I walk in the morning, which I do almost every day, barring Sundays, I prefer to listen to podcasts which shed light on current geopolitical scenarios and happenings around the world. I tend to listen to Shekhar Gupta’s Cut the Clutter without a miss.
Before coming to the book I just finished in barely two days, I would like to discuss the recent tripartite agreement between Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.
My views are based on what I fathomed while listening to Shekhar’s recent podcast this morning on the agreement.
Shekhar, aptly and with reasoning, rates the insecurity level of these countries on a scale of 10: Pakistan — 5, Saudi Arabia — 10, and Turkey — 0.
So, the agreement says an attack on one is an attack on all, like NATO.
I will now come to why the rating differs and what reactions it will provoke in India.
Saudi Arabia, at 10, on multiple fronts — Iran, the Houthis, and internal issues.
Even its defence budget is a staggering $75+ billion. Yet it has not been able to establish an internal and independent structure to help itself. According to Shekhar, this is due to the lack of combat experience, plus a non-inclination to fight.
So, once the US-based security umbrella faltered amidst the West Asia war, the Saudis needed something else.
Thus, the alliance.
Turkey does not have any immediate adversaries as such, but its hegemonic ambitions have never been fully subsided for this beautiful country.
Iran, again, is the main adversary, and Iran hinders Turkey’s ambitions.
Economically, Turkey is not doing that great. The Turkish lira has been on a fall, and inflation is soaring.
So, who better than Saudi Arabia, while making sure its own interests and ambitions remain in place?
Thus, the alliance.
Pakistan, no wonder, rents its army to Saudi Arabia. Forever in debt, it needs everything.
Since its creation, its geography and base have been up for sale — you pay the price, and I am for everything.
Pakistan is peculiar. And most importantly, it’s a nuclear power.
Nothing is permanent here — neither its leaders, nor its friends, nor its enemies.
Who better than Saudi Arabia to lend some dollars, and Turkey some armour?
Pakistan scores here: diplomatic clout, plus an alliance to fall back on in dire situations.
Coming to India, it will never attack unless it is provoked — so Shekhar rates the insecurity level at 5.
But everything Pakistan (read Pakistan’s establishment, a.k.a. Pakistan Army) does — remember, this is to maintain its own superiority. And how?
One simple way — provoke India.
And also to show its own public what great things it can do.
Thus, the alliance.
So, what should India do?
Not worry, but surely, it provokes a thought to counterbalance.
Remember, Saudi Arabia’s interest is not something recent but deep-rooted.
How about an alliance with Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE?
Or,
Based on a discussion with one of my acquaintances: just wait and muster your punches — no knee-jerk reaction needed.
Build the muscle and flex it later — keep your wars and conflicts limited. And ensure the world has enough space to accommodate our interests.
2 books — history
Partition of India
The Opium Wars: A History from Beginning to End
Pocket-sized books — available on Kindle Unlimited subscription for free. Finished in a couple of days.
Book no. 11 and 12 for me in 2026.
Partition of India, as we all know, was one of the most dreadful journeys India has ever endured.
The colonial antipathy and the hurried decision-making of the British resulted in mass killings. Till days after the Partition, the actual boundaries were a secret to the people of India — such was the insensitiveness.
Blame World War II. Britain had devastating effects on its economy and manpower, and this was one of the main reasons why the repressive colonial power had to grant independence to India and a few other countries.
Interestingly, President Roosevelt was not comfortable joining hands with Britain to fight fascism when Britain still was occupying India.
Churchill denied it, stating he would not preside over the liquidation of the Empire — such was the importance of the subcontinent for the survival and strength of the colonial power.
However, post-war, in 1945, Churchill lost the elections to the Labour Party, which was opposed to colonialism and which also, in a way, hastened the process of independence for India.
When 2 million Indian soldiers fought alongside the British in the war, they were exposed to foreign continents and developed a sense of what was possible — that had many questions to be answered!
The stage was set for a final act.
And then came the last Viceroy, Mountbatten. He had an interest in a naval career, so he had to finish his job early in India so that he could follow his father!
When Radcliffe arrived in India, he clearly proposed a solution for the demarcation of boundaries, with a time frame of one year — he was given five weeks!
The Mountbatten Plan, on June 3, 1947, was put into execution on the ground.
The postal systems, police, border controls, taxes, railroads — all these had to be prepared and defined in weeks.
Catastrophe was certain. And millions would be dead, displaced, and orphaned.
There was grandiosity everywhere. At midnight on 14 August 1947, the self-aggrandising decorations were made from Britain, like: “It is inspiring to think that all this has been achieved by means of peaceful change” — except peace was completely absent. Chaos was omnipresent.
Massacre and violence — no one was spared: Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs.
The troop structure was much thinner owing to the withdrawal of the Britishers — law and control were a far-fetched reality.
A newly formed nation looked hopelessly at anarchy and unchecked violence.
Such was the despondency setting in.
People lost all of their possessions, more importantly, their homes. They were refugees in a nation which just a night ago they called their own.
Squalor was abundant, as were epidemics like cholera and typhoid.
One of the survivors, when recounting the horror, states: “It is not just that you lose your home or husband. You lose the ability to ever understand what happened.”
Approximately 1 million died as refugees, whereas some statistics refer to figures exceeding 3 million.
This is a quick read — just 50 pages — and aptly covers the important dates and events.
It’s a nice read and a reminder not to forget the cruelty and insensitiveness of the occupying forces — let’s not take freedom for granted!
2nd one — The Opium Wars
A shame and a blot on British 19th-century imperialism — though this is not the only one.
Worth mentioning here, this piece of history helped to shape East Asia’s leaning and resolve for the times to come.
An intruder forced a country to accept the sale of opium, even if it was disastrous to the interests of the invaded region.
And how?
By waging a war with advanced weaponry and a sophisticated naval power.
It all started with the EIC — East India Company — when the Queen granted a charter to the company to trade between Britain, India, and Asia.
The joy plant (coined by Mesopotamia), or opium, quickly became a business for the EIC as it exported from India to Britain.
It worked like a miracle, from diarrhoea to depression — though it didn’t take much time to discover the devastating addiction and notable problems.
In 1868, a Pharmacy Act was enacted in Britain. This dwindled the company’s revenues.
So, these exports found another destination: China.
Thanks to the Dutch, who had already introduced opium to China in the 18th century.
So, the route was established — it served Britain in two ways: one, to balance the trade deficit, and two, to avoid the dwindling profits for the company.
China used to have a huge trade surplus with Britain via exports of porcelain, tea, and silk in particular.
And why not take advantage of the business opportunities that opened up?
America also joined in by buying opium in Turkey and importing it into China.
Edicts were in place in China to ban opium, but with little effect.
The Emperor of China had to take some action. He sent his representative, and several laws were enacted — opium sales were banned, foreign trade was banned — thus culminating in the conflicts of the First Opium War in the 1840s.
Go ahead and read this slice of history to know what transpired through this series of events and how imperialism knew no bounds to enforce immoral actions on a foreign country.
I am sure this experience shaped China’s modern history in some way and helped to build today’s China.
A 100-pager on Kindle is your gateway to the Opium Wars of the 19th century.
Please note my takeaways are solely based on my understanding of the books & the podcast.