A Historical Masterpiece with Geographical Accuracy

Book: A Town under the Lake

Author: Abhyudita Gautam Singha

Publisher: Notion Press

Pages: 52

Price: ₹235

Book Reviewer: Dr. Shivani Chaudhary

As far as our foray into the realms of the past is concerned, most of the history books objectify the events of the past that we might want to know stories about. Geography books describe the landscape that we objectively look at from an information point of view. Neither history books nor Geography books will tell you as much about a place as local guides. Abhyudita Gautam Singha’s ‘A Town under the Lake’ serves the same purpose. It tells you the history that history books wouldn’t tell you and it links the geography of the place with emotions and stories of its people – not only the rulers but also shepherds like ‘Innocent Mohana’ who was hanged for a crime that he had not committed.

Singha’s ‘A Town under the Lake’ is a treasure trove of emotions about hometown. A mix of research, art, history, geography, political scene, culture, and literature lay bare the engagement of generations in the making of this book. It offers a priceless contrast between then and now. Every detail arrests attention and interest. It’s a dive into the history of Bilaspur Town through the Kehloor Kingdom, Vedic Vyaspur, and New Bilaspur Township. It gives you a glimpse of the old Bilaspur Town through folksongs and rare, captivating pictures of the days of yore. The pictures soothe the mind tired from the modern-day ennui. The grandeur of Kehloor state and the details of places like Luhnu ground and Saandu ground in the book make the history come alive in the reader’s mind.

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The book takes you back to a lost era and evokes feelings of nostalgia while not deviating from the accuracy of substantiated historic facts. It is interesting to learn how the geopolitical evolution of Bilaspur occurred over several centuries. In the name of advancements, humans tend to harm life and property. The book foregrounds a similar episode through the damage done by the construction of the Bhakhra dam in Bilaspur town. The doleful tales of the people who lost their town while the dam was constructed reverberate through the book. With them got drowned a culture that could have nourished many generations. An interesting feature of the book is folk songs in the vernacular which evoke a strong image of what people spoke and felt about their beloved town.

Singha in her book offers through words and pictures a geopolitical panorama of the transition that the town Bilaspur in the hills of Himachal Pradesh underwent. There is poignant imagery of a once-inhabited town. The old Bilaspur Town, situated under the current Bilaspur Town, got submerged into the water when the Bhakhra dam was constructed over river Satluj in 1960. The seasonal Govind Sagar lake,  thus constructed, is a mystery pool that holds beneath it the secrets of the submerged town. When its level goes down in summers, it exposes the remains of the lost, old town bringing back the memories of lost homes, friends, and good times. If you want to have a glimpse of how the old town looked and what it has been replaced with, you’ll have to go through the book.

Unconventional in its format and design, the mix-genre text is appropriate for the digital-age readers and also the young readers who have a sense of loss of connection with their roots. It is a handy informative book about the history and culture of the town. Grasping it is as easy as turning its pages, yet its impact on the reader’s mind is colossal. It, at once, establishes the reader’s touch with their identity and place of belonging. It is exemplary in its approach to evoke in writers a desire to write about the place they belong to.

If you are an avid reader or a writer who thinks out of the box or a creative person or a reader concerned with new genres and styles or someone who escapes reading history books but wants an interesting glimpse into it through pictures, or someone who loves stories and folksongs, or someone who wants to understand belongingness to culture, the book is a must-read for you!