Upinder Singh

“History has always been connected with politics and identity. Historians cannot help looking at the past through the eyes of their present. But this is different from judging the past and manipulating the evidence to suit political agendas. All hypotheses are not equally valid; it is important for readers to understand the difference between historical interpretations that are grounded on sound analysis and argument, and those that are not. This requires that historians clearly explain the methods and debates of the discipline to non-specialists and students. This is one of the major aims of this book.”
― Upinder Singh, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India, From the Stone Age to the 12th Century by Upendra Singh, 2nd Edition - Pearson

“The attitude toward the forest people forms an important caveat to Ashoka's espousal of the principle of nonviolence. The fact that the warning to the forest people appears in an inscription that deals with the evils of warfare and the replacement of the goal of military victory by that of dhammic victory suggests that the armed insur- gency of the forest people posed a major political challenge to the Maurya state, one that could not be ignored even by an otherwise pacifist emperor. The king who repents on the devastation of war, declares that he has abjured it, and urges his successors to do like- wise, brandishes his power in front of the forest people and warns them to fall in line if they want to avoid his wrath.”
― Upinder Singh, Political Violence in Ancient India