National Security Vol. IV Issue I | January – March 2021

About the Issue

National security is a broad concept that goes beyond the narrow confines of military security and embraces issues related to a wide gamut of traditional and non-traditional threats. This issue of National Security is dedicated to the theme ‘India: History, Civilization and Identity’, which has a bearing on the ideological and ideational threats to national security. History is inseparably related to the making of community identity, and in modern times, to the making of the nation itself. In the Introductory Essay, guest editor to this special issue, Arpita Mitra delineates the various issues at stake when we discuss history and historiography in the context of national security in India.

In their essay, Rupendra Kumar Chattopadhyay and Arkaprava Sarkar discuss various scholarly opinions regarding the early history of the concept of Bharatavarsha—its territorial contours, political dynamics and cultural dimensions. Arvind Gupta argues in his essay that lofty Indian ideals such as Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam need to be assimilated as the basis for the emergent multilateralism, if we hope to establish a new world order of peace and harmony.

Dilip K. Chakrabarti’s article sheds light on the politics of the historiography of ancient India. He also highlights some deeply worrying trends in contemporary Indian archaeology and its implications for national security. In their article, Piyal Bhattacharya and Shreetama Chowdhury trace the journey of the ancient Indian vina or arched harp to countries like Myanmar and Cambodia, thereby demonstrating how India was the fountainhead of foundational theories upon which classical string instruments have developed in various cultures outside India. M B Rajani and Shalini Dixit’s article discusses the potential of geospatial technologies for helping us identify hidden archaeological sites, as identification is the first step towards protecting these sites from destruction due to activities like construction and so on.

This issue addresses as many dimensions as possible related to Indian history, starting from national identity to the protection of Indian heritage, that have a bearing on India’s national security.

Letters and Comments

Readers can share their views on National Security by e-mail to: the Editor, National Security. E-mail: [email protected] [2]

For more information go through submission guidelines [3]

Editor's Note [4]

Editorial Board [5]

International Editorial Advisory Board [6]

Contents: Vol. IV Issue I | January – March 2021

Essays

Rescuing the Nation from History: Implications of Indian Historiography for National Security | Arpita Mitra [7]

The Early Concept of Bharatavarsha | Rupendra Kumar Chattopadhyay & Arkaprava Sarkar [8]

Reimagining Multilateralism : The Ethos and Philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam | Arvind Gupta [9]

Articles

Nationalism in the Study of Ancient Indian History | Dilip K Chakrabarti [10]

How the Ancient Indian Vīṇā Travelled to Other Asian Countries: A Reconstruction though Scriptures, Sculptures, Paintings and Living Traditions | Piyal Bhattacharya and Shreetama Chowdhury [11]

Potential of Geospatial Technologies as a Cognitive and Spatio-visual tool for Mapping the Past | M B Rajani & Shalini Dixit [12]

Book Reviews

Kautilya’s Arthashastra: Fusion of the Philosophical and the Strategic | Kajari Kamal [13]

Comparing India and China, but not without Western biases | Abanti Bhattacharya [14]

Important Information

• The copyright of National Security rests with VIF.
• Submissions to National Security should be original and not published elsewhere or submitted for publication elsewhere. The Publication reserves the first right of refusal.
• The submissions will be peer-reviewed/refereed as well as undergo a plagiarism check.
• The Editor/Institute reserves the right to make a final decision on the publication, National Security post-review as well as the right to make alterations.
  Selected contributors will be informed of the decision to include their articles in the forthcoming Publication via email.
• If the author seeks to use an article published in National Security as part of another work, then you will need to get the requisite permission from the Publication, National Security.

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means- electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise- without the prior permission of VIF.