Sub-continental drift

A 'deep natural history' of the Indian subcontinent will reorient the way you see the land

More than 15 years ago a friend lent me his copy of the Song of the Dodo by David Quammen. Written in 1996, it is a brilliantly crafted book on the evolution of life and reads like a whodunnit on a planetary scale. Its scope and the author’s intellect and felicity with language enthralled me. It resuscitated my interest in the sciences and natural history that had been dulled by years of science education in schools.
 
Last week, I felt a somewhat similar elation and excitement when I began reading Pranay Lal’s Indica. The book is, as the author