Long History Short with Ranjit

Ep3: Ashok - A Legacy in Stone

The first in a series of episodes that will take you through the journey of Ashok, his edicts, and the philosophy that he desired to blend into his ruling style. In this episode, you will know why Ashok matters, what kind of edicts he issued, and how the edicts are classified in history. The next episodes will take you through his political background, the circumstances that forced him to change, and the contents of the edicts. There will be some shorter episodes that would also tackle some of the interesting stories associated with Ashok and his edicts.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ranjit-pawar6/message

Ep 1: The Rakhigarhi Genome

This episode gives you a brief idea of the contents of the Rakhigarhi report published in Sep'19, and the controversies surrounding it. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ranjit-pawar6/message

Ep4: Ashok - The legend of Ashokavadan

In this brand new episode, meet the Ashok of the ancient Indian legend - Ashokavadan - written sometime in the 2nd or 3rd century CE. This legend tells of Ashok's transformation from a cruel version of 'Chandashok' to the pious image of 'Dharamashok'. This episode will tell you why, and how he undergoes this transformation. But even more importantly, it will show you how legends create larger-than-life images of their heroes and their purposes. Written in the 2nd-4th century CE, the Ashokavadan carries that image of Ashok which had survived for nearly 500 years after Ashok's death. Most of the sculptures in Sanchi and other Buddhist sites are inspired by the stories of the Ashokavadan, and the larger collection of stories, Divyavadan, that it is part of.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ranjit-pawar6/message

Ep 07: Ashok - The Edict of Peace (or not?)

In this episode, continue to explore Ashokan edicts, with a special focus on the edict that made Ashok and Indian culture synonymous with peace across the world. But did it truly reflect Ashok's commitment to peace or a brilliant political tactic? Listen to some theories and form your own view !  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ranjit-pawar6/message

Ep6: Ashok - The early edicts of Ashok

Listen to the edicts of Ashok that give a first person account of his own ideas about following the path of change. The minor edict presented in Ashok's own language, of course, accompanied with a translation ! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ranjit-pawar6/message