This book is a quest for tracing down the rich and multifaceted cultural link between India and Tajikistan that remained hidden in the dusty pages of history while flowing through the ages. It appeared as a time travel while tracing down the Indo-Tajik cultural linkages, that are still alive, yet forgotten or unknown and unnoticed in the common knowledge. In fact, the research often needed to address the larger geo-cultural space from South Asia to Central Asia while rediscovering the Indo-Tajik cultural linkages through different art forms.This book largely represents the image of India or 'Hinduston' (local pronunciation in Tajikistan) from the Tajik intellectual and cultural point of view and aspires to contribute an Indian angle towards this multifaceted cultural dialogue as a continuous process. This is further a conscious attempt from Indian perspective, to debunk the common prejudice and misconception about Central Asia, as a difficult neighbour.
Nandini Bhattacharya teaches History in Calcutta Girls' College, Kolkata. She received her PhD from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and her dissertation was published as a book titled, Dueling Isms: Soviet and Regional Identity in Central Asia, in 2007. Ever since then she remained fascinated towards her research interest in the history, culture and identity politics of Central Asia in general and Tajikistan in particular. Some of her recent research articles on various aspects of Tajik culture, including painting, musicology, films, religion and gender issues, have been published in well acclaimed volumes, journals and encyclopaedias.
