Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 06:54am on 14 Oct 2025,Tuesday India Global
Historian William Dalrymple argues in his new book 'The Golden Road' that ancient India's pivotal role in shaping global civilization has been overlooked for centuries. Speaking to Fareed Zakaria on CNN, Dalrymple described India as "the cultural superpower of Asia," whose influence through Buddhism and Hinduism shaped over half the world's current population. Sanskrit united Asia like Latin did Europe between 200 BCE and 1200 AD. Indian mathematician Aryabhatta introduced zero and place value, enabling modern mathematics and computing. Dalrymple noted India's historical trade dominance, with most Roman coins found in India and Sri Lanka. He predicts India will become a top-three global economy by century's end.
