I have talked about Francis Buchanan’s journey across Karnataka in the last couple of posts. His travelogue influenced me quite a bit. This post captures why.

Buchanan’s writing proves many things..history is never fully factual. It’s always “Ulidavaru Helidante” (as said by others). Local bureaucracy like now, had its ways of deception and selective disclosure of information. Corruption, casteism and poverty were omnipresent. Agriculture was diverse and fully organic (it had to be).  Cattle and livestock were the backbone of the economy. Trade and government policy had significant influence on land use even then. But Buchanan is interesting for personal reasons as well.