Quick and Concise: Indian Currency : The History of Value, Trust and Civilization by Mehak Sejwal [Paperback]

Did You Know?

• In Latin, the word pecus means 'cattle’, and from it was derived pecunia, meaning 'money' or 'wealth’. The term later gave birth to pecuniary.
• Akbar introduced poetry into his coins.

• During the East India Company days, money accepted in one presidency could require conversion in another.

Money makes the world go round, but how has money travelled this far? Explore with this primer the rich and layered history of Indian money from the early barter system to the digital age of UPI and cryptocurrency.

Read about unique mediums of exchange, such as the gaupucch (yes, you guessed it right, a cow's tail!) and cowries. Learn about punch-marked and Indo-Greek coins, Gupta-age innovations, regional, sultanate and colonial currency systems, decimalization, demonetization and so on. This book drills down into how money reflects authority, trade, belief and innovation as a dynamic mirror of India's identity – from pre-coinage days to the digital wallets of today.

This latest volume of the Quick and Concise series offers a multidisciplinary narrative of coinage, drawing on historical, economic, artistic, religious, cultural and technological perspectives.