Dear Prof. Paturi,
I beg to differ. You said
I can say with certainty that ancient India was never imagined during or later to the independence movement, either by the educated Indians or by the common public as an India without wars or without harsh punishments or without harsh ways of crime control etc.
A few years ago, I had the honour to attend a private dinner with one of India's ambassadors to a European country, together with his lady wife. During the dinner conversation, Madam Ambassador insisted that there had never been any conflict in ancient India, that India was a land of peace and harmony and always had been. I mentioned several wars in pre-modern India, but she contradicted me. I hardly knew what to say, so I stuttered, "what about the arrival of Islam?" She said, "when the Muslims arrived, we welcomed them with open arms as our brothers." Her husband did not contradict her.
I do not know what history books this distinguished lady had at school, and she was not a scholar. It doesn't matter really. But she stands as a clear example of a point of view that certainly exists in the minds of some people, regardless of social station.
Best,
Dominik