It's natural to want to know where you come from. But the answer to that question goes beyond your parents or grandparents. With the aid of today's science and technology, as well as the wealth of historical and anthropological information available, discovering your roots can become a profound journey into the distant past.

After seeing the ancestry results of his DNA analysis, author David Mahal was drawn to research further into his Indian subcontinent roots. What he discovered was a rich history of people from diverse cultures, languages, and religions that, for all their differences, are still genetically linked.

Mirroring his multifaceted subject matter, Before India is a fascinating, well-researched amalgamation of genres-part genealogical guide, part ethnic history, part science exposé-that draws a more holistic picture of ancestry by combining these varied insights. Exploring topics such as the origin of our planet and human evolution, as well as how DNA analysis is used to trace deep ancestry, this distinctive guide provides both a robust explanation of genealogy and penetrating insight into India's colorful tapestry of unique ethnic groups.

While this easy-to-read text is a particularly perfect launching point for people whose ancestry ties them to the Indian subcontinent, any reader will benefit from Mahal's thorough suggestions on how to trace your lineage to an ancestral group going back thousands of years.

The book includes a research study of the ancestral origins of several key ethnic communities in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, along with some communities of Indian and Pakistani origin in Singapore, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom.