Just finished reading Incarnations: India in Fifty Lives by Sunil Khilnani
Fascinating book that tells the history of India, from pre-history to the early aughts through 50 mini biographies.
Khilnani isn't afraid to punch sacred cows, but his love of India and it's history, and fascination with it's characters comes through clearly.
I can't rec this book as a general read. It assumes at least a certain base level knowledge of India and its history. But if you are familiar with the terms 'Mughal', 'caste', 'Rajput', and 'the Raj' you'll probably do fine.
I'll definitely keep an eye out for more of Khilnani's work, and if you are generally familiar with India's history and looking for a moderately in depth read on the past 5,000 years, this is a good place to start.