What made Abhishek Chakrabartiwant to write about the lesser-known freedom fighters and the hidden parts of India’s independence story?
My interest in India’s freedom struggle began in 10th standard, but the coursework felt incomplete. The focus was heavily on the Indian National Congress’s mass movements, all of which ended inconclusively, leaving the British in control. Even after World War II, Britain showed no intent to leave India. I kept wondering what truly compelled them to quit within two years of the war’s end. In February 2005, I read Ami Subhas Bolchi by Sailesh Dey, which revealed Subhas Chandra Bose’s activities (1920–1945) and Bengal’s revolutionary movements (1912–1945). Delving deeper into its references, I uncovered the continuous build-up of armed revolutionary actions from the late 1870s to 1946, including uprisings within the colonial armed forces—events largely erased from mainstream history after independence. To bridge this gap, I decided to write a concise yet analytical account of the armed revolution’s role in India’s freedom struggle.
How did you find reliable information about these forgotten heroes, especially when there isn’t much written about them? Did you hit any dead ends or come across anything unexpected?
Reliable information about these forgotten events is relatively rare and often contradictory (since these type of activities involved utmost secrecy). The accounts left by the revolutionaries, books written by eminent persons long back (many of which are out of print for long) and online sources (though these of information needed a lot of fact checking too) had to be consulted.
There were a number of dead ends, like persons about whom proper information was unavailable, poorly documented events, contradictory information about some matters, etc. Most of these had to be abandoned and only properly referenced matter was incorporated.
How did you make sure your book stayed true to history while still being interesting to read?
Maintaining authencity is the most important point about any non-fiction book. I have tried to document each and every fact with proper reference(s) only. I would request my readers to contact me on the mail id provided in the book [email protected] to inform me about any factual errors with the proper reference(s).
To keep the matter interesting I had tried to keep it as brief as possible (while taking care not to skip any important event as well) and to place the facts in such a manner that the readers can connect the dots easily and develop their own opinions about the subject.
Were there any stories you found but didn’t include in the book? Why did you leave them out?
I have not included the details of Anglo-Mysore, Anglo-Maratha or the Anglo-Sikh wars, and have even addressed the Great Revolt of 1857 in a perfunctory manner. My reason is quite clear; the wars between the regional Indian powers with the British EIC can hardly qualify as the struggle of common Indians against foreign rule since they had some State powers in their hands and could maintain armed forces of their own to defend their territories against foreign incursions. The point of my book is to portray how the common Indians rose up against the British rule.
As I had mentioned before I had to leave aside some events that were apparently important but lacked the appropriate reference(s).
How do you decide when it’s okay to question well-known versions of history? Where do you draw the line between offering a new view and changing facts?
The widely taught, official version of India’s freedom struggle is familiar to most, yet I am far from alone in finding it incomplete. To connect with like-minded individuals, I chose to pursue this work—my debut effort—with the hope that those seeking a deeper understanding of history will benefit from it. This book aims to expose the significant gaps long concealed beneath the polished narrative presented by the Establishment. While mainstream political activities are included where relevant, their shortcomings are critically highlighted. Two chapters, in particular, offer deeper insight: Chapter 6 explores the many facets of the revolutionary way of life, while Chapter 8 provides a detailed evaluation of revolutionary activities, weighing their varied successes and failures. It also draws lessons for future generations, encouraging a more nuanced appreciation of the role of armed resistance in the broader struggle for independence.
Was it difficult to write a book that challenges the usual way people look at India’s freedom struggle?
It is quite obvious considering the facts that firstly the information available is relatively scarce and somewhat disjointed and secondly there are few takers of the alternate views because the standard version has been deeply engraved in the minds of a few generations of Indians. Moreover the most difficult part was to establish the notion that these chapters of history were removed from public view in a planned manner by stating the relevant facts, some of which did not come in public view until the declassification of certain files by the Government of India in the last few years.
What’s your take on the role of beliefs and ideologies — both in the events you wrote about and in your own writing?
I care little about political ideologies and all sorts of –isms unless and until they can merge into nationalism and patriotism. I tried my best to document the annals of bravery, discipline, selfless sacrifice and utmost loyalty to ones Motherland that had been shown by the revolutionaries during their struggle against the mightiest empire of the world of their times. It is time that these heroes are given the respect they deserve and their deeds should inspire the future generations to put their nation before self and work hard to take our Motherland to newer heights of progress in all fields so that the dreams of their may come true.
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