Book Review: Revolutionaries, by Sanjeev Sanyal

 My school going daughter refuses to believe India won freedom through non-violence. “Why would the British leave, unless they were kicked out?” is the simple question which our history books fail to adequately answer. I remember that when I was in school, me and my friends faced the same question. Clearly, some pieces of the jigsaw puzzle were missing. The story was never complete, we never got to see the whole picture.

But here it is. In his latest book "Revolutionaries – The Other Story of how India won its Freedom", Sanjeev Sanyal challenges the conventional narratives and brings to light the revolutionary side of India’s freedom struggle. It is a fascinating book - fast paced, racy and thrilling, but at the same time tragic to the core. It is a story that simply needs to be told. Over and over again.

How did a group of young men and women from different backgrounds and regions come together to form a network of resistance against British rule? How did they plan and execute daring acts of sabotage or assassination? Did they succeed, and if they failed – why did they fail? What happened to them afterwards? More importantly, were these just isolated acts of individual bravado, or part of a larger gameplan to uproot The Empire from Indian soil? These are the questions Sanyal tries to answer.

The book starts somewhere in the late 19^th century. The Uprising of 1857 had been crushed, and Britain had established absolute hegemony over the Indian subcontinent. But the undercurrents of anger and dissatisfaction remained. The author starts with an overview of the political situation at that time, which provides an excellent context to the story that follows. The subsequent chapters then follow a largely chronological order and provide a seamlessly woven narrative of how the revolution unfolded. Or did it? The readers can judge for themselves.

Of course, some aspects of the revolutionary side are well known, such as the story of Veer Savarkar & the Cellular Jail, the travails of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose or the daredevilry of Shahid Bhagat Singh or Chandra Shekhar Azad. But what about the rest? What about the extraordinary life of Pandurang Khankhoje (I bet you have never heard of him)? The dedication and commitment of Sachindra Nath Sanyal. About Barin Ghosh. The heart wrenching love story of Ullaskar Dutt & Lila. The untold side of Jallianwala Bagh. The role of Japan in India’s freedom struggle. The Naval Mutiny. And a lot, lot more. There are countless stories of exceptional bravery and courage. But also, of shocking treachery and deceit. Of frightening cruelty and cunning. They are all strung together like beads in a chain. I am sure you know nothing of this, and after reading the book, you will wonder why no one told you this before. Sanyal has done us Indians a favor, and we should be eternally grateful to him for the same.

Sanyal’s simple and easy-going style makes reading the book a breeze. His personal visits to the places mentioned, and how they stand today adds the author’s personal touch to the gripping events those places witnessed a hundred years ago.

Interestingly, the book doesn’t end with India winning freedom. The author goes one step beyond the event – what happened to the revolutionaries who survived to see India win freedom? Did the country do justice to them? In fact, have we really got freedom, or the slave mentality still exists? Clearly, Sanyal has gone much farther than what an ordinary history book would normally take us to. And this makes it much more complete. For, if you study the past, you can understand the present better. The present is nothing but a continuation of the past.

Having read "The Ocean of Churn" earlier, I was keen to read the “Revolutionaries” as well. And the book did not disappoint, far bettering even my elevated expectations. Don’t miss it. 

Thank you, Mr. Sanyal.

Book Review: Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind

Why do species like ants or bees – which have been found to have orderly societies just like humans - don’t have lawyers?

That’s a bizarre question to ask, certainly not something you would have ever even thought of before. But if Yuval Noah Harari is to be believed, there’s a reason.

Of course, this book is neither about ants or bees, nor about lawyers.

"Sapiens", as the name suggests, is the story of origin of our species - the Homo Sapiens on planet Earth, and its journey to the present.

It’s a gripping story - racy and fast paced, at times shocking and controversial - narrated in brilliant style as Harari takes his readers on a tour that starts in the heavily infested forests of East Africa some 70,000 years ago and ends in the modern day laboratories where scientists are busy creating fluorescent rabbits and synthetic humans. In the process, Harari covers most of the important milestones in the history of mankind, such as the birth of language and “culture”, domestication of animals, the origins of God and religion, the spread of Empires, the origin and spread of money and the rise of agriculture, industry, science, wars and conquests.

The book is divided into 4 main parts, arranged chronologically. The first part - “The Cognitive Revolution” is the period starting roughly from 70,000 years ago when humans came out of the barbaric age and began to live like humans (so to speak!). This is the period when language was born, humans spread out of Africa and “history began”. The second part starts around 10,000 BC, when humans began to domesticate plants & animals, and formed permanent settlements. The first kingdoms began to emerge, as also written scripts and some form of money. The author calls this “The Agricultural Revolution”. The third part – “The Unification of Mankind” – is the period starting around the first millennium B.C. when large changes swept mankind. Universal money such as Gold coins were born, several large Empires established and Religion originated.

The last chapter, the longest of all – called “The Scientific Revolution” is the history of the last 500 years of the World. It’s a fascinating story – of European conquests to their East and West, of the rise of Capitalism, the Industrial Revolution, giant strides in Science and Technology, and how all of it has impacted the life on earth. This is the part I enjoyed the most.

But Harari’s book is more than just history.

In the present day world, we have become hostage to a particular way of thinking. We view our world as a logical outcome of the progress and prosperity we have achieved over the generations. Our views and opinions are shaped by the prevalent notions of what is right and what is wrong, and we all view history with the same perspective. For example, our faith in principles of justice, peace, freedom, equality, environment, democracy and several such ideologies has become unshakable. We believe in them because we think that is how things are supposed to be, that is how nature has created the world.  And anything that is in conflict with our notions is an aberration - a result of a deviant upbringing, lack of education or other such deficiencies. But is that how the world was meant to be? Are we really the homo sapiens (“Wise Man”) that we call ourselves or are we just fooling ourselves into delusion?

In Sapeins, Harari shakes up the very foundations of our thinking, busting the myths of what we think of ourselves and the way we see the world. He finds a discrepancy between our evolutionary success and individual suffering. Mankind has made progress, but has that made us happy, asks Harari. As he says, “Most history books focus on the ideas of great thinkers, the bravery of warriors, the charity of saints and the creativity of artists. They have much to tell about the weaving and unravelling of social structures, about the rise and fall of empires, about the discovery and spread of technologies. Yet, they say nothing about how all this influenced the happiness and suffering of individuals. This is the biggest lacuna in our understanding of history. We had better start filling it.”

And that is what the book does, raising more questions than it answers. Did we really benefit out of the growth of agriculture, or was it – as Harari calls it – History’s Biggest Fraud? Have the modern day luxuries made us happy, or have they left us craving for more? Are all humans really equal, or is it a myth we propagate because it makes us more politically correct? Is history working for the benefit of mankind, or had we been better off had the dice rolled differently at some point in the past? Harari leaves us with many provocative questions that we will be at pains to answer. 

One may not agree with everything he says, but Harari certainly makes one think. For that reason alone, this book is worth a read.

India awaits freedom

History has it that Kamsa was a cruel and unjust ruler of Mathura. Kamsa was greedy and cunning, and imprisoned his father Ugrasena to become the King of Mathura by deceit. Kamsa aspired to rule the world, and his frequent war mongering left the peace loving people of Mathura harassed and exploited. When he learnt that the eighth son of his sister Devaki & Vasudev would kill him, Kamsa imprisoned them both and killed each of their children as soon as it was born.

But the eighth son, Krishna, survived.

It is said that when Krishna was born, the doors of the prison where Devaki & Vasudev were kept opened automatically, and the guards fell into a hypnotic sleep. It was midnight and raining heavily, but a Sheshnag appeared from nowhere and protected Baby Krishna from the heavy rain. The raging Yamuna calmed down almost by magic, and made way for Vasudev to pass to the other side of the overflowing river. For the next few years, as Krishna grew up in Gokula, Kamsa spent all his time searching for Krishna. He lost his appetite and slept poorly at night. He could see his dream of conquering the world fade away. He got obsessed with the thought of killing Krishna, but all his attempts to assassinate Krishna went in vain. The poisonous Putana could cause no harm, and Trinavarta, the ‘whirlwind’ demon was blown away. Arishta, Keshi, Kaliya and many others fell like ninepins before the might and magic of Krishna. Krishna was unstoppable, Krishna was unbeatable. Krishna was the Supreme Being.

Krishna was an idea whose time had come.

Today, five thousand years later, India again awaits an idea whose time has come.

Fort Raigad - worth a visit

Chhatrapati Shivaji can undoubtedly be counted as one of the greatest kings of India. Starting with conquering Fort Torna at the tender age of 16, Shivaji took on the combined might of the Mughals of Agra and the Adilshah and the Nizams who ruled the Deccan Plateau. His daring exploits, such as the stunning escape from captivity from Agra in a box carrying mithai, to the conquest of the dreaded Afzal Khan, far taller and stouter than him, in hand to hand combat can easily fit into a Bollywood storyline. At its peak, Shivaji’s rule covered parts of the Deccan plateau, and extended South to modern day Karnataka and spread as far as Jinji and Vellore in today's Tamil Nadu. Shivaji was recognized not just for his brilliant battlefield tactics, but also for his extraordinary benevolence. Stories of his generosity and large-heartedness have been documented by several people, including foreign travelers who passed through India during his time. Shivaji’s conquests laid the foundations of the Maratha Empire, which the Peshwas eventually extended from Panipat in the North (today’s Haryana) to Tanjore in the South (Tamil Nadu).

The ropeway has made it easier to visit the Fort

I recently visited Fort Raigad, the seat of Shivaji’s power where he was coronated in 1673. The Fort is at a distance of around 200 km from Mumbai, a 5 hour drive on the Mumbai – Goa Highway. Located in the midst of the towering Sahyadris, at a height of around 2700 feet above sea level, Raigad makes for an outstanding weekend gateway for the tired Mumbaikar. You can take your car right upto the foot of the mountain, from where a private ropeway carries you to the Fort in a few minutes.

Architectural photographers will love the place

The main Fort, spread across an area of almost 100 acres is now largely in ruins. You can hire Government empanelled tourist guides, who parrot their prepared text and take you through the important places of tourist interest. Among these are the palaces of Shivaji’s six (of the seven) queens, the durbar, the granary which also doubled as a prisoner’s cell, and the main bazaar. A grand statue of Shivaji, erected in recent times, serves as the perfect background for the customary photo op session. At one end of the fort is a Shiva temple. Shivaji’s samadhi, where he was cremated on his untimely death in 1680 lies next to the temple. Its almost ordinary façade tells its own story, one of governmental neglect and lost tourist potential. The more adventurous can walk across to places like the Hirkani buruj or the Takmak tok (point) to get a glimpse of surrounding mountains. On your return, you can dump the ropeway and even walk down the 1500-odd stairs to view the main entrance to the Fort.

From the Fort, you get an extraordinary view of the surrounding valleys and mountain ranges. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has a few rooms for overnight stay, and in fact, this is what makes the place worth your visit. For, the best time to visit the Fort is from dusk to dawn! When the sun begins to set, the day tourists have gone back, and cool breeze begins to set in. As it gets dark, you can listen to the wind, watch the stars and simply amaze at the pitch dark sky!

The fort gives you an excellent view of the Sahyadri Mountains

Magical moments - around the sunset & the sunrise