Penguin Random House India's Struggle For Independence: 1857-1947 - Softcover

Bipan, Chandra

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140107819 ISBN 13: 9780140107814

Publisher: Penguin, 1989

Synopsis

Designed for ardent history enthusiasts, India's Struggle For Independence is one of the most exhaustive and precise account of the struggle of Indian Independence ever written in the literary world. Written and edited by five expert authors, it presents a detailed outlook on one of the most important periods in Indian history. The facts and details provided in this book have been gathered from oral and written sources, and various other primary sources have been used along with years of intense research. Written with a very concise approach, it is a one of a kind book that details the intricacies of the Indian Independence struggle. The struggle for Indian Independence took a long time and was something that affected the whole country. Every state in the country boasted of some kind of revolt minor or major during this period. Numerous revolutionaries throughout the country came together in their efforts to fight against the British rule and set their country free. Few of the chapters in the book are The Fight to Secure Press Freedom, Foundation of the Congress: The Myth, World War I and Indian Nationalism: The Ghadar, An Economic Critique of Colonialism, Peasant Movements and Uprisings after 1857, The Non-Cooperation Movement 1920-1922, The Gathering Storm-1927-1929, Civil Rebellions and Tribal Uprisings, and many more. India's Struggle For Independence takes the reader on a journey across India as she was craving for her Independence. This book starts at the very first revolt of 1857 under the guidance of Mangal Pandey, from Rani Lakshmi Bai s innate passion to free her country, Subhash Chandra Bose s unmatched charisma and aggressive tactics, to Mahatma Gandhi s famous civil disobedience and non-cooperation movement, to the final victory in 1947 when the British Raj finally came to an end. The book reflects a coherent narrative as it incorporates the existing historiographical advances and yet provides an utterly new and clear view of this period in Indian history.

About this title

Review:

read it cover to cover. In the midway I realized that it is truly a pro-congress or pro-nationalist book. But, then also I proceeded. There are times, when it tries to justify the stand of Congress on critical matters. A reader must read it with this 'bias' in mind of authors because as already been said by others that most of the authors are from JNU and in some way or other are associated with different government institutions. However, it is a good read in terms of it's style of presenting history. In fact, one can easily find that history is not merely about memorizing the dates, it is more about seeing the undercurrent of thoughts which were determinant in making that date historical. So in all, I would suggest it is for a mature reader not an amateur one. --Gyan Vikas Feb 15, 2012

an extract from the book goes "the end of 1907 brought another political trend to the fore. the impatient young men of bengal took to the path of individual heroism and revolutionary terrorism( a term we use without any pejorative meaning and for want for another term). I for one am at a loss as to how a renowned group of 5 historians are not able to find a proper term for our freedom fighters. well let me suggest some - "radical extremists", "ultra extremists" and i am sure that if these wont fit one can easily come up with a little more reverent term than "revolutionary terrorism" interestingly in the chapter on freedom of press the authors mention how people from press were forced to write their content in such a way as to not incur the wrath of the administration. it seems to me that this particular term has been used just as the Britishers would use it albeit a bit mildly( by using revolutionary terrorism instead of flatly terrorism) and with an apology (that stands exposed). Penguin is a UK company. this statement seems to me a devise to flatter the publishers (present generation who most probably revere their colonial past) --Asim Dagar

A fantastic book which takes you to the journey of the past. The minute detail of the past has been taken into consideration. highly recommended for UPSC exams. you wont feel as though you are reading for exam sake as it makes you so curious to know more and more. this book makes you so knowledgeable of the past you'll realise when You study it thoroughly and look into the previous question papers of IAS and say "I can answer this". A great book and A great experience!!! --kavya adiga Mar 15, 2012

About the Author:

Bipan Chandra is an Indian author, and historian, who is an expert in political history and economics. He has authored numerous other books including Communalism: A Primer, The Epic Struggle, Freedom Struggle and many more. He has taught at the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has been associated with the University Grants Commission of New Delhi and been the Chairperson of the Centre for Historical Studies, JNU. Dr. Mridula Mukherjee is an award-winning author who works with the Centre for Historical Studies at JNU. Her other books include Colonialising Agriculture, Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, etc. She was the Director of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. Aditya Mukherjee s other books include Imperialism, Nationalism And The Making Of The Indian Capitalist Class, and Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, etc. Sucheta Mahajan s other book are Independence and Partition and RSS, School Texts And The Murder Of Mahatma Gandhi. K N Panikkar is a famous Indian historian and author. His other famous books are Colonialism, Culture and Resistance, Globalization and Higher Education in India, Emerging Trends in Higher Education, etc. His name is largely associated with the "Marxist school". He has taught at both University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0140107819
• ISBN 13: 9780140107814
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 600