Tag: BritishIndia

The Hyderabad Saga: Part One

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August 1947 – India attains Independence, but at a cost. Three princely states are still posing fight, maintaining their sovereignity, refusing accession. One of these is situated in the heart of the Indian Union – Hyderabad.

There are several characters at play in this saga. The Nizam of Hyderabad, the head of an amataeur militant faction – Kasim Razvi, and the Indian Government led by Nehru and Sardar Patel. Who will prevail? How does Hyderabad ultimately accede to India and at what cost?

This is a tale of high-octane drama, theatrics, brutal politics and raging violence. The Hyderabad Saga narrates the on-ground realities and behind-the-scene politics that ultimately shaped India as the Independent Union it is today. Split in two parts, the first article traces the build-up to the violence that exploded in the months of August and Septembet 1948.

Click to know more! … Continue readingThe Hyderabad Saga: Part One

Jinnah – Beyond the Pages…

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‘Muhammad Ali Jinnah’ – a name that we know little about beyond his life as the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah’s career as a barrister and a lawyer is an extremely impressive one, and one that isn’t well-known to us.

As I wrote this article, so many details about this leader, who is now remembered as the ‘Quaid-e-Azam’ of Pakistan, came to light. From his campaigning for the creation of a secular India to his demand for the creation Pakistan, Jinnah’s life and story is a fascinating journey and makes for a riveting read!

Click on the title above to read about – “Jinnah – Beyond the Pages…” … Continue readingJinnah – Beyond the Pages…

“Kaala Pani” – A Prisoner’s Worst Nightmare

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“Kaala Pani”, the name itself sends chills down your spine, doesn’t it?
Even this spine-chilling name doesn’t do justice to the torture and harsh conditions that the prisoners here were exposed to.
Opened in 1906, the Cellular Jail (or “Kaala Pani”), is located far away from the Indian mainland on the tiny island of Andaman and Nicobar. The Jail was established to provide such extreme kind of torture to those Indians who had either murdered someone or committed a crime equally gruesome.
But even these horrifying crimes did no justice to what the prisoners here were put through. Torture, flogging, extreme exhaustion and complete destituteness of hope were a part of daily life in Kaala Pani.

Since the jail was far away from the centre of the Indian Revolution, everything that the inmates here suffered through, went unknown and unheard of.
Among the other freedom fighters who were imprisoned here, were a few well-known ones like – Vinayak Savarkar, who has a cell here named after him, his brother Babarao Savarkar and Sushil Dasgupta.
Click on the title above to read more about the horrors of Kaala Pani … Continue reading“Kaala Pani” – A Prisoner’s Worst Nightmare

BRITAIN’S WORST FAILURE – The Bengal Famine of 1943

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During the course of the 150 years that the British ruled over the Indian subcontinent, they were accused of committing several atrocities against Indians – racial discrimination, lathi charges, and the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919.
However, we tend to forget one of the worst of the lot – The Bengal Famine of 1943 which consumed the lives of around 3 million people. What is unique about this famine, is that unlike the 6 other major famines that had struck India during the reign of the British, the one in 1943, was a result of policy failure on part of Winston Churchill’s War Time Cabinet, and not natural factors.
Click on the picture above to read more about the shocking conditions that prevailed in Bengal in 1943 … Continue readingBRITAIN’S WORST FAILURE – The Bengal Famine of 1943

Anandi Gopal Joshi: India’s 1st Female Doctor

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Anandibai Joshi – a woman who was, in every sense, a brilliant one. Of all the women whom I have written about till now, the one string of familiarity that binds them all together is the fact that they were all empowered self-made women, who made a name for themselves in an otherwise male-dominated world. And so, as a part of my series – Women of the Past: Rediscovered, I bring to you a story of yet another woman who broke through the barriers of a patriarchal society and became a beacon of hope for all other women who had dreams that needed to be fulfilled – Dr. Anandi Gopal Joshi. … Continue readingAnandi Gopal Joshi: India’s 1st Female Doctor

Durga Devi Vohra – The Forgotten Revolutionary

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Date: 19th December 1928;
Location: Lahore Railway Station, British India.
A man is seen boarding a train with his wife and son, along with their servant trudging along behind. Nothing seems out of the picture, does it? Not if you knew the back story. This ‘couple’ was actually the freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Durgawati Devi and her son, along with Rajguru. Never heard the name Durgawati Devi before, have you?
She too, just like Bhagat Singh, was a freedom fighter. Click on the title above to know more about this remarkable woman, and her difficult journey as a child, mother, wife and above all, a revolutionary. … Continue readingDurga Devi Vohra – The Forgotten Revolutionary