Bringing history alive

 

 

 

Reading a good history book enriches the reader with information hitherto unknown or only vaguely known, and retained and remembered equally vaguely. The Ghadar Movement, subtitled A Forgotten Movement, by Rana Preet Gill, is such a book. And much more. Inspired by Tilak, Savarkar, Madam Cama, and Shyamji Krishnavarma among others, the Ghadar Movement was conceived in 1913 by Lala Har Dayal, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Sohan Bhakna, Harnam Singh Tundilat, and other Indians - immigrants in the United States of America.

 

The book is a recounted tale of one of the movements - the Ghadar Movement - of our nation’s struggle for Independence that began in 1857. The author is a seasoned columnist and has written three novels and a book of middles before this. Some points need to be mentioned forthwith. First and foremost is that it is a history book - pure history and no fictionalisation of history. The second thing to be remembered is the fact that the author is not a student of history. Her formal learning of history in the conventional sense didn’t last beyond high school. For the trained veterinary doctor that the author is, how much effort must have gone into the research required for this book can only be imagined. What the reader realises after reading and savouring this engrossing and unputdownable book, which is replete with a vast amount of references, is that to write a meaningful book, your passion and effort for the subject decide the final outcome.

 

The book begins with a chapter titled “Bombay, Bengal and Punjab Under British Rule” and describes the circumstances of the Indian subcontinent and the beginning of British treachery after the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Describing the crippling poverty and very harsh taxation of the times, it goes on to describe the exodus of Indians, especially from Punjab, of moving abroad to improve one’s economic lot. Men who engaged in the Ghadar Movement find a detailed description under individual names. Shyamaji Krishnavarma is the first historical figure so described. How many of us have heard this name, I have not.

 

I did not know much about him before I read this book by Dr Gill. Vinayak Damodar Savarkar is next. So are several more figures describd in the book. The author’s description of the revolutionaries is non-judgemental and done as a matter of fact. Others mentioned in the book are Madam Bhikaji Rustom Cama, Ramnath Puri, Taraknath Das, Abdul Hafiz Mohammad Barakatullah “Bhopali”, Kartar Singh Sarabha, Darirsi Chenchiah, Jatinder Nath Lahiri, and Vishnu Ganesh Pingle.

 

The list is long but the details and descriptions are very pertinent, informative, and most of the time poignant too. Lala Hardayal finds mention in greater detail, and purposefully so, as he is considered to be the main protagonist of the Ghadar Movement as it came to be known. To know about the revolutionary in Hardayal, to understand his unique personality and genius, one needs to read this book.

 

The failed mission of the ship Kama Gata Maru, the struggles of those who moved to shores abroad in an effort to improve their lot evoke feelings of empathy. That a struggle could be started from places far away from the homeland to unshackle from British rule, to throw away the yoke that was strangulating, is testament to the idea of freedom and to the sacrifices that were made, especially in places like Cellular Jail of Port Blair in the Andamans. It is a story of human resilience as also of how cruel and inhuman rulers can turn out to be to suppress such struggles. All this finds a mention here, as it should be in a history book.

 

Why struggle failed to achieve Independence, what happened to the “Ghadarites”, and the contribution of women in this struggle are well described. Rana Preet Gill has come out as a master storyteller with a history book which will rate very high on any readability index. Transition from chapter to chapter is seamless, the contents are enlightening and fully referenced. It is a collector’s book that should be read by every serious reader as also by those who want to know more about our nation’s struggle for Independence. This book will remain a standard reference to the Ghadar Movement. An e-book is also available. The production quality is flawless. (The author is Ex-Professor of Medicine, Dr Rajendra Prasad Govt Medical College, Kangra at Tanda) ■