Frontlist Books | Independence Day special: 8 books to read on India's freedom struggle

Frontlist Books | Independence Day special: 8 books to read on India's freedom struggle
on Aug 10, 2020

Throughout our schooling years, we’ve been taught about the history of Indian, especially Indian Independence during our History classes. While we had to mug up everything from Gandhi’s Quit India Movement to Nehru’s Independence Day speech in order to get good marks, we forgot to re-think, question and appreciate everything that our leaders and freedom fighters did during those years to fight against the British rule. This Independence Day, re-visit those crucial moments of our culture, our past and our historic struggle for freedom with the help of these books. 10 Freedom at Midnight by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins: This book chronicles the events around Indian independence and partition in 1947-48, beginning with the appointment of Lord Mountbatten of Burma as the last viceroy of British India, and ending with the death and funeral of Mahatma Gandhi. BUY HERE for 29% discount at Rs. 729/- 10 The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru: This was written by India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru during his imprisonment in 1942–1946 at Ahmednagar fort in Maharashtra by the British during the British Raj before the independence of India. Nehru uses his knowledge of the Upanishads, Vedas, and textbooks on ancient history to introduce to the reader the development of India from the Indus Valley Civilization, through the changes in socio-political scenario every foreign invader brought, to the present day conditions. BUY HERE for a 39% discount at Rs. 423/- 10 Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh: Published in 1956, this historical novel recounts the events of the partition of India in 1947, through the perspective of Mano Majra, a fictional border village. Train to Pakistan is the story of this isolated village that is plunged into the abyss of religious hate. It is also the story of a Sikh boy and a Muslim girl whose love endured and transcends the ravages of war. BUY HERE for 38% discount at Rs. 153/- 10 India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha: Indian historian Ramachandra Guha retells the story of the Indian nation after it gained independence from the British Empire. It was chosen as the Book of the Year by The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and Outlook, among others. The book also won Sahitya Akademi Award (one of the highest literary honours in India) for English in 2011. BUY HERE for a 29% discount at Rs. 565/- 10 The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor: Shashi Tharoor has masterfully recast the two-thousand-year-old epic The Mahabharata with fictionalized - but highly recognizable - events and characters from twentieth-century Indian politics. Blending history and myth to chronicle the Indian struggle for freedom and independence, Tharoor directs his hilarious and often outrageous satire as much against Indian foibles and failings as against the bumblings of the British rulers. BUY HERE for a 25% discount at Rs. 371/- 10 Remnants of a Separation by Aanchal Malhotra: Remnants of a Separation is a unique attempt to revisit the Partition through objects that refugees carried with them across the border. Written as a crossover between history and anthropology, this book is the product of years of passionate research. It is an alternative history of the Partition - the first and only one told through material memory. BUY HERE for 18% discount at Rs. 486/- 10 A Passage to India by E. M. Forster: This novel is set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement. Based on Forster's experiences in India, this book was included in Time magazine’s All Time 100 Novels list. BUY HERE for Rs. 399/- 10 Indian Summer by Alex Von Tunzelmann: This book re-creates of one of the key moments of twentieth-century history: the partition and independence of India, and the final days of the Raj. BUY HERE for 18% discount at Rs. 491/-