| The Proudest Day - India's Long Road to Independence
(1998)
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| Front Cover |
Book Details |
|
| Genre |
Non-Fiction |
| Subject |
India - History - British occupation, 1765-1947 |
| Publication Date |
4/1/1998 |
| Format |
Hardcover (9.8
x
6.5
mm)
|
| Publisher |
W W Norton & Co Inc |
| Language |
English |
|
|
| Description |
| On the fiftieth anniversary of the independence of India and Pakistan comes this riveting account of the end of the Raj, the most romantic of all the great empires.In 1835, Lord Macaulay, in his Minute on Indian Education, had prophesied that the eventual self-rule of India would be "the proudest day in British history". Yet when independence came on the stroke of midnight of August 14, 1947, events unfolded with a violence that shocked the world: entire trainloads of Muslim and Hindu refugees were slaughtered on their flight to safety -- not by the British, but by each other. Macaulay's dream had become a flawed and bloody reality.On paper, it could be remembered as an orderly retreat, a model of organization and civilized behavior; Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy, described his breathtaking gallop to divide and quit as a personal triumph. But how justified are those extravagant claims? |
| Personal Details |
| Store |
AbeBooks |
| Purchase Price |
$4.53 |
| Acquire Date |
3/31/2018 |
| Condition |
Very Good/Good |
| Rating |
0 |
| Links |
Library of Congress
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|
| Product Details |
| LoC Classification |
DS479 .R38 1998 |
| Dewey |
954.03 |
| ISBN |
9780393045949 |
| Edition |
1st American ed. |
| Cover Price |
$35.00 |
| No. of Pages |
565 |
| First Edition |
No |
| Rare |
No |
|
| Notes/Review |
Some time ago I asked many of my Indian friends to recommend a book about 20th century Indian history. I got a lot of suggestions, but none exactly fit with my requests. The common theme of the recommendations was that they centered on Indian independence. After a fair amount of back-and-forth, I settled on this book. I have read other works by Read and Fisher and found them worthwhile.
This book essentially tells the history of the British Raj, with a particular focus on the issue of independence. What were the attitudes of the British leaders, who were the major Indian political figures, and how did they all interact. After a short prologue (telling of the Amritsar massacre), the text starts with the arrival of the British and within a hundred pages or so we come to the 20th century. This leaves roughly four hundred pages to tell the story of independence. The book ends rather abruptly with the day of independence, providing only a short epilogue about the violence of partition and telling us the fates of some of the main actors.
I knew almost nothing about this history. I knew, roughly, about Gandhi and Nehru and had heard of Mountbatten. But I'd never heard of any of the others. I assume this is a fairly even telling of the story; the authors don't seem to favor any particular viewpoint, showing us the good as well as the bad. And so, my opinion of Gandhi has changed. I'd seen the Ben Kingsley movie, which borders on hagiography. Of course, he was a just a man and had his faults. I now see Nehru as the key figure.
An additional note: It's obvious to me now, but wasn't when I began reading. This must also be the story of the formation of Pakistan. It's impossible to tell about India's independence without delving into Pakistan. "Twins separated at birth" is a poor way to phrase it, but it gives the idea.
After reading this book, I have a much better grasp of Indian history. But for me it's just a starting point. I will certainly dig deeper. |
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