Press Release

HarperCollins to Publish ‘Revolutionaries’ by Sanjeev Sanyal

is proud to announce the upcoming release of

REVOLUTIONARIES

The Other Story of How India Won Its Freedom

SANJEEV SANYAL

RELEASING IN INDIA ON 10 JANUARY 2023

The history of India’s struggle for freedom is usually told from the perspective of the non-violent movement. Yet, the story of armed resistance to colonial occupation is just as important. Names such as Vinayak Savarkar, Aurobindo Ghosh, Rashbehari Bose, Bagha Jatin, Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Subhas Chandra Bose are still widely remembered. Their story is almost always presented as acts of individual heroism and not as part of a wider movement that had any overarching strategy or significant impact on the overall struggle for Independence.

In reality, the revolutionaries were part of a large network that sustained armed resistance against the British Empire for half a century. They not only created a wide network inside India but also established nodes in Britain, France, Thailand, Germany, Persia, Russia, Italy, Ireland, the United States, Japan and Singapore. At various points, they received official support and recognition from the governments of some of these countries. Even the internal dynamics of the Indian National Congress of the time cannot be understood without the revolutionaries, who enjoyed widespread support within the organization.

This was no small-scale movement of naive individual heroism but one that involved a large number of extraordinary young men and women who were connected in multiple ways to each other and to the evolving events of their times.

Revolutionaries tells their story, one that is replete with swashbuckling adventure, intrigue, espionage, incredible bravery, diabolical treachery and shockingly unpredictable twists of fate.

 

Bande Matram

According to the author, “Most Indians may be aware of Rashbehari Bose, Chandrashekar Azad, Bismil, Sachin Sanyal, Bhagat Singh, Savarkar, Sri Aurobindo and Netaji – but they are often seen as brave individuals who carried out sporadic acts of defiance against British colonial rule. This is not true. They were all part of a well-connected and sustained movement that kept up armed resistance against the world’s largest empire for half a century – and succeeded! Yet, this true story is rarely told – indeed, some would argue, actively suppressed.” 

Sanjeev Sanyal’s new book focuses on the armed struggle against the British that offset the largely non-violent independence movement in India. It is a captivating read, a real-life thriller that tells the fascinating stories of some well-remembered krantikaris, and a few forgotten ones as well. We at HarperCollins are really excited to bring Revolutionaries to readers everywhere this January.” Says Udayan Mitra, Executive Publisher, HarperCollins.  

According to Swati Chopra, Associate Publisher, HarperCollins, “In Revolutionaries, Sanjeev Sanyal has masterfully reconstructed and brilliantly narrated the ‘revolutionary’ aspect of India’s freedom movement. Rich in detail and compelling in narration, Revolutionaries brings to life, many for the first time, true stories of bravery, patriotism and the sheer audacity of generations of revolutionaries who lived and died for their dream of a free India. In doing so, Sanyal brings into the mainstream historical narrative names that might have till now languished in the margins, and thus broadens our understanding of the true scale of India’s struggle for independence from colonial rule.”

Cellular Jail

Aurobindo Ghose (right) with Bipin Chandra Pal at Uttarpara, April 1908

Meeting of Nationalists at Surat in Dec 1907. Tilak addressing the gathering.

About the author: 

Sanjeev Sanyal is a writer, economist and urbanist. He grew up in Kolkata and attended Delhi University before going on to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He then spent two decades in international financial markets, where he became the managing director and global strategist of Europe’s largest bank. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2010. While living in Singapore, he also took up the study of cities and was awarded the Eisenhower Fellowship for his work on urban dynamics. In 2017, he joined the Indian government as the principal economic adviser. He became a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic advisory council in 2022. He has represented India in many international forums, including as co-chair of the Framework 

Working Group of G20 for five years. His bestselling books include Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India’s Geography, The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History and Life over Two Beers. 

*** 

For further information and queries, please write to: 

Aman Arora at aman.arora@harpercollins.co.in 

 

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