A READING IN POPULAR HISTORY,CULTURE AND LEGENDS.
I finished reading of GADAR KE PHOOL by Amritlal Nagar a few days ago.It sent me to musing on history and particularly popular history.The title of the book is metaphoric and suggestive.Gadar literally means revolt.Among the Hindus there is a practice, when someone dies the body is consigned to flames and next day the kin of the deceased go to pick up remains of bones and ashes called 'phool'.
It leads to another question, what does 'gadar ke phool' mean?The writer believed that 1857 revolt mentions prominent persons ,places and historical accounts in the history books.However, besides these prominent persons, there were many persons who took active part in the revolt but they remained unmentioned and unsung .The epicenters of the revolt namely Kanpur, Jhansi ,Gwalior, Meerut and Lucknow appeared in the recorded history but we never know the significance of lesser known people and places.The writer went to collect details of many unsung heroes dead and alive to weave a story of 1857 in different parts of UP .He visited places like Barabanki, Shankhpur, Ayodhya, Gonda , smaller pockets of Awadh and many more places.The scattered stories, legends and hearsay which he collected after the Gadar were woven in a beautiful bunch titled GADAR KE PHOOL.
The writer quotes profusely from poets and writers in vernaculars.He cites from folk song, folk tales and oral traditions to give us notional and popular history and culture.He talks of Hindus, Muslims, Budhism and Jainism .The vignettes of social and cultural life of the people ,their zeal and unity corrects many dark circles of illusions particularly the official version that the revolt was sporadic and unplanned and it was quelled down very soon.The author gives example of Awadh and refutes this argument. He gives ample evidences to show that the revolt in Awadh was strategically organized and led.It put a brave face to the perpetrators.The author mentions unprecedented unity and harmony .He shows that how instrumental, vital and united the local people were in carrying the revolt.To the author, it was resurgence of new spirit and energy. It heralded a phase in different parts of the country which was never seen before. It is this undying spirit which kept the flames of revolt alive, even when the revolt was suppressed.I find this book not only interesting but comprehensive in approach for taking an offbeat style and approach in to looking into the context and text. The writer gives a wider spectrum
Here variations, newness, research oriented studies and accounts to fuse into a text that gives us a telescopic view of the 1857 revolt.It is tribute to many unsung heroes and heroines of the revolt and ignominious places which could have never be brought to light.
I finished reading of GADAR KE PHOOL by Amritlal Nagar a few days ago.It sent me to musing on history and particularly popular history.The title of the book is metaphoric and suggestive.Gadar literally means revolt.Among the Hindus there is a practice, when someone dies the body is consigned to flames and next day the kin of the deceased go to pick up remains of bones and ashes called 'phool'.
It leads to another question, what does 'gadar ke phool' mean?The writer believed that 1857 revolt mentions prominent persons ,places and historical accounts in the history books.However, besides these prominent persons, there were many persons who took active part in the revolt but they remained unmentioned and unsung .The epicenters of the revolt namely Kanpur, Jhansi ,Gwalior, Meerut and Lucknow appeared in the recorded history but we never know the significance of lesser known people and places.The writer went to collect details of many unsung heroes dead and alive to weave a story of 1857 in different parts of UP .He visited places like Barabanki, Shankhpur, Ayodhya, Gonda , smaller pockets of Awadh and many more places.The scattered stories, legends and hearsay which he collected after the Gadar were woven in a beautiful bunch titled GADAR KE PHOOL.
The writer quotes profusely from poets and writers in vernaculars.He cites from folk song, folk tales and oral traditions to give us notional and popular history and culture.He talks of Hindus, Muslims, Budhism and Jainism .The vignettes of social and cultural life of the people ,their zeal and unity corrects many dark circles of illusions particularly the official version that the revolt was sporadic and unplanned and it was quelled down very soon.The author gives example of Awadh and refutes this argument. He gives ample evidences to show that the revolt in Awadh was strategically organized and led.It put a brave face to the perpetrators.The author mentions unprecedented unity and harmony .He shows that how instrumental, vital and united the local people were in carrying the revolt.To the author, it was resurgence of new spirit and energy. It heralded a phase in different parts of the country which was never seen before. It is this undying spirit which kept the flames of revolt alive, even when the revolt was suppressed.I find this book not only interesting but comprehensive in approach for taking an offbeat style and approach in to looking into the context and text. The writer gives a wider spectrum
Here variations, newness, research oriented studies and accounts to fuse into a text that gives us a telescopic view of the 1857 revolt.It is tribute to many unsung heroes and heroines of the revolt and ignominious places which could have never be brought to light.
