Book explores heroic exploits of Lachit Barphukan, other bravehearts

(New Delhi, Nov 23, 2022) Lachit Barphukan was a master tactician and war strategist whose military zeal infused a sense of immense responsibility in his army, says a new book on the Ahom general of Assam who led his force to victory over a numerically larger and superior Mughal army.

In his book Bravehearts of Bharat: Vignettes from Indian History, historian Vikram Sampath profiles 15 unsung heroes and heroines of India from varied time spans who fought to uphold the tradition and culture of their land.

The book comes at a time when the 400th birth anniversary of Lachit is being celebrated in the national capital from November 23 to 25 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi slated to attend the valedictory function.

In the chapter on Barphukan, the author describes how Assam’s “man of destiny” stood up to be counted and to create history for himself and his clan.

Sampath also goes on to give a brief overview of the Ahom kingdom, which, he says, was highly regimented in its structure.

The Barphukan was the military and civil commander of the Ahom army.

Assam was invaded several times by the Delhi Sultanate up to the 16th century, but this met with no success. The inhospitable and inaccessible terrain, and the warrior spirit of the people who fiercely guarded their independence enabled them to maintain their dogged resistance against all attacks.

By December 1636, Kamrup was occupied by the Mughals. According to the Treaty of Asurar Ali, enacted in 1639 CE between the Ahom general Momai Tamuli Borbarua and the Mughal commander Allah Yar Khan, the whole of western Assam, beginning Guwahati, passed into Mughal hands.

A most humiliating treaty was concluded in January 1663 at Ghilajhari Ghat according to which the Ahoms were forced to give up western Assam to the Mughals.

But there was a revival after Chakradhwaj Singha became the king.

Lachit, born in 1622 CE, was the youngest son of Momai Tamuli Borbarua. He was first made the Soladhara Barua, the scarfbearer of the king, a position akin to that of a private secretary.

In due course, Lachit also held various positions like Ghora Barua (in charge of the royal stable), commander of Simalugarh Fort and later the Dolaksharia Barua (Superintendent of the Royal Household Guards) to Maharaja Chakradwaj Singha.

During Mir Jumla’s invasion, Lachit had engaged in his limited capacity with the enemy at Dikhowmukh and earned considerable success.

Sampath cites an anecdote of a test that Lachit underwent before being formally anointed as the Barphukan.

Lachit was asked to present himself in the royal court before the king, and as he knelt before him, in a planned move, an attendant rushed from behind and snatched away Lachit’s headgear.

“This was, and still is, considered as a grave affront to a man’s dignity and self-respect, in Assamese traditions. The king wanted to check Lachit’s sense of self-worth and his reflexes. The young man leapt from his knees, unsheathed his sword and rushed to cut off the head of the errant attendant, who had by now safely plonked himself at the king’s feet seeking his shelter.

“The king was deeply satisfied by this act and he formally installed Lachit as his general and Barphukan, presenting him a gold-hafted sword and the customary paraphernalia of regal distinction,” the book, published by Penguin India, says.

The author also mentions that among those engaged by Lachit was a person named Bagh Hazarika, whose real name was Ismail Siddique.

“The Ahom spies had managed to render several of the Mughal cannon as unworthy by filling water in their muzzles. This was led by one Bagh Hazarika, whose real name was Ismail Siddique, and so called because he had once killed a tiger barehanded. When the Ahoms attacked, the Mughals realized to their horror that their cannons were all rendered utterly useless,” he writes.

Sampath describes Lachit’s win over the numerically larger and superior Mughal army in the battle of Saraighat as “one of the greatest and most historic military victories”.

Vikram Sampath chronicles stories of 15 unsung bravehearts

(New Delhi, Nov 6, 2022) Historian Vikram Sampath brings to the fore stories of courage, resistance and bravery of 15 unsung heroes and heroines of India from varied time spans in his new book.

Bravehearts of Bharat: Vignettes from Indian History profiles lost heroes who fought to uphold the tradition and culture of their land including Rajarshi Bhagyachandra Jai Singh (Manipur), Lalitaditya Muktapida (Kashmir), Chand Bibi (Ahmednagar) and Lachit Barphukan (Assam).

The book, published by Penguin India, also talks about Begum Hazrat Mahal (Awadh), Rani Abbakka Chowta (Ullal), Martanda Varma (Travancore), Rani Rudrama Devi (Warangal), Rani Naiki Devi (Gujarat) and Banda Singh Bahadur among others who not only donned an armour and burst into the battlefield but also kept the flame of hope alive under adverse circumstances.

According to Sampath, a “glaring loophole in the way popular Indian historiography exists, especially the one that is taught to our future generations in schools and colleges, is that it is heavily tilted towards Delhi”.

The popular historical narratives about ‘regional history’ terming the stories coming from different parts of India as being ‘regional’ alludes to there being a mainstream, central theme and everything that does not fall within that rubric is merely ‘regional’, he says.

“Vast swathes of this land seem to have been completely ignored even as a child learns about the most obsolete and short-lived dynasties that ruled in and around Delhi – the Tughlaqs, or Lodhis or Khiljis, whose substantial and lasting contribution to this country, beyond a few pieces of architecture, could well be considered as largely minimal,” he writes.

Sampath, however, hastens to add that it is not his argument to “excise anyone from the historical narrative of the country as we cannot wish away our past; the coverage needs to be inclusive of all regions and commensurate with the importance and contribution of individual dynasties and rulers to the story of Bharat”.

Bharat, therefore, needs to snatch back the narrative of her history from Delhi, reclaim it and narrate the stories of large parts of the country that have largely remained untold and therefore unknown for a long time, he writes.

Bengaluru-based Sampath has authored books like Splendours of Royal Mysore: The Untold Story of the Wodeyars; My Name Is Gauhar Jaan: The Life and Times of a Musician; Voice of the Veena: S Balachander: A Biography; Women of the Records and Indian Classical Music and the Gramophone: 1900-1930 among others.

The author rues that there are only fleeting references to the dynasties of the southern part of India like the Rashtrakutas, the Chalukyas, the Satavahanas, the mighty Cholas, the Pandyas, the prosperous Vijayanagara Empire, the Adil Shahis of the Deccan, the Wodeyars of Mysore or the rulers of Travancore, among others.

The eastern belts of Odisha and Bengal – the Gajapati Empire of the Bhoi dynasty, the Palas, the Senas or the Nawabs of Bengal and Murshidabad, or their histories, seldom feature. Similarly, and sadly, the history of the north-east of India is a forgotten and therefore, a mostly ignored blackhole, he writes.

Sampath asserts that the history of India is not merely a long litany of dynasties that have ruled various regions and across time spans but encompasses several aspects of social and cultural life and the voice of the subaltern.

“If such an argument holds, then we must altogether do away with the narration of kingly tales and confine ourselves to people’s stories alone.

“But when we selectively portray in detail the deeds and exploits of certain dynasties confined to limited geographical expanses of the country, quite incommensurate to their importance in history, much to the detriment of several others from other regions, the argument of ‘people’s history’ automatically falls flat,” he writes.

The stories of rulers and the ruled from all parts of this vast nation need to find a rightful place in a chronicle that goes by the name of the ‘history of India’, he says.

Now, a digital book camp to beat lockdown blues

(New Delhi, Apr 6, 2020) In a bid to engage children during the lockdown, Penguin India has started a month-long digital summer camp in which its authors will curate talks, masterclasses, read-aloud sessions and do-it-yourself activities.

The #StayHappy initiative is through the channel of GurgaonMoms, a women’s community in the NCR.

“With outdoor activities suspended and everyone being advised to stay in, parents are facing a challenge to keep children meaningfully engaged. Amid all this, we initiated the idea of #StayHappy to bring cheer and quality content to our readers,” says Preeti Chaturvedi, vice president (marketing and strategic alliances) at Penguin Random House India.

“Over a period of one month, our authors will curate talks, masterclasses, read-aloud sessions and DIY activities through the channel of GurgaonMoms. We have an impressive line-up in place and hope our readers will enjoy this initiative,” she adds.

Upasana Luthra, director of GurgaonMoms Book Club, says there could not have been a better way to utilise screen time more fruitfully than this idea of a book camp.

“We are looking forward to many more on a diverse range of topics. Esha Deol among the speakers addressed us and we were so thrilled to see her share her story with us,” she says.

Deol in a video shared her journey of motherhood, as documented in her book Amma Mia and how one should stay safe.

Says Deol about the initiative, “Parents and kids are dealing with a unique challenge right now and I thought this will be a great opportunity to connect with them and share my own challenges and experiences as a parent, which I also document in my book.”

Other names include popular authors Ruskin Bond, Jane DeSouza, fitness expert Deanne Panday and spiritual guide Sri M.

Book explores Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s exploits, his downfall

(New Delhi, Apr 25, 2018) A new book tells the story of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan, who hailed from a farming family and went on to become the head of a quasi-religious sect before law caught up with him and put him in jail.

Once known for his flamboyant lifestyle, revered as a god by lakhs of followers, and someone with powerful political connections, Gurmeet is now known as qaidi (prisoner) number 1997 by his fellow inmates in Rohtak jail, writes Anurag Tripathi in Dera Sacha Sauda and Gurmeet Ram Rahim: A Decade-long Investigation.

The book stems from Tripathi’s journalistic investigation that began in 2007 into the reported criminal activities at the Dera Saccha Sauda, headed by Gurmeet.

The story of Gurmeet’s rise allegedly involved gory murders, sexual exploitation, forced castrations, private militias, illegal trade in arms and opium, and land grab at an untold scale, the book, published by Penguin, says.

Tripathi argues that unlike the first two Dera chiefs, Gurmeet’s philosophy was far from spiritual and it was oriented from the beginning towards the acquisition and accumulation of power.

He says in order to fund his grandiose plans of setting up an exploitative empire, the Dera chief began manipulating the minds of his followers.

“He started telling them that if they desired to connect directly with the supreme power, they had to show a willingness to give away their worldly possessions to the Dera, including donating their lands. Many who fell prey to this blindly signed sales deeds in favour of the Dera at throwaway rates,” he says.

The Dera, in turn, sold these lands at a premium and used the money to buy more land in Sirsa, he adds.

Then as his wealth grew, Gurmeet thought of raising a private army to protect his empire.

“In early 2000, the Dera chief discussed the idea with some army veterans who were Dera followers. A blueprint was made and recruitment for the purpose began,” the book says.

“The Dera’s militia had three wings. The inner wing was to closely guard Gurmeet and was handpicked by the trainers. The wing’s responsibility was to steer the chief away from the site during an eventuality.

“The second wing was to provide external cover while the Dera chief was shifted to a safe base in case of a crisis. The outer wing was to monitor every corner of the Dera premises and not let anyone in during a crisis,” it says.

When Aarushi judge’s son typed first few pages of judgement!

(New Delhi, Jul 7, 2015) While preparing the judgement in the Aarushi-Hemraj double murder case, special CBI judge had to bank on his lawyer son’s typing skills as he had difficulty in finding a steno who can type in English.

This and several other tidbits related to the murder mystery that shook the nation find mention in a new book Aarushi by Avirook Sen.

The book goes beyond the murder trial and is a commentary on how justice and investigation are carried out in India. It is based on the trials and interviews the author had with various people related to the case.

On November 25, 2013, judge Shyam Lal held Aarushi’s parents Deepak and Nupur Talwar guilty. They were sentenced to life imprisonment the next day. They are now in Dasna jail in Uttar Pradesh. Their appeal is pending in the Allahabad High Court.

When the author asked the now-retired judge how long it takes to write a page, he answered, “One page? Ten minutes, maximum. Only ten minutes.”

“Lal’s lawyer son Ashutosh, then added, ‘But the situation was different in the Aarushi case…We had to use some good words in the judgement … We have to go through that page again and again, so there is no mistake. So it took some time’,” the book says.

“Ashutosh continued: ‘The difficulty was finding a typist. Because, you know, in Ghaziabad all typists are for Hindi only. Only one or two stenos are there who can type the judgements in English. We had to make special arrangements. In fact I was the one who typed the beginning personally. First ten pages’,” it says.

The judgement was 210 pages and it took more than to month to write.

“I took this information in, and did my best to appear deadpan. Because the facts were these: Judge Shyam Lal pronounced his judgement on November 25, 2013. Tanveer Ahmed Mir, counsel for the defence, began his final arguments on October 24. Over the next two weeks he would argue on a total of 24 circumstances that he felt should lead to acquittal.

“Seven of these were major points. As Judge Shyam Lal and his son sat down to write the judgement, Mir (the Talwars’ lawyer Tanveer Ahmed Mir) had not even begun. The Talwars and Mir had their own stenographer-related problems and would submit the arguments in writing only around 10 November. (Their typist was also a kabab seller who had got busy with his food business in the festive season.),” the book, published by Penguin, says.

“At each hearing Judge Shyam Lal would urge Mir to do two things: wrap up quickly and submit the written arguments. As Mir soldiered on, neither he nor the Talwars would have known the fruitlessness of their exercise. Ashutosh was right, the guilty verdict was already being worked on. Shyam Lal after a brief while mumbled: ‘No, no . . . about a fortnight, not a month.’

“But by then, his son had given too many details away: his trip to Ghaziabad, that he typed out the first ten pages himself as they tried to make special arrangements for a typist, the requirement for ‘good words’ which took time,” the author says.

According to Sen, the defence arguments were not fully heard and there were glitches in the CBI investigations in the case. He also claims that there might have been tutoring and possible blackmail of some key witnesses.

The book is divided into three parts – the investigation, the trial and the Dasna diaries, which speak of the Talwars’ lives in jail.

Parents not getting 24-hr electricity Kalam’s greatest regret

Zafri Mudasser Nofil

(New Delhi, Jul 2, 2015) For former President A P J Abdul Kalam, the greatest regret in life was not being able to provide facilities like 24-hour electricity to his parents during their lifetime.

Kalam, who says he inherited honesty and self-discipline from his parents, however, is happy that his 99-year-old brother A P J M Maraikayar is getting 24-hour electricity at his residence in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, thanks to technology.

“My father (Jainulabudeen) lived 103 years and my mother (Ashiamma) 93 years. My brother now is 99. For my brother I have ensured that he gets 24 hours of electricity even when there is a power cut. I have installed a solar panel,” 83-year-old Kalam, who was India’s 11th President from 2002-2007, told PTI in an interview.

“But I could not provide such a facility to my parents as technology was not there at that time. This is my biggest regret,” he says.

Being youngest in the family, Kalam had a special place in his home. When he was school there used to be no electricity. His house was lit by a kerosene lamp that too between 7 and 9 PM.

His mother, however, specially gave him a small kerosene lamp so that he can study up to 11 PM.

He has come up with a new book Reignited: Scientific Pathways to a Brighter Future, co-authored by his close aide Srijan Pal Singh in which provides several nuggets of his life besides advice for young people on careers in areas like robotics, aeronautics, neurosciences, pathology, paleontology and material sciences.

Kalam and Singh have been working together for nine years, travelling, meeting children and interacting with them.

Reignited: Scientific Pathways to a Brighter Future, published by Penguin Books, is the result of these interactions the authors had with students, teachers, professors and other people across India and abroad.

In the book, the authors urge children to “find your own little events and turn them into pillars of inspiration so you can find a new fire within yourself. This fire will ignite new ideas, new purposes and new faculties within you and enable you to achieve greatness.”

Kalam, who was conferred with the Bharat Ratna in 1997, says that scarcity was the biggest challenge during his childhood but his parents never showed that they had difficulty in managing things.

“Ours was a unique home. My parents were always willing to share whatever they had. They never used to express any difficulty they had,” he says.

Kalam, who was fascinated by stories of war when he was in school, says he visualises a world of prosperity without poverty, good living and clean environment and is promoting the concept of ‘liveable planet’ along with Singh.

According to Kalam, one of the most distinguished scientists of the country, great people of the world have four unique qualities – high aim, continuously acquiring knowledge, hard work and not afraid of problems.

A great advocator of real-time learning, he advises parents to have a small library in their homes with a minimum of 10 books to develop reading habit among children.

“Wherever I go, I recommend parents that they should have a small library in their homes and keep not much but 10 good books – books on religion and great people. Whenever the children return from school, the parents should read a few pages of these books to them. This is a good way of transforming children as they will always carry with them this knowledge,” he says.

Asked how, he wants himself to be remembered as, Kalam says, “As a person who can give in whatever way he can”.

People running the show shouldn’t write history books: Kalam

Zafri Mudasser Nofil

(New Delhi, Jun 28, 2015) The controversy over rewriting of history textbooks notwithstanding, former President A P J Abdul Kalam says fair research is needed in this regard and any such rework attempt should not be made by “people running the show” but by people of academic excellence.

He is also of the view that value-based education and proper parenting can help in curbing crime by juveniles.

“History books were mostly written by the rulers who ruled this country. So one must do research, fair research, and find what had historically happened,” he says.

“Books must be well researched and properly written. They should not be written by people who are running the show but by people of academic excellence,” the 83-year-old Kalam, who was India’s 11th President from 2002-2007, told PTI in an interview.

He, however, feels that books related to science and technology need to be updated frequently as new information is “coming everyday”.

“Science and technology has made great progress. A few decades ago, no one knew about Internet. But now we have to add that. Now a new type of communication is coming – 95 Ghz W band. So the syllabus has to be updated as technology changes, methodology changes,” Kalam, who was conferred with Bharat Ratna in 1997, says.

He has come up with a new book Reignited: Scientific Pathways to a Brighter Future, co-authored by his close aide Srijan Pal Singh. The book provides several nuggets of his life besides advice for young people on careers in areas like robotics, aeronautics, neurosciences, pathology, paleontology and material sciences.

On curbing crime by juveniles, he says value-based primary education, good parenting and knowledge from teachers are very important.

Kalam says that the biggest challenge for the scientific community is earthquake prediction. For this, an integrated team of geologists, material scientists, physicists, and remote sensing satellite experts, rock formation experts and oil exploration experts has to be formed.

“Research has to be done using multiple parameters. It has to be a combination of geology, physics, chemistry, mathematics and information technology,” he says.

“This is a big challenge. But going by the damage caused by earthquakes, research is very much essential. A multi-nation effort is required,” Kalam says.

Kalam, who came from a poor background, worked as a newspaper boy to complement his father’s income. He had some great teachers, who he remembers fondly. One of them, Sivasubramania Iyer, he says, gave him an aim in life.

“One day, the topic of discussion in our class of 65 was ‘how birds fly’. He (Iyer) went to the blackboard and drew a sketch of a bird with a tail, wings and head and explained how a bird flew.

“The same day he took us to the Rameswaram seashore where we saw dozens of seabirds flying. My teacher said, ‘Look how the birds are flapping their wings, now see how they change direction using their wings and tail. What is the locomotive force behind this flight – it is the life energy of the bird’.”

The teacher told the students that the same principles make an aircraft fly and within an hour of the lesson, Kalam learnt how birds fly.

According to Kalam, that single lecture transformed his life and led him to make a profession out of his passion: rocket engineering and space flight.

Reignited: Scientific Pathways to a Brighter Future, published by Penguin Books, is the result of a number of interactions the authors had with students, teachers, professors and other people across India and abroad.

Corporate thriller writer Subramanian signs multi-book deal

(New Delhi, Jun 28, 2013) Corporate thriller writer Ravi Subramanian, who has penned bestsellers like The Bankster, The Incredible Banker and If God was a Banker, has inked a multi-book deal with Penguin India with the first book scheduled to hit stores in September.

In the first book, set in Mumbai, Coimbatore and Boston, he creates an impeccably researched world where everyone has a motive to kill.

“Nothing is as it seems in this cunningly vicious thriller where the plot turns on a dime. The story is based in one of the world’s best universities and is a page turner,” the publishers said.

Dubbed ‘The John Grisham of Banking’ by the Wall Street Journal, Ravi’s books have sold over half a million copies. Set in the world of high finance, his books feature a thrilling amalgamation of high intrigue, crime, corruption, sex, money and greed.

He won the Economist Crossword Popular Award for The Incredible Banker in 2011.

On his new venture, Subramanian says, “I am incredibly excited and delighted to partner with Penguin for my future publications. I am particularly looking forward to engage with readers in new, interesting and creative ways. Having grown up reading books and classics from the Penguin stable, I can’t wait to join the Penguin family.”

Says Chiki Sarkar, Publisher Penguin India, “Ravi Subramanian thrillers grip you and don’t let go and each book is even better than the last. We are extremely excited and proud to be publishing him at penguin. His fans will have a big treat ahead of them this September.”

In the first book, Cirisha Naraynan, a professor who has risen meteorically, stumbles on a cryptic message. Aditya Raisinghania, her banker husband sets up one of the most innovative financial scams in India. Her profiteering father harvests Australia’s largest bird – the Emu in India. In the midst of all this, the American elections are on and the debate on gun control has reached a fever pitch.

Celebrating power of books with Spring Fever

(New Delhi, Mar 10, 2013) Delhiites will get an opportunity to celebrate the incredible world of books through open air library, readings, conversations, launches and some fabulous music during Penguin’s Spring Fever beginning Friday.

Into its fourth edition, Spring Fever is regarded as Delhi’s first literary spring festival. Besides the open air library, the other highlights will be book reading sessions, unplugged conversations and discussions by renowned authors and eminent personalities all thorough the 10 days of the festival.

The open air library features a complete range of Penguin India books, from landmark fiction and non-fiction titles first published over a decade ago to the latest bestsellers and books, and including the entire collection of Penguin Classics and children’s books. With a spacious layout in a quiet corner away from the bustle of crowds, the open air library is regarded as a browsers paradise.

The evenings have been reserved for special events which will see the participation of the likes of Gulzar, Ruskin Bond, Mira Nair, Vikram Seth, Ramachandra Guha and Raghu Rai.

“We are delighted to present Spring Fever 2013 with a truly stellar list of programmes. For three years, Spring Fever has been an event that all readers and booklovers keenly look forward to,” says Hemali Sodhi, vice president (Marketing & Corporate Communications) at Penguin India.

“This year, Spring Fever is bigger and better than ever before, showcasing the best of Penguin’s publishing; from Vikram Seth to Shobhaa De, from Ramachandra Guha to Durjoy Datta, from Amit Mehra and Raghu Rai to Vikas Khanna and Monish Gujral, from Ruskin Bond, Sudha Murty and Prakash Iyer to Gulzar and Mira Nair,” Sodhi told PTI.

“Spring Fever is Penguin’s very own way of celebrating the power of stories, the joy of reading and the incredible world of words through the open air library, readings, conversations, book launches, previews and some fabulous music. If you love the world of books, Spring Fever is for you,” she says.

The event is organised by Penguin in collaboration with Visual Arts Gallery of India Habitat Centre.

The evening events will see Shobhaa De unplugged in “Never a Dull De”, “Mera Kuch Saamaan” in which Gulzar will read from his new collection of stories “Half a Rupee”, Mira Nair talking on her journey since Salaam Bombay in “The Global Storyteller” and master storyteller Ruskin Bond in conversation with Sudha Murty in “Friends in Small Places”.

Ramachandra Guha will do an exclusive preview of his new book Gandhi before India while “My Animals and Other Family” will feature Vikram Seth presenting and reading from his new illustrated edition of Beastly Tales from Here and There.

In “Through the Lens”, Amit Mehra will be in conversation with Raghu Rai on his book Kashmir, “The Entrepreneurial Spirit” will feature Prakash Iyer, Ankit Fadia and Kunal Bahl in conversation while in “On the Kebab Trail” Monish Gujral of Moti Mahal will talk to Sourish Bhattacharya about the fine art of making the perfect kebab.