Shobha Karandlaje

About the The author made a noble attempt to look at the incidents of 1857 from the Indian point of view. A leading revolutionary himself, he was attracted and inspired by the burning zeal, the heroism, bravery, suffering and tragic fate of the leaders of the Sepoy Mutiny. Most historians, British as well as Indian have described and dismissed the rising of 1857 as a ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ or at best ‘The Indian Mutiny’. But the Indian revolutionaries on the other hand, and national minded leaders and thinkers have regarded it as a planned and organized political and military rising aimed at destroying the British power in India. The writer decided to reinterpret the story and to relate it in full with the help of all the material available at that time. Apart from the splendid merits of the subject matter dealt with in the warlit pages of this history of this book, the story of the thrilling vicissitudes through this book had to pass does by itself entitle it to be placed in any world class library or any heart of the student of history. About the Vinayak Damodar, commonly known as Swatantryaveer Savarkar or simply Veer Savarkar in Marathi language, was an Indian independence activist and politician who formulated the Hindu nationalist philosophy of Hindutva. He was a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha. As a response to the Muslim League, Savarkar joined the Hindu Mahasabha and popularized the term Hindutva (Hinduness), previously coined by Chandranath Basu, to create a collective "Hindu" identity as an essence of Bharat (India). Savarkar was an atheist and also a pragmatic practitioner of Hindu philosophy. The Title 'The Indian War Of Independence 1857 written/authored/edited by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar', published in the year 2020. The ISBN 9789353245399 i

Veer Savarkar was the first man who called the mutiny of 1857 ‘A War of Independence’. Until his time, no Indian had dared to say so. The martyrs of 1857 are really fortunate that they got such a historian to tell their history who himself was both a historian and a creator of history. At times, we visualise Veer Savarkar coloured in the red colour of that revolution, as if he himself was present on the battlefield and participated in the heroic war. At other times, we see him patiently analyse the strengths and weaknesses of both sides-why the mutineers lost and why the British won. The way he analyses the politico-military aspects of the revolution shows his wisdom as a youth of 26 years. The Indian War of Independence, 1857, is a step by step account of the uprising of Indian Hindus and Muslims against the ruthless British rulers. Tracing footsteps of the barefooted, undernourished and almost unarmed Indian masses challenging the British bullets by the sheer force of their will power, the author establishes beyond an iota of doubt that the uprising was a War of Independence and not a mere Sepoy Mutiny as dubbed by the British. Some glaring truths about this book: This book became the Bible for Indian revolutionaries. The book was proscribed by the British Government before its publication. The book was smuggled into India and England after it was published in Holland. The demand for this book was so enormous that it used to be sold and resold at the stupendous price of Rs. 300 (in 1910).

It is estimated that the origins of the “Bhagavad-gita”, a 700 verse Hindu scripture which is part of the larger “Mahabharata” was originally composed as early as the 9th century BC. Ascribed to the Sage Vyasa, the “Bhagavad-gita” is a classic work of Hindu scripture which relates the story of Prince Arjuna who is faced with a decision with serious moral consequence, whether or not to go to war. With the armies arrayed on the battlefield, Arjuna in a moment of hesitation is counseled by Vishnu, the Supreme God, who takes the form of Krishna wearing the disguise of a charioteer. This work along with its larger counterpart the “Mahabharata” has been described as one of the most important works of scripture ever composed. A classic tale of Hindu spirituality, the “Bhagavad-gita” provides great insight into dealing with the morally ambiguous challenges that face us all. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper has been translated into English prose with an introduction by Kashinath Trimbak Telang.