For Whose Dear Sake Our Fathers Died by Priya Hajela
After reading "The Ladies Tailor" by Priya Hajela, I was curious to read her next book, which unfolds the incidents of history in her spectacular manner. I picked up "For Whose Dear Sake Our Fathers Died," which is her attempt to bring forth the association and co-dependence between the British rulers and Sikhs. The narrative begins with a poem, which touched me:
"Teach us Delight in simple things,
And Mirth that has no bitter springs;
Forgiveness free of evil done,
And love to all men 'neath the sun!"
The raw narrative used by the author to symbolize the lives of Balwant Singh, Henry Lawrence, Jersiah Brasyer, and many more brings to light the mindset and the emotional turmoil each scenario might have occupied. She vividly depicts how the soldiers had to ingest poison more deadly than gunpowder just to load the weapons, as they were carried within their paper cartridges.
It is commonly said that the East India Company ruled India for almost 200 years, but it not only includes the British. It also includes Indians who served, Indians who fought, Indians who died for its cause. It was an accident that became an institution. Power once tasted has its momentum. Power once tasted has its momentum, so lays the betrayal towards even your countrymen.
Each chapter unfolds varied scenarios related to many historical events and lays bare the rough perspective of history. It becomes hard to acknowledge, but beats a rhythm of facts with truthfulness. Priya's adroit manner of depicting women and men with their mindset is worth reading.
In the 1857 riots much was at stake from Indian side but it all went in vain. Just under forty years later, in 1914, the Komagata Maru incident unfolded. There was a ship carrying over 300 Sikhs arrived off the Canadian coast to challenge the discriminatory "Continuous Journey" regulation of that era. It was a direct act of defiance against British imperialism, showing the world that "British fair play" was a hollow promise.
What happened in those few decades? What turned loyal supporters of the British into fierce opponents of the Raj? And what must it have been like to live through the nineteenth century, watching your whole world turn upside down?
The complete narrative is told from the perspective of an elderly woman named Beant, talking to her children and grandchildren about the past, the story begins with her great-grandfather, Iqbal Singh. Iqbal was part of the Fauj-e-Khaas—the elite wing of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Khalsa Army—and died in 1846 fighting the invading British to protect his king and his land.
The author has brought forward a fresh perspective of events to share with the upcoming generations to understand that all can be not changed but the way to deal with the situations and learn from our great grandfathers deeds could be surely done.
Overall, it is mind-boggling read.
Purchase @Amazon.
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