A tragedy revisited

Jallianwala Bagh: A Groundbreaking Historical past of the 1919 Bloodbath
VN Datta
Penguin Random Home
Pp 248, Rs 399

Based mostly on a meticulous exploration of the first sources and oral testimonies of the survivors and victims of 1919, VN Datta crafts a novel and first-hand narrative of probably the most violent occasion and its legacy within the historical past of trendy India and offers a fancy image of town of Amritsar, the place he grew up. Jallianwala Bagh is a rigorous account of the causes, nature and influence of the carnage that shook the nation and irreparably wounded its collective consciousness. It brings an area and an altogether completely different scholarly perspective on imperial, racial and navy violence within the twentieth century.

Udham Singh: The Revenge of Jallianwala Bagh
Anita Anand
Simon & Schuster
Pp370, Rs 499

Indians wanted to be taught obedience, believed Michael O’Dwyer, Lieutenant Governor of Punjab. On April 13, 1919, he marched his troopers into the walled backyard and ordered them to open hearth. In response to legend, a younger, low-caste orphan named Udham Singh was injured within the bloodbath. Trapped within the Bagh until morning, he was compelled to listen to the cries of the dying. At daybreak, he’s stated to have picked up a handful of blood-soaked earth, smeared it throughout his brow and vowed vengeance. The e book shines a devastating mild on one of many Raj’s most horrific occasions, however reads like a taut thriller.