An important document in the social history of India, this volume presents the autobiography of a Punjabi family over the three tumultuous generations that spanned years from the Mutiny to Independence. The book provides an absorbing view, from within, of what British rule meant for the educated elite of the province. In its descriptions of the changing customs and values of the educated Indian in the early twentieth century, the book affords a memorable account of a critical period in modern Indian history.

An important document in the social history of India, this volume presents the autobiography of a Punjabi family over the three tumultuous generations that spanned years from the Mutiny to Independence. The book provides an absorbing view, from within, of what British rule meant for the educated elite of the province. In its descriptions of the changing customs and values of the educated Indian in the early twentieth century, the book affords a memorable account of a critical period in modern Indian history.

There is a historiographical silence about the role of the Punjab during the War of Independence. Historians have generally employed the elite approach or the 'top-down approach' while writing the history of the war. Since the elite, including the rajas, feudal lords, and nawabs had collaborated with the British, historians generalized their participation to that of the entire population of the province. A top-down approach inevitably emphasizes the role of the elite and neglects the role of the masses. So the role and response of the people of the Punjab during the War of Independence 1857-8 requires a thorough re-appraisal, which this book intends on doing. The central argument of this study is that resistance to the British in the Punjab during 1857-8 has been under-emphasized in historical works and the role of the common people or the masses in the Punjab, who resisted the Raj, has not been adequately highlighted in the historiography of the colonial era. Therefore, the present study is an attempt to bring the role of the Punjabi masses to the forefront, along with that of the elite, in order to present a complete picture of the role of the Punjab in War of Independence. This book also helps in understanding the role of the landed elite in contemporary politics of Pakistan, especially in the Punjab and NWFP (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as it was a part of the Punjab in 1857) because the families who collaborated with the British during the war, are still playing an important role in the politics of Pakistan.

poetics of belonging in the region. --Book Jacket.

The issues concerning the Partition of India in 1947 have long been debated both by Indian and Pakistani historians, but now a leader directly responsible for the Defence and Foreign Affairs of India has come forward with a historical appraisal that helps both countries come to a better understanding of the contentions between them. Jaswant Singh has not written a hagiography of Jinnah, but focused on him as a key figure in the final deliberations preceding Independence.