Writer and journalist P. Sainath on Tuesday said all great revolts in India began in villages. The 1857 revolt by jawans began in the cantonments. The Indian jawan is a kisan (farmer) in uniform. That was the essence of the slogan Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, he said, detailing the tales of unsung heroes of the Indian Freedom struggle.
Speaking after the launch of his book titled Unknown Heroes of India’s Freedom Struggle, targeting young readers, at the Asian College of Journalism here, he said he was trained in history at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). “The history I learnt at the JNU makes all the difference in me as a journalist. I like the ACJ idea since you need a decent degree in human sciences before doing journalism,” he said.
He has interviewed freedom fighters over a period of 20 years during his travels as a journalist. The book, illustrated by 16 artists, was released by former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
Mr. Sainath said all the freedom fighters had a sense of humour and were very diverse, both socially and politically. “What amazed me about these people is that they went on fighting amid their struggles. At Pani Mora, when I went to visit seven of them, five were staging a dharna at a BDO office seeking a phone connection for their village. They were in their 90s and came out fighting for their village,” he said.
On why he wrote such a book, he said: “For the people in it. Their stories deserve to be told. I wrote it for post-1947 generations and a generation robbed of its history.”
Radhika Menon publishing director, Tulika books, which has brought out the book, costing ₹375/copy, with black and white illustrations said it was Mr. Sainath’s first book for young readers and had a unique collection of graphic narratives.
Satwik Gade, who does illustrations for The Hindu, said he would cry every time as he watched the videos of Telangana patriot Mallu Swarajyam. “I chose a story that I relate to. The challenge was to carry that overwhelming feeling to the illustrations as these stories are ultimately supposed to inspire us...”
Kripa, another illustrator, said the first uprising happened in 1855 two years before the 1857 revolt. Even today, history books only teach about the 1857 revolt. “I work with a group of marginalised people. This book helps them to imagine that they can resist. As to why the book is in black and white, you can colour it,” she said.
In a panel discussion that followed, journalism students Ankita Bora and Abhirup sengupta, and Mr. Gade and Ms. Kripa took part.
