Overview

WINNER OF THE ELIZABETH LONGFORD PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY ‘A narrative of startling originality … As discussions of Britain’s colonial legacy become increasingly polarised, we are in ever more need of nuanced books like this one’ SAM DALRYMPLE, SPECTATOR Rebels Against the Raj tells the little-known story of seven people who chose to struggle for a country other than their own: foreigners to India who across the late 19th to late 20th century arrived to join the freedom movement fighting for independence. Of the seven, four were British, two American, and one Irish. Four men, three women. Before and after being jailed or deported they did remarkable and pioneering work in a variety of fields: journalism, social reform, education, organic agriculture, environmentalism. This book tells their stories, each renegade motivated by idealism and genuine sacrifice; each connected to Gandhi, though some as acolytes where others found endless infuriation in his views; each understanding they would likely face prison sentences for their resistance, and likely live and die in India; each one leaving a profound impact on the region in which they worked, their legacies continuing through the institutions they founded and the generations and individuals they inspired. Through the entwined lives, wonderfully told by one of the world’s finest historians, we reach deep insights into relations between India and the West, and India’s story as a country searching for its identity and liberty beyond British colonial rule.

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9780008498764

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EARLY PRAISE FOR REBELS AGAINST THE RAJ 'Brits and Americans who joined India's struggle against British rule are remembered in this vibrant historical study ... Guha's elegantly written group portrait ably conveys the passion and idealism of the Gandhian independence movement and its hold over the Western imagination' Publishers Weekly PRAISE FOR RAMACHANDRA GUHA'S GANDHI BEFORE INDIA 'What can a new biographer add? Ramachandra Guha, India's leading historian, offers plenty ... Rather than lingering on Gandhi's own well-studied words, Mr Guha has unearthed a wealth of previously overlooked school reports, diaries, letters and articles by collaborators and opponents of Gandhi. The result is a striking depiction' Economist 'One of the surprises in Gandhi Before India is just how much fresh material it contains. Guha has a gift for tracking down obscure letters and newspaper reports and patching them together to make history come alive ... The book turns up some gems ... Gandhi Before India demonstrates how complicated cross-cultural relations were in the long 19th century ... it is a work of vivid social history as well as biography' Guardian 'This book will be of enormous interest to readers interested in how law, politics, journalism, social activism and associated professions interact in the processes of social and political change ... This book never ceases to inform and intrigue ... In Guha, a great man has found a great biographer, a wise, persistent and elegant historian who has done justice to perhaps his nation's greatest story' Sydney Morning Herald 'Excellent and exhaustive ... Guha has done heroic work in reconstructing this period of Gandhi's life ... Gandhi emerges here as a fascinatingly complicated and contradictory figure ... if the sequel proves as rich and absorbing as this first book, it will doubtless serve as the fundamental portrait of Gandhi for many years to come' Sunday Business Post

PRAISE FOR RAMACHANDRA GUHA'S GANDHI BEFORE INDIA 'What can a new biographer add? Ramachandra Guha, India's leading historian, offers plenty ... Rather than lingering on Gandhi's own well-studied words, Mr Guha has unearthed a wealth of previously overlooked school reports, diaries, letters and articles by collaborators and opponents of Gandhi. The result is a striking depiction' Economist 'One of the surprises in Gandhi Before India is just how much fresh material it contains. Guha has a gift for tracking down obscure letters and newspaper reports and patching them together to make history come alive ... The book turns up some gems ... Gandhi Before India demonstrates how complicated cross-cultural relations were in the long 19th century ... it is a work of vivid social history as well as biography' Guardian 'This book will be of enormous interest to readers interested in how law, politics, journalism, social activism and associated professions interact in the processes of social and political change ... This book never ceases to inform and intrigue ... In Ramachandra Guha, a great man has found a great biographer, a wise, persistent and elegant historian who has done justice to perhaps his nation's greatest story' Sydney Morning Herald 'Excellent and exhaustive ... Guha has done heroic work in reconstructing this period of Gandhi's life ... Gandhi emerges here as a fascinatingly complicated and contradictory figure ... if the sequel proves as rich and absorbing as this first book, it will doubtless serve as the fundamental portrait of Gandhi for many years to come' Sunday Business Post 'It is unique. No one has written so comprehensively on Gandhi's early years ... a great historian ... Guha's book is a classic' Mail Today, New Delhi 'Guha is India's best-known historian, who marshals his wide scholarship in contemporary and modern history with a raconteur's lucid felicity' DNA Mumbai

'Explores the largely forgotten story of seven white-skinned rebels who fought for India's freedom ... Guha threads together these lives in a narrative of startling originality. He recently told Outlook magazine that he had never enjoyed writing a book as much as this one, and his excitement at discovering a forgotten chapter of Indian history is contagious. What is remarkable is how important these rebels were. They weren't just minor allies of the freedom movement, but historical figures whose decisions shaped the histories of both Britain and India ... remembering them is important. Guha's book emphasises that Britain's culture wars are not new: that empire was as controversial then as it is now, and that many Britons risked their lives for its downfall. And it shows that the daughter of an imperial naval officer could become one of empire's most important and vocal opponents. As discussions of Britain's colonial legacy become increasingly polarised, we are in ever more need of nuanced books like this one' Sam Dalrymple, Spectator 'Brits and Americans who joined India's struggle against British rule are remembered in this vibrant historical study ... Guha's elegantly written group portrait ably conveys the passion and idealism of the Gandhian independence movement and its hold over the Western imagination' Publishers Weekly 'Compelling mini biographies of a group of fighters for Indian independence who were born outside India but were fiercely devoted to the cause ... An inspiring education tool for those researching India and non-violent independence movements' Kirkus Reviews

Author Information

Ramachandra Guha is an Indian historian and economist whose research interests include environmental, social, economics, political, contemporary and cricket history. He is also a columnist for The Telegraph, Hindustan Times and Hindi Daily Newspaper Amar Ujala. Guha's books and essays have been translated into more than twenty languages. The prizes they have won include the UK Cricket Society's Literary Award and the Leopold-Hidy Prize of the American Society of Environmental History. In 2008, Prospect and Foreign Policy magazines nominated Guha as one of the world's one hundred most influential intellectuals. In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for services to literature and education. In 2015, he was awarded the Fukuoka Prize for contributions to Asian culture and scholarship.

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