The Siege of Krishanpur.
This book surely help you to learn the impact of British Raj on civilization in India. It rediscovered the causes of Revolts of 1857 viz Britishers called it as Mutiny of Sepoy. The survival and fear of Companies delegates during the rebellion era was visible in the narration by the author. This was the time when British empire started setting off the their sun. Book also revels that the British empire's contribution to the India's development in terms of massive infrastructures, health, protection to native Maharajas from other foreign tyrannies, contradict to this, it has also causes some detrimental impacts also like opium trade by company and divide and rule strategy and unreasonable taxes to mass, usage of skin of cow and pig on ordnance/weapons.
The Krishanpur is fictitious town in northern India where Britishers has established their administrative mechanism very adjacent to Captanganj cantonment. Revolts has began in Captanganj and District collectors has to ensure the safety and life's of Britishers from rebelling Sepoy who took the complete control over Capanganj cantonment. Where he has devised the preventing and curative mechanism to fought attracts by the sepoys.
The author J.G Farrell has well studies the various letters and dairies of the posted staff during this period prior to writing the book. Which has merely stood as eyewitness of the mutiny of sepoy.
Their wonderful efforts to fought back attracts on residency are extremely admirable with limited resources in hand. The Siege of Krishanpur is part of Farrell's 'Empire Trilogy' novels. Other novels in the same series are Troubles and The Singapure Grip. All these novels trying to interpret the causes and consequences of fall down of the British raj.
Britishers at Krishanpur were at siege for more than four months and sepoy assaulted them many time. Collector along with his people were lived in with little demarcation of life and death or hope and despair. Before the relief came there were death tolls due to cholera, lack of food and sepoy. The only hope factor to them was the relief from the some other part of the country to save them. It is too much wonderful to study the Revolts of 1857 from British prospective. At last when relief came the survives of the mutiny of the sepoy filled their pulmonary machines with sense of life. And it took another 100 years for Britisher to impart their Civilization to India.
Good read!
- Amol P. Nakve.
