History Under Your Feet

Lala Hardayal, the man who co founded the Ghadar Party in US, along with Sohan Singh Bhakna. A legend among revolutionaries, one of the key members of India House in London along with Shyamji Krishna Varma, Veer Savarkar and Madame Bhikaji Cama.

The first in a series on Mewar, where I look at the region's history, it's backdrop, and Bappa Rawal

Kanneganti Hanumanthu, was famous for the Pullari Satyagraha, against the draconian tax imposed by the British on the peasants for grazing their cattle or gathering wood in the forests of Palnadu.

Uyyalavada Narasimha Reddy, born in Rupanagudi  and grew up in Uyyalavada, had around 66 villages under his control in Bellary, Kadapa, Anantapur, Kurnool districts, and was a patron of arts and literature. One of the heroes of the Polygar Wars against the British.

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar one of the greatest Indian scientists of the modern era, who was an equally good writer. To most Indians, his name would be familiar with CSIR, that he founded as well as the awards given out in his name to aspiring scientists.  Yet not many know that he was also an equally good Urdu poet under the name of Seemab, and composed the Kulgeet for Benaras Hindu University in Sanskrit.

The brave queen of Kittur, who took on the British.

Vasudev Balwant Phadke, often called as the father of the Indian armed revolt, an inspiration to many a revolutionary. He was an inspiration for Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s landmark novel Anand Math, which incorporated many references from his life. A Chitpavan Brahmin from Konkan, who rallied the lower peasant castes like Dhangars, Kolis, Bhils as well as warrior communities like Ramoshis against British rule.

On the auspicious occasion of Basant Panchami and Saraswathi Puja, I take a look at it's significance.

Peshwa Madhav Rao, the youngest of the Peshwas who bought the Maratha empire back to it's glory after the Panipat debacle.

Telanga Kharia from the Kharia tribe in Jharkhand who led an intense uprising against the British in Gumla.