PUNJAB A HISTORY FROM AURANGZEB TO MOUNTBATTEN-PB

An unprecedented historical
account of undivided Punjab, from the death of Aurangzeb to the Partition.
For centuries, the fertile land of five rivers in the north of the Indian
subcontinent was coveted by numerous empires and invaders. In this, the first
major account of undivided Punjab, award-winning historian, biographer and
scholar, Rajmohan Gandhi, gives us its history during its most tumultuous
phase from the death of Aurangzeb, in the early eighteenth century, to its
brutal partition in 1947, coinciding with the departure of the British.
Relying on fresh sources as well as previous accounts provided from opposing
perspectives, the author fashions a compelling narrative about the great
events of the time in the region – the battles and tragedies that routinely
disrupted the lives of ordinary Punjabis, the sacking of iconic cities like
Lahore, Amritsar, Multan and Jalandhar by a succession of conquerors, the
ravages wrought by invaders like Nadir Shah, the rise of the Sikhs
culminating in the storied reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Britain’s
successful wars against the Sikh kingdom, the Great Rebellion of 1857 and its
effect on Punjab, imperialist machinations, the influence on the people by
leaders of the independence movement like Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
and Lala Lajpat Rai, as also key regional figures such as Fazl-i-Husain,
Master Tara Singh, Sikander Hayat Khan and Khizr Hayat Tiwana, the
devastation of Partition – and much else besides. Believing that modern India
and Pakistan cannot be understood without comprehending the Punjab that was,
the author also delves into the idea of Punjabiyat – Punjabiness – the
literature and poetry of creative giants like Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah, Iqbal,
Amrita Pritam and Saadat Hasan Manto, the spiritual teachings of the Sikh
Gurus and Sufi saints and, above all, the testimonials and narratives of
ordinary Punjabis, to create an unforgettable portrait of a place – undivided
Punjab – that continues to fascinate us (even though it broke up more than
six decades ago) and of its hard-tested and resilient people, Hindu, Muslim
and Sikh. Book Features:? Rajmohan
Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, is a renowned historian, acclaimed
biographer and the award-winning author of numerous books There has never
been an attempt to chronicle the history of undivided Punjab since S. M.
Latif’s History of the Panjab, which was published nearly 125 years ago
Likely to appeal to everyone interested in the history of Punjab and readers
of books by Khushwant Singh, W. H. McLeod, Patwant Singh, etc The book will
be popular with the Punjabi diaspora, which is amongst the largest and most
prosperous ethnic immigrant communities in the world