Penguin Random House India is proud to announce the forthcoming publication of Ramachandra Guha’s new book Rebels Against the Raj: Western Fighters for India’s Freedom. This book will be released under the prestigious Allen Lane imprint in January 2022 and is now available for pre-order online.
Rebels Against the Raj tells the fascinating story of seven foreign fighters for India’s freedom from imperial rule. These rebels-four British, two American and one Irish-chose to struggle for a country other than their own.
Ramachandra Guha says, ‘My first biographical subject, the activist-anthropologist Verrier Elwin, always regretted that he never courted imprisonment in the cause of Indian freedom. This book is about seven remarkable foreigners who made that definitive show of solidarity with their adopted homeland. Traitors to their race, religion and nation, these rebels against the Raj made critical contributions to Indian life before and after Independence. Tracking their journeys, through research in archives spread across the world, and in family papers never before seen by scholars, has been both arduous as well as immensely rewarding. I do not think I have ever enjoyed writing a book as much as this one.’
This book is a group biography of these seven renegades who were 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.
Meru Gokhale, Publisher, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘We are absolutely thrilled to be publishing Ramachandra Guha’s new masterpiece Rebels Against the Raj. This is an extraordinary account of the fight for Indian independence through the unexplored narratives of seven foreigners in India, and is one of his most unusual and exciting books so far. It is elegantly crafted, a marvel of original and unique research, and is centred around a fascinating, little-known subject. I believe no one could have told this story better, and I cannot wait for the world to read this book.’
