“History is always written wrong, and so always needs to be rewritten” – this quote by philosopher George Santayana holds true, especially in the Indian context. For decades, academic history textbooks featured a one-sided and distorted narrative; stories of resistance by the warriors of the soil find no place. It continues to this day. Saffron Swords bridges this gap, highlighting 52 episodes of unsung valor of warriors, both men and women from every part of the country – warriors who offered resistance, won battles, and fought till their last breath first against Muslim invaders and then the British.
Saffron Swords, published by Gurgaon based Garuda Prakashan, is authored by Manoshi Sinha Rawal and co-authored by Yogaditya Singh Rawal. Many civilizations perished within a short span of time due to invasions. India is the oldest surviving civilization in the world. Despite over 1000 years of loot, plunder, genocide, destruction of cultural symbols, this ancient civilization survived. This was because the warriors of the soil, over time, offered resistance and defended the motherland and Dharma, opines Manoshi Sinha. Saffron Swords does justice to the unsung warriors.
Maj Gen GD Bakshi’s Foreword to Saffron Swords describes the book thus, “Manoshi Sinha Rawal and Yogaditya Singh Rawal have highlighted those neglected, unknown, and hidden tales of valor from the last 1300 years in this book Saffron Swords. There are 52 tales of valor, which encompass the brave exploits of warriors from across the country, from east to the west, north to the south. These include Nag Bhat I, Suhal Dev, Raja Prithu, Mula Gabharu, Raja Narasimhadeva, Rani Velu Nacchiyar, Kuyili, Hemchandra Vikramaditya, Saraswathi Rajamani, Shivdevi Tomar, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Uda Devi, Mahabiri Devi, Matmur Jamoh, Paona Brajabasi, Pasaltha Khaungchera, Rani Roipulliani, and more warriors.”
Saffron Swords has garnered rave reviews and appreciation from critics and the reader community of all age groups. While Columnist-Author Tarek Fatah tweeted about the book as a ‘recommended read’ to Soundara Rajan NS (Language Coach of Oscar winning film ‘Life of Pi’) describing the literary piece as ‘a treasure trove of valiant heroes who remain largely unknown’, even children and teenagers drew inspiration after reading it. @tungabhadra (twitter) tweeted, “I gave my 13-year-old nephew Saffron Swords to read. He told me he ‘feels so good’ for the first time after reading history. He finished it in 4 days.”
Readers have expressed their interest of reading Saffron Swords in their respective regional languages. The Odia version of the book, translated by Antaryami Maharana, is now available for pre-order. The Hindi version of the book is nearing its publication. Translation in more regional languages is underway.
Manoshi Sinha is working on Vol II of Saffron Swords that will feature 52 more episodes of valor of Indian warriors who defended the motherland over a period of 1300 years, warriors whose names and description don’t find mention in history textbooks. The author said the manuscript is nearing completion. There will be several Volumes of the book, each portraying 52 episodes of valor from the same timeline, she said.
Manoshi Sinha has also written two books on Krishna. She is an independent Researcher on Indian History and ancient Temples. She is the founder of myindiamyglory.com, an emagazine that presents about Bharat from ancient to present with special focus on History and heritage. Also a blogger, she has interviewed few freedom fighters.
