BOOKWATCH
1857 controversy: RIP
BY ANITA JOSHUA
Rebellion 1857, edited by P. C. Joshi, National Book Trust of India, Rs. 100.
BY a happy coincidence, 2007 is not just the 150th anniversary of the First War of Indian Independence, but also the birth centenary of P.C. Joshi, a former General Secretary of the undivided Communist Party of India. For, the year brings into focus Joshi's role in giving the national revolt its rightful place in history.
Essentially, this National Book Trust publication is a re-run of a People's Publishing House memorial volume on the 1857 uprising in its centenary year. Upset over eminent historians raking up the controversy of whether the 1857 uprising was a national revolt or a sepoy mutiny, Joshi decided to put together a series of articles that seek to challenge the influence of British historiography on Indian scholars.
Though posterity has sought to crown him for swimming against the mainstream vis-à-vis 1857, the book is testimony to the fact that many before him had seen it as more than just a sepoy mutiny. Needless to say, Joshi was influenced in considerable measure by the writings of Karl Marx who had authored a collection titled The First Indian War of Independence. Plus, as a Communist, there is also his conviction in the power of the people and any upsurge that draws momentum from the masses.
Besides showcasing the debate on one of the "unresolved controversies of Indian history", the book throws light on the support it got from China, Russia, England and Italy as word percolated to the outside world. In Joshi's own words, "Thus, the great national uprising of 1857 laid the foundation for the world-wide democratic solidarity with the Indian struggle in its next phase and our new national movement built itself on healthy internationalist traditions."
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