Uprising chronicles a remarkable, yet often overlooked chapter of Indian history. A few years after the country became independent, ordinary civilians rose up against the extortionist and cruel colonial stragglers entrenched in the villages of Dadra and Nagar Haveli-the Portuguese. With the new Indian prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, unwilling to strain nascent diplomatic bonds, it was up to a few brave men and women to take matters into their own hands. The odds were not good: the Portuguese were armed to the teeth and outnumbered them heavily. It was an extraordinary coalition that took them on: Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi helped raise funds through a concert while volunteers from the Azad Gomantak Dal, the RSS and radical communists collaborated with the local tribal population to launch attacks in Silvassa, Naroli, Pipariya, Khanvel and other places in an effort to drive the Portuguese out once and for all.
Through interviews with descendants of the participants (and a handful of participants themselves), newspaper archival records, letters and diary entries, Neelesh Kulkarni painstakingly puts together the pieces of this little-known history. An electrifying story emerges-the solidarity, resilience and fearlessness of a people who defy tyranny, and make history in the process.
He is the author of the non-fiction work, In the Footsteps of Rama (HarperCollins India) which has been adapted into a web series and has been translated into two languages so far, with four more in progress. His essay, 'Vithoba of Pandharpur' has been anthologised in Where the Gods Dwell: Thirteen Temples and their (hi)stories (Westland). He has also written a book for children, Open Sesame: Magic Tricks for Kids (Westland).
He lives in Delhi with his artist wife.
When we think of armed resistance, it's Subhash Chandra Bose and the Indian National Army (INA), Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru, Sukhdev, Chandrashekhar Azad, Khudiram Bose, Master Da and Madan Lal Dhingra who come to mind, amongst others. However, neither the INA, the Hindustan Republican army, nor the sailors or the members of the Chittagong uprising, despite making heroic efforts, succeeded in directly meeting their objectives through the use of arms. This book tells the story of the only rebellion that did.
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