Independence Day 2021: Here are some books you can read

Independence Day holds a special place in our hearts – instilling a sense of patriotism, pride and honour for all the Indians. Pay homage to our leaders and great fighters who fought and gave up their lives for India’s freedom, “Our Freedom” by reading some of their most important works. One can also listen to these books on Audible.

An Era of Darkness, by Shashi Tharoor: In this explosive book, best-selling author Shashi Tharoor reveals with acuity, impeccable research, and trademark wit, just how disastrous British rule was for India. Brilliantly narrated and passionately argued, An Era of Darkness will serve to correct many misconceptions about one of the most contested periods of Indian history.

Discovery of India, by Jawaharlal Nehru - Pandit Nehru wrote The Discovery of India during his imprisonment at Ahmednagar Fort for participating in the Quit India Movement (1942-1946). The book was written during Nehru’s four years of confinement to solitude in prison and is his way of paying homage to his beloved country and its rich culture. The work is considered one of the finest writings on Indian history.

How India Lost Her Freedom, by Pandit Sunderlal - An account of freedom fighter Pandit Sunderlal struggle for independence. Apart from revealing the situation between the Indian native kingdoms and the East India Company, How India Lost Her Freedom provides a fine account of what India was prior to the advent of the British. The book focuses on the crucial facts and events that led to the establishment of British rule over India.

Indian Summer, by Alex von Tunzelmann - At midnight on 15 August, 1947, India left the British Empire. This defining moment of world history had been brought about by a handful of people: Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Louis and Edwina Mountbatten, dispatched to get Britain out of India. Behind the scenes a secret personal drama was unfolding, as Edwina Mountbatten and Nehru began a passionate love affair.

Remnants of a Separation, by Aanchal Malhotra - A string of pearls gifted by a maharaja, carried from Dalhousie to Lahore, reveals the grandeur of a life that once was. A notebook of poems, brought from Lahore to Kalyan, shows one woman's determination to pursue the written word despite the turmoil around her.

The Pity of Partition, by Ayesha Jala - Manto's life and work serve as a prism to capture the human dimension of sectarian conflict in the final decades and immediate aftermath of the British raj. The Pity of Partition demonstrates the revelatory power of art in times of great historical rupture. Ayesha Jalal draws on Manto's stories, sketches, and essays, as well as a trove of his private letters, to present an intimate history of partition and its devastating toll.