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This book examines the history of prison and prisoners in colonial India. Based on substantial archival research, it presents the conditions of the prisoners, their vision for the freedom movement and the various aspects of prisons in the subcontinent.
List of contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- 1. Introduction: The Prisoners Paradise
- 2. Sunlight on a Broken Column
- 3. Jail, the gateway to freedom
- 4. The Karachi Trial
- 5. Calcuttas Maulana: Colonialism on Trial
- 6. Poets in Prisons
- 7.Long Walk to Freedom
- 8. Sunlight and Shadow in Prison
- 9. The Vessel will sink when the load of sin is great
- 10. Thy Flag will be laid in the dust: The Nehrus in Prison
- 11.Crafting History in a Cell
- 12. Conclusion: The Price of Freedom
- Appendix I: Aseer-e Zindan: Poems from Prison
- Appendix II: Tables
- Index
- About the Author
About the author
Mushirul Hasan is former Professor of History, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. His previous positions include Director General, National Archives of India, New Delhi (2010-13), and Vice Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi (2004-9). He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007.
Summary
This book examines the history of prison and prisoners in colonial India. Based on substantial archival research, it presents the conditions of the prisoners, their vision for the freedom movement and the various aspects of prisons in the subcontinent. By focusing on the lives and motivations of select prisoners, it places their lived experiences within the larger rubric of Indian nationalism and explores the notions of the political, protest and resistance during the first half of the twentieth century. The work also deals with issues such as the differences between Indian and European prisons as well as the conception of criminal classes in the colony. It therefore fills in a gap area in modern Indian history and provides a historical context to the contemporary Indian prison system. It draws upon a wide range of sources including the records at the National Archives of India, private papers, native newspaper reports, memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies.
