1857-1858: The British Empire in India is teetering on the brink of collapse in the face of widespread rebellion by native regiments. In the final phase of the Great Indian Mutiny an intrepid young woman rises to lead the mutinying sepoys: Lakshmibai, the

When the British Empire sets its sights on India in the mid-nineteenth century, it expects a quick and easy conquest ... But when they arrive in the Kingdom of Jhansi, the British army is met with a surprising challenge. Instead of surrendering, Queen Lakshmi raises two armies--one male and one female--and rides into battle, determined to protect her country and her people. Although her soldiers may not appear at first to be formidable against superior British weaponry and training, Lakshmi refuses to back down from the empire determined to take away the land she loves.

Born on the banks of the Ganges at Benares, little Manakarnika was a charged and precocious girl and she was destined to be etched in history as the towering queen of the Revolt of 1857. A touching yet accurate portrait of this Indian Boadicea, The Ranee of Jhansi as a biography also puts the events of the mutiny and the actual role of Lakshmibai in it, into perspective. The writer takes you on a journey through the plains and hills of central India which in 1857 could have but such is the fatalism of history turned around India s future forever. It makes for a breathless reading from beginning to end through the circumstances that led to the revolt and through the vivid scenes of the glorious battle at Jhansi. A woman of the strongest Mahratta mettle, Lakshmibai had an intuitive grasp of warfare, astute judgement of the enemy s power and an indomitable will that made her fight even in the face of defeat. And being a young Brahmin widow of thirty who led a whole army, she inadvertently created one of the greatest ironies in Indian history, when she was declared the best man on the rebel side !

RANI LAXMIBAI was a capable ruler, an intelligent communicator, and defender of the faith. She was sagacious when it came to her people and astute in dealing with her enemies. The widowed Queen had to repeatedly face gruelling challenges but drew strength from adversity, relying on her sense of justice, her dignity, and her magnanimity. She never surrendered to destiny, choosing instead to shape her own life. The British annexed Rani Laxmibai's kingdom, took away her political rights, and humiliated her. But she valiantly fought the foreign power and died a hero. Written after extensive research, this book portrays the making of a remarkable queen. Rani Laxmibai, the brave warrior-queen, remains a source of inspiration to us all.

A stiff upper lip, steely eyes and a cold heart is often how the English imperialist is pictured in popular imagination. Drawing from memoirs, commentaries and family letters, Elizabeth Hamilton brings forth an alternative portrayal of her ancestors, Sir Robert Hamilton and Sir William Barton. Their careers in India are set against the momentous events of their times to present a different side of the colonialists of a quiet people, dedicated to the tradition of upholding the law and avoiding conflict. Volume I, The Proud Empire, traces the life of Sir Robert Hamilton, from the beginning of his career under the watchful eye of his father, up until his retirement. Occupying multiple roles such as the Resident of Indore and Agent to the Governor General in the Central Provinces, he is seen interacting with various prominent Indian figures such as the Rani of Jhansi, Tantya Tope and Nana Sahib. The picture of the arrogant imperialist fades away to be replaced by that of someone keen to make a difference to the society he was working in, who encourages good governance, mends ties in the midst of escalating tensions and must recover cities occupied by insurgents, all the while shadowed by the burden of great personal losses. Volume II, The Straight Race, tracks Sir William Barton’s career in the early twentieth century. Starting in the Punjab and the North-West Frontier, he later served as Resident in the well-administered states of Mysore and Hyderabad, where he stood up to the Nizam, doing his best to set the administration on a less corrupt footing. Retirement did not deter Sir William’s close interest in Indian affairs; he returned twice on tour as an advisor to electrical companies and travelled with a Ministry of Supply mission during the Second World War. With three books and many articles for newspapers and journals on the subject, India remained an integral part of his life.

The encyclopaedia highlights the South Asian country of India with its varied ramifications. As a rich country with all its diversity, it has played a significant role in world affairs for more than two thousand years. India is the most populous country in the world, and its economy is growing rapidly. It is marching ahead in science and technology. In the hundredth anniversary of its independence in 2047, it aspires to become a developed nation. One should be aware of this country in this globalized world. It is not only fascinating but also knowledge-enhancing. The encyclopaedia holds importance due to several reasons: information on a vast range of subjects, scientific methodology, accuracy, and reliability. It could be used as a starting point for further research. The book will be useful for general readers, serious researchers, graduate students, and academics.

This book explores the why and the how of women’s participation in armed struggle, and challenges preconceived assertions about women and violence, providing both a historic and a contemporary focus. The volume is about women who have participated in armed conflict as members of an armed group, trained in military action, with different tasks within the conflict. The chapters endeavor to make women’s own voices heard, to discover the untold stories of women as perpetrators and facilitators of military violence, and the authors do this through the use of personal interviews and the study of primary documents. The work widens the geographical perspective of feminist security studies to discover in what ways the historical, political, and social context has motivated the women to participate in military action, and presents new case study data from Germany, Ukraine, Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Cameroon, India, the Philippines, Vietnam and Latin America. Temporally, the chapters cover almost two centuries, from the late 19th century to the present day, touching upon a wide variety of examples of armed conflict, from wars of independence to the Second World War. Bringing together approaches from politics, history, anthropology and area studies, the chapters are informed by the fundamental insights of feminist research and address such pivotal questions as hegemonic masculinity in the armed forces and the relation between women’s armed violence and female agency. This book will be of much interest to students and researchers in gender and security studies, armed conflict and history.