THUG

HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING THIS WONDERFUL BOOK!! SOMEHOW THE ENGLISH ARE ABLE TO WRITE BETTER BOOKS ON INDIAN HISTORY THAN INDIANS THEMSELVES...

THE BOOK IS WELL RESEARCHED AND THROWS LIGHT ON THE PROFESSION OF THUGGEE AS PRACTISED IN INDIA IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AND THE ANTI THUG CAMPAIGN....

THE BOOK IS DEFINITELY WORTH A READ FOR ALL THOSE PEOPLE OBSESSED WITH COLONIAL INDIA (LIKE MYSELF).

HOWEVER, THE BOOK HAS CERTAIN MINUSES THAT NEED TO BE HIGHLIGHTED... THE AUTHOR HAS TAKEN A VERY BOOKISH APPROACH AND TAKEN RELIED HEAVILY ON COMPANY DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AT BRITAIN AS WELL AS INDIA, GIVING THE BOOK A VERY DRAB AND DRY FEEL, DEVOID OF ANY OF THE RACINESS AND THE ROMANTICISM THAT PEOPLE ASSOCIATE WITH THE THUGS AND THE SUBSEQUENT ANTI - THUG CAMPAIGN.

FURTHER, THOUGH THE AUTHOR HAS TRIED TO RATIONALIZE THE ATTITUDE OF THE COLONIALS TOWARDS EVERYTHING INDIAN (INCLUDING THUGGEE), HE HIMSELF HAS FAILED MISERABLE TO OVERCOME HIS PREJUDICES... THE NOTE IN THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK SNIGGERS AT THE INDIAN ATTITUDE OF CHANGING NAMES OF PLACES, ETC., TO DISSASSOCIATE OURSELVES WITH EVERYTHING BRITISH... FOR INSTANCE THE AUTHOR HAS GIVEN THE INSTANCE OF CALCUTTA BEING RENAMED CALCUTTA AND JUBBLEPORE BEING RENAMED JUBULPUR. THE AUTHOR MISSES THE POINT THAT THESE WERE THE ORIGIONAL NAMES OF THESE PLACES (CALCUTTA WAS ESTABLISHED NEAR THE VILLAGE KALIKATTA, HENCE THE NAME KOLKATA AND JUBBLEPORE WAS ALWAYS JUBULPUR IN INDIAN PRONUNCIATION)... DOES IT NOT SHOW PREJUDICE ON THE PART OF THE AUTHOR TO MAKE SUCH SWEEPING STATEMENTS WITHOUT EVEN HAVING TO CHECK HIS FACTS FIRST OR IS IT THAT THE OLD COLONIAL ATTITUDE STILL SURVIVES IN THE AUTHOR, EVEN IF IN SMALL MEASURE.