Besieged: Voices from Delhi 1857 Farooqui, Mahmood

Wonderful book. The first person narratives brings Delhi alive at a critical point in its history. The letters, notes and other communication between people of all backgrounds takes us among the people and gives us an idea of their hopes and fears as theie lives are completely upturned by events far beyond their control. The author does a good job of adding the backgrounds and context for each addition to the collection.

he year 1857 symbolizes the year of the mutiny or the First War of Independence which witnessed armed uprising against the British with the aim to re-establish the authority of a fading Mughal power over the subcontinent and its consequent failure leading to deportation of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar to Rangoon and establishment of the British rule in India. It was inevitable that Delhi, which was the seat of power during Mughal rule, would suffer the most during the uprising, with the residents going through the havoc of the created turmoil.Composed of letters, telegrams and notes of the era,(translated beautifully and more importantly, faithfully, by the author) the book provides an amazing glimpse of a city far removed and different from the one that we know today. A must read for any true history buff, this book gives a rare account of life in 1857 in the own words of people who lived and died during the great revolt.10/10 as far as Amazn delivery on time with zero damage packaging is concerned.

A book of a rare type. The history told through records of police reports is a unique idea. An authentic record free from the biases of historians. A must have for all those who are interested in the first war of independence and Delhi.

i came to know of this book after seeing dastangois by the author on youtube. though i ve still to go through whole of the book yet whatever i ve read in parts has left a lasting impression on me. I would like author to come up with many more such works.

Excellent book, gives us a deep insight of life during 1857

Excellent seller A+++

The book is a must read if you want to know how Delhi functioned during that Period