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Biographical Sketches
of Modern Indian Historic Personalities,
18th-19th Centuries AD
In the write-up on Najaf Quli Khan, it is not clear who recruited whom. If the personalities are so historic, then such short write-ups do not do them justice. The information is just thrown at your face and the book reads like a random list of who’s who without going in detail about them. When talking about Bhanga Singh of Thanesar, nothing is mentioned about the Cis-Sutlej chiefs. A student of history might know about Thanesar or the Cis-Sutlej chiefs, but not the rest of the readers. The references, rather, at many places are more interesting, for they divulge more. Rattan Amol Singh fails to enlighten the reader on why he has chosen a particular personality. While writing about Raja Surat Singh of Bikaner, in about a hundred words he lists not only his achievements but also his entire life. The reader does not know whether he was with the British or sympathetic to the neighbouring states. If on one side the author claims that Raja Surat Singh helped the Maharaja of Jaipur, he also writes that there was a revolt in his state. The concluding remarks are that the ruler was "a doughty, active, gentle and an able diplomat". Why gentle`85 and how an able diplomat? The causes behind the events have not been given. Now if the deceit, cunningness of Rodoji Khaws of Jaipur had been elucidated, lessons could be learned to beware of such treachery. Rodoji, originally a tailor, was thrown out from the service of Jaipur state, imprisoned and, after his release, he joined as a privy councilor and rose to become someone who had a rapport with with Lord Lake. What an awesome rise and it has not been mentioned in detail. The appendices are well written, especially the one titled Glorious Centuries of European Adventurers, which talks about the foreigners coming to India to make a fortune. The book would have been a treat to read, if the facts had not been put forth so abruptly. With the amount of research put in, a better book could have been written. There are several mistakes in the book, especially in the Bibliography section, where they are glaring. |
THIS book claims to trace
out important activities of all personalities of the 18th and
19th centuries. The author has tried to include the acts of
personalities who were "kings and generals of their times".
However, going through the book only confuses the reader.