Saffron Swords 2: Episodes of Indian valour against invaders

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. This statement by George Santayana, a Spanish-American philosopher, poet, and humanist, holds true in the historical context in general. So was Winston Churchill correct when he said: “History is written by victors.”

When we speak about Indian history, the first statement seldom makes sense given the fact that academic history books and mainstream narratives portray the story of the invaders in detail. The stories of the valour of the warriors of the soil, of continued resistance against invaders for over a period of 1300 plus years, especially starting from the 8th century, do not find a place.

However, the second statement is valid given the fact that whatever the victors have written is projected as absolute truth in academia. For over seven decades, this has been the narrative in the Indian context.

Manoshi Sinha’s Saffron Swords 

Saffron Swords, a historical book series by Manoshi Sinha, published by Garuda Prakashan, breaks this narrative through the portrayal of stories of the valour of warriors, both men and women, who defended the motherland over a period of 1400 years.

Book 1 of this series, published in 2019, describes 52 episodes of prowess, of heroism, and of gallantry of warriors from across Bharat against invaders, covering a time span of 1400 years. The warriors who offered resistance comprised not only Kshatriyas but also bravehearts from the other three varnas – Brahmins, Vaishyas, and Shudras.

Book 2 of Saffron Swords contains another 52 episodes of valor, covering the same time span. The book has a bibliography section that enumerates all the literary references for each episode. Manoshi Sinha pledges to continue adding to the series, one at a time.

To quote Manoshi Sinha, Saffron Swords is the ancestral chronicle of every Bharatiya. It is the story of our forefathers, without whom we would not be here, carrying on the legacy of our thousands of year old civilizational identity.

Many ancient civilizations perished within decades due to invasions. Ancient Indian civilization survived despite 1400 years of genocide of the natives in millions, loot of wealth amounting to billions, captivity of millions of our women as sex-slaves, plunder of our temples and fortresses, and more atrocities only because of the continued resistance offered by our warrior ancestors.

Why aren’t we taught about the glories of our warriors, who won thousands of battles against the invaders right from the 8th century? Why are these stories of resistance purposefully kept hidden in academic books and mainstream narratives?

It is time the truth was told. I am not saying that the invaders’ part of the story shouldn’t be portrayed. They should be there as they are part of our history, but the narrative should not be biased. Their continued defeats in the hands of the native warriors, the atrocities they committed, should be equally depicted, as should the chronicles of resistance by the natives.

Among the warriors described in the book in dedicated chapters are Dantidurga II, who defeated the Arabs, Rani Durgavati, who resisted Malwa Sultan and Mughals, Rani Bhavashankari who resisted the Pathans; Samgramaraja, who repulsed attacks of Mahmud of Ghazni; Chennabhairadevi who protected Karnataka coast from the Portugese, Bhoja Paramara who resisted attacks of Ghaznavid forces, Kurma Devi who defeated Qutab al-Din Aibak, Dhan Singh Gurjar who spearheaded the 1857 war of independence, U. Kiang Nangbah who organized several attacks against the British, Prafulla Kumari Devi who challenged the British and the Nizam of Hyderabad, to name a few.

Together, along with her husband, Yogaditya Singh Rawal, a history and fitness blogger; Mr. India 2016 (Federation CupBodybuilding), an ancient martial art learner and practitioner; and Manoshi Sinha, an ancient martial art practitioner; they have been exploring historical places, ancient and medieval temples, forts, and fortresses to unearth information about India’s glorious past for the past 14 years. Most of the episodes of Saffron Swords are based on the husband-wife duo’s research visits across India.

A note from the honourable Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu, is published in one of the first pages of Book 2 of Saffron Swords.

To quote from the note, “I have always maintained that the brave tales of all Indians, including many unsung heroes, who have fought against foreign invaders and the oppressive British rule, should be published in various Indian languages. My compliments to the author, Smt Manoshi Sinha Rawal, for writing this book and including stories of women warriors like Velu Nachiyar, Kurma Devi, and Rani Durgavati in the book.”

Maj Gen GD Bakshi, SM, VSM, Author appreciates the book thus: “An excellent compendium of Hindu heroes who defended this civilization in the face of repeated invasions.”

Dr. Koenraad Elst, author and scholar, gives his opinion about the book: “While it is good and necessary that the story of the atrocities against Dharmics finally gets told, Manoshi Sinha does the other half of the work: getting Dharmics out of their self-depreciation by reminding them what heroic resistance they put up against the aggressors.”

“At a time when the efforts to entrench a defeatist narrative of Bharat’s history have intensified, Manoshi Sinha has put together a wonderful collage of Bharat’s unparalleled history of valour and love for this sacred land. She demonstrates through concrete examples that Bharat has always been a land of heroes. I sincerely hope that her work contributes to the revival of the Kshatra spirit,” explains J. Sai Deepak, Author, Advocate, Supreme Court of India, about this book.

Manoshi Sinha is a postgraduate in English Literature from the University of Pune, also called Savitribai Phule Pune University. She hails from Assam. She is a freelance researcher specialising in Indian history and ancient temples. She is the founder of myindiamyglory.com, an e-magazine that presents Bharat from ancient to present with a special focus on history and heritage. She is also a blogger and has interviewed a few freedom fighters. Prior to her present stint, she worked as an editor for leading publication houses. The author dedicates Book 2 of Saffron Swords to her parents, Satyabhama Sinha and Mahendra Sinha. Book 2 of Saffron Swords contains 30 illustrations of warriors sketched by Hitharth S Bhatt.

The author is an independent journalist and columnist. He tweets at @pokharnaprince. The views are personal. 

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