Millions of people in British India woke up to a new dawn on August 15, 1947. After decades of struggle under leaders of differing ideologies, from Subhas Chandra Bose to Mahatma Gandhi, Indians were no longer in the clutches of a colonial power.
As most of the country celebrated independence, the people of Raichur in Hyderabad were still waiting for freedom, along with the 1.6 crore people of the princely state. Hyderabad was yet to make a decision about acceding to either India or Pakistan.
Razakars, the Nizam's notorious paramilitary force, were guarding Raichur, a town on the princely state's southwestern border, with orders to kill anyone who revolted against the Nizam. Raichur Fort, built by the Kakatiyas in the 12th century, had seen the rule of the Rashtrakutas, the Vijayanagara emperors, the Bahmani sultans and the Nizams. Now the fort was ready to witness another change.
During this turbulent time, Tappadi Dodda Narasareddy was famous among his Munnuru Kapu community for riding on horseback through Raichur town, wearing the uniform of Bose's Indian National Army. Other members of his community were followers of Gandhi and they were hoping to liberate Raichur in a Gandhian way. The patriots of Raichur continued their struggle for another 13 months until the newly restructured Indian Army annexed Hyderabad and liberated Raichur, and indeed the whole state, by force.
This story is from the May 05, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 05, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Divides And Dividends
Contrasting narratives on the scrapping of Article 370 define the elections in Jammu and Kashmir
Playing it cool
Everybody knows what 420 means in the Indian context. But in American parlance it is something very different: four-twenty or 4/20 or April 20 denotes cannabis celebration; its cultural references are rooted in the hippie culture of the 1960s and 1970s.
The heroine's new clothes
Who else but Sanjay Leela Bhansali could bring on a wardrobe reset like the one in his just-dropped period piece—an eight-part Netflix series called Heeramandi?
AI & I
Through her book Code Dependent—shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction—Madhumita Murgia gives voice to the voiceless multitudes impacted by artificial intelligence
Untold tales from war
Camouflaged is a collection of 10 deeply researched stories, ranging from the world wars to the 26/11 terror attacks
Hair force
Sheetal Mallar, in her photobook Braided, uses hair as a metaphor to tell a story that is personal yet universal
THE WHITE TIGER GAVE ME CONFIDENCE IN MY ABILITIES
The first time Adarsh Gourav made an impression was in Ramin Bahrani's 2021 film The White Tiger, a gripping adaptation of Aravind Adiga's Booker-winning novel.
The art of political protest
The past doesn’t always remain in the past. Sometimes, it emerges in the present, reminding us about the universality and repetitiveness of the human experience. Berlin’s George Grosz Museum, a tiny gem, is a startling reminder that modern political and social ills are not modern. Grosz lived through World Wars I and II, shining a torch into the heart of darkness in high-ranking men and women—who were complicit in the collapse of the world as they knew it.
REFUELLING DYING SATELLITES
A Chennai company is making waves in the world of space tech startups
DIVERSITY IN UNITY
THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY IN THE US HAS SEVERAL THINGS IN COMMON, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS, THERE ARE WIDELY DIFFERING OPINIONS AND FEELINGS