Immigrants, rebels, freedom fighters

In 1913, young Punjabis in search of a better life in the US and Canada flew the freedom flag far away from home, failed, and yet inspired generations — a conversation with the author of a new book about the Ghadarites, who inspired Bhagat Singh.

- AKASH CHATTERJEE

SHOULD one write history just for academic study, or should it be written with common people in mind? For author Rana Preet Gill, the aim of writing The Ghadar Movement: A Forgotten Struggle (Penguin) was to make a larger Indian audience, and not just Punjabis, understand the Ghadar Party's history and the importance of what they did more than 100 years ago. "I wanted more and more people from across the nation to connect with this important chapter of Indian history. Hence, I wrote a narrative history, rather than an academic history, and emphasised storytelling. Many Ghadarites from places such as Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar joined the movement. Not many of today's generation are aware of them; at the most they are shadowy figures," she says.

Origin story