P Sainath back with a new book, after two decades

Kolkata: Penguin Random House India has announced the acquisition and publication of eminent writer and Journalist P Sainath’s upcoming book on India’s freedom struggle, titled The Last Heroes.
The book is scheduled for release on November 21 from the Penguin Viking imprint.
As we observe our 75th year of independence, The Last Heroes celebrates little known fighters
from India’s freedom struggle. The book tracks the role of ordinary, everyday people in achieving Independence. Farmers, laborer’s, homemakers, forest produce gatherers, artisans and others—stood up to the British. These people never went on to be ministers, governors, presidents, or hold high public office. The Last Heroes is a book that helps them tell their stories, giving them a recognition, they truly deserve, but were never granted.
The book highlights the distinction between Freedom and Independence that these fighters speak
of. The Last Heroes shows that Indian Independence was not the gift of a handful of Oxbridge elites. And does so by revealing the spectacular diversity of these foot soldiers who fought the great battles of freedom – Adivasis, Dalits, Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus; OBCs, Brahmins; men, women and children, believers and atheists. They came from different regions, from diverse political streams. spoke different languages but stood up together against British colonial rule. However, The Last Heroes goes beyond their fight for Independence as many continued their battle for freedom long after 1947.
Talking about his second book, author P. Sainath, shares his motivation to write: ‘In the next five or
six years, there will not be a single person alive who fought for this country’s freedom. Newer generations of young Indians will never get to meet, see, speak or listen to India’s freedom fighters. That’s why and for whom I wrote this book. For quite a while now, we see young people being robbed of their history, denied any knowledge of what India’s fight for freedom and Independence was about – and who it was who spearheaded that struggle.’
Karthik Venkatesh, Executive Editor, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘The book recounts a very important and exciting phase of our history by retelling how the struggle for freedom in India was universal, something all sections of society chose to participate in. It records for posterity a selection of the experiences of those tumultuous times, making it a truly valuable document both for us and for future generations.’
Meru Gokhale, Publisher, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House India, says, ‘P. Sainath’s book,
his first in more than two decades, captures a critically important slice of history by documenting the participation of ordinary people in India’s freedom struggle. The people whose lives and stories are wonderfully documented in this book are from all parts of the country and all sections of society, demonstrating the deep roots of India’s national movement. It is particularly wonderful for us as publishers to be able to present this book to the reading public on the occasion of the 75th year of India’s independence.’ (UNI)