THE FIRST SHOT  (English, Paperback, Sai R. Vaidyanathan)

Golden dream made nightmare Indian history as taught in schools is a nightmare, Rabindranath Tagore once observed, where numerous invaders came, murdered and looted. Surprisingly, no mention is made of the resistance that the Indians might have offered. History books make the invasion of India — famed as the golden bird globally — look like a walk in the park. 'The first SHOT' brings to the fore many heroes and heroines whose contribution to India has been overshadowed by a few favourites. They were the ones who bravely faced the invaders even when defeat stared them in the face. Even the 1857 Uprising is dismissed as an unplanned and localised sepoy mutiny. Was there a plan for the First War of Indian Independence? Where all did it take place? Did an invisible group coordinate it?