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  The Royal Insignia
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Lucknow 1857 - The Two Wars

Lucknow 1857 - The Two Wars at Lucknow - The Dusk of an Era
Roshan Taqui

  		   Contents:
Foreword.
1. Preface:
	a. Political history.
	b. Population and area of Lucknow.
	c. Market and economy.
	d. Culture and Tahzib.
	e. Friendship of British-a style of loot.
	f. Army and soldiers of Oudh.
	g. Great nursery of Sepoys.
	h. Prologue.
2. Hazrat Mahal.
3. Ahmad Ulla Shah.
4. Raja Jia Lal.
5. From March 1856 to March 1857.
6. From April 1857 to June 1857:
	a. The Ist battle of Lucknow-30 June 1857.
	b. Causes of war.
	c. Prelude.
	d. The real episode.
7. From July 1857 to Nov. 24, 1857:
	a. Epilogue-the winners.
8. November 25, 1857 to March 21, 1858:
	a. Administration of Hazrat Mahal.
	b. Defence strategies.
9.IInd Battle of Lucknow:
	a. Causes of war.
	b. Prelude.
	c. Final struggle.
	d. The martyrdom.
	e. Loot.
	f. Epilogue.
10. References.
11. Bibliography.
12. List of Martyrs.
Photographs.

"The state of Avadh, the biggest of its time, was annexed by East India Company in January, 1856 and a general rebellion provoked. The rebellion, as per vox populii, was started on 10 May 1857 from Meerut. This book with the help of original references and contexts reveals that the war of independence was started on 3 of May 1857 from Lucknow only. The period from January 8 1856 to May 3 1857 was very important considering as the prelude period of war of independence. For the first time some important factors and incidents of that period have been discussed in this book.

"That was the period of character assassination." The agents of East India Company, with their wilful words used derogatory remarks against the freedom fighters and tried their level best for their character assassination. "They were all wrong" has been shown in this book. "The datewise history from 1 January, 1857 to 31 December 1857 has finally been written in this book. The loot of Avadh from March 1858 onwards shows that invaders were only looters. Some light on the characters and personalities of Begum Hazrat Mahal, Raja Jia Lal and other soldiers has also been thrown to show that they were the lode star of the first war of Independence." (jacket) No. 18760

        ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

       Roshan Taqui was born in a respectable family of Lucknow. His great grandfather Agha Mir Habeebi whom the British called Agha Habeebi alais Aghai, had been killed by Firangis in 1857 War of Independence.

        His thirteen other brothers who were also killed included Agha Najaf Ali, who was a jail doctor in Faizabad and was a close confident of Molvi Ahmadulla Shah.

        Roshan Taqui is an Engineer by profession and is presently working in a U.P. State Government department. Reading and writing is his habit from his childhood and has been associated with theatre. He has written several plays including Ajaib Nagar, Do Jallad, Dada Jan ne Kaha Tha, Bezuban Biwi, Do Gaz Zameen, Yeh Ho Raha Hai etc. He has also directed several plays including Gidh, Chanakya, Chacha Chhakkan ki Wapsi, Uljhan, Khalid ki Khala, She Stoops to Conquer, Desire under the Elms, and Tamrapatra.

        His two drama collections "Ajaib Nagar" and "Dada Jaim Ne Kaha Tha" and two books on music and dance Bani and Chanchal have been published. His latest book "Lucknow ki Bhand Parampara", is the only book on the subject. More than forty articles on different aspects of Lucknow are in his name. Like old Lucknowites he believes in religious harmony and National Integration.

        Lucknow is the subject of his writings. He speaks, reads and writes Hindi, English, and Urdu. History and Culture of Lucknow is his Junoon.

He can be contacted at the address of the Publisher.
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