HR reviewer Lamat R Hasan picks her favourite read of 2024

My most interesting reads this year were two books on Barkatullah Bhopali, the fiery Indian revolutionary who set up a provisional Indian government-in-exile in Kabul on December 1, 1915, and was its Prime Minister. Little has been written about the legacy of this founding member of the Ghadar Party, set up in 1913 in San Francisco by Indian expatriates to oust the British colonialists. Born in Bhopal in the 1850s, two of the earliest accounts of Barkatullah’s life were written in Urdu by scholars from his home town. M Irfan wrote Barkatullah Bhopali in 1969 (Affan Publications) and Sayyad Abid Ali Vajdi al-Husaini, whose book was commissioned by the Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy, wroteMaulana Barkatullah Bhopali in 1986.

For his material, Irfan reached out to Barkatullah’s colleagues, most importantly Raja Mahendra Pratap, who was the President of the provisional Indian government-in-exile. Later, Husaini filled in the gaps by offering insights into the man’s transformation from scholar to revolutionary. A polygot, Barkatullah was well-versed in English, Urdu, Arabic and Persian besides also being fluent in Japanese and Russian.

Both Irfan and Husaini dwell on Barkatullah’s extensive travels – right from the time he was forced to leave India in the 1880s. He lived in London before moving to New York, where he could take on the British more freely. He launched a barrage of articles and speeches condemning British policies, and stressed the need for Hindu-Muslim unity during the freedom struggle.

Between 1909 and 1914, decades ahead of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, he made Tokyo his home. Hussaini provides a detailed account of his stay in Japan, and his fine relationship with the country’s Emperor. However, his appointment at the University of Tokyo was terminated as a result of his ongoing anti-British campaign.

Barkatullah also lived in Afghanistan and Russia and held meetings with Vladimir Lenin from whom he sought help for India’s freedom struggle. He died in San Francisco on September 20, 1927, two decades before India rid itself of the colonialists.

Both Irfan and Husaini take pains to point out that Barkatullah has not been given the attention he deserves. In fact, it has been entirely forgotten that he set up a government-in-exile decades before Bose did in the Japan-occupied Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1943.

While both books reveal little about Barkatullah’s life and not too much about his politics, they are not wasted efforts and deserve praise for putting the spotlight on him. Readers await a substantive biography of this extraordinary man.

Lamat R Hasan is an independent journalist. She lives in New Delhi.

READ MORE: HT REVIEWERS PICK THEIR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2024