Only two months to freedom.
A jigsaw of around 565* princely states.
At the stroke of midnight on 15 August 1947, India could emerge as a united nation.
Or disintegrate into several pieces.
On 3 June 1947, Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India, makes a historic announcement. After two centuries of being a colony, India would finally become an independent nation on 15 August 1947.
Yet there is no India as we know it today, only a patchwork of territories forming British India, and kingdoms ruled by maharajas and nawabs who had pledged their allegiance to the British Crown. The rulers are given three choices: accede to India, join Pakistan, or remain free. While many of the nearly 600 rulers unite with India, some with larger kingdoms decide to either wait for a better bargain, negotiate terms for joining Pakistan, or use the opportunity to give flight to their lofty ambitions. As the sun is poised to set on the British Empire, the future of India hangs in the balance.
What unfolds in those nerve-racking last days of the Raj?
In a gripping account, highlighting the key events and personalities of the time, this thoroughly researched book introduces young adults and older readers to the dramatic saga of how a great nation was forged.
*For why 565, see page i
Review
'Veiled as they are behind the drudgery of textbooks, some of the most enthralling episodes from the making of modern India fail to reach a majority of young Indians, who will go on to helm our future. One of these episodes is the integration of more than 500 princely states into the Union of India. As an impoverished and soon-to-be-liberated India ran the gauntlet of infernal communal violence and armed invasion, the venerable Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and his sagacious aide, V.P. Menon, strove to cobble together, one challenging maharaja a time, the India we see on the map. Were it not for these two patriots and their valorous crusade against formidable odds, India's fate would have been wholly different. This is their story. An outstanding volume, woven into a spellbinding yarn by Mallika Ravikumar and brought to sparkling life by Ishan Trivedi's excellent illustrations, 565: The Dramatic Story of Unifying India is sure to enthral readers, introducing them to the glory of independent India's founders and the cataclysms they surmounted to leave behind the nation we boundlessly treasure.– Dr Shashi Tharoor, author and Member of Parliament 565: The Dramatic Story of Unifying India is a compelling narrative that unravels the intricate negotiations, strategic manoeuvres and powerful personalities involved in integrating over 500 princely states into the Indian Union, both pre- and post-independence. A well-researched book, with vivid storytelling, interesting snippets and a note on sources called 'Did it Happen This Way', it brings alive a pivotal yet overlooked chapter of Indian history. – Rana Safvi, author and translator
About the Author
Winner of the Atta Galatta Bangalore Literature Festival Award for Best Children's Fiction 2023, and the Binod Kanoria Children's Book Award 2023 in the Young Adult category, Mallika is a lawyer turned writer. An MA in Ancient Indian History and Culture, her study of, and interest in, the accession of princely states, began when she was the curator and chief content writer for the Government of India's National Virtual Library of India portal on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's life and legacy.
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