This is a fascinating account of the Indian freedom struggle from subaltern viewpoints.

In August 1973, Ambujammal wrote her autobiography, Naan Kanda Bharatham (The India I Saw), a riveting and insightful account of life as it was in Madras (later Chennai) through almost a century, with the freedom struggle as the background.

Hers was not a happy life, and even as the book traces India’s journey to becoming an independent nation, it also documents the decline of what was once a proud family. Taken overall, it was a life of achievements but with many crosses to bear.

What is remarkable is that Ambujammal chooses not to dwell on the problems and instead focuses on the bigger causes that need support. As one reads the book, it appears as though she asks the reader to judge her on whether her life contributed, even in an infinitesimally small way, to the betterment of the motherland. On that score, it has to be said she triumphs.

The India I Saw is a must-read for anyone who wishes to explore a woman’s life in India during the twentieth century.