The Patient Assassin

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The Patient Assassin
The Patient Assassin.jpeg
First edition
Author Anita Anand
Audio read byAnita Anand
Cover artistMatt Johnson
CountryUK, India, US
LanguageEnglish
Subjects
PublishedApril 2019
Publisher
Pages384
ISBN 9781471174216

The Patient Assassin, A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge and the Raj is a 2019 book based on the life of Indian revolutionary Udham Singh. Authored by Anita Anand, it was published by Simon and Schuster UK in April 2019 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre in Amritsar, India.

Contents

Publication

The Patient Assassin is a book by Anita Anand based on the life of Indian revolutionary Udham Singh. It was published by Simon and Schuster UK in April 2019 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre in Amritsar, India. [1] It has 384 pages and it was launched by Scribner in the United States. [2] [3]

Summary

The book is divided into two parts, covering 25 chapters, with a preface and a list of illustrations, endnotes, and bibliography at the end. [4]

Anand's use of a number of archives, [5] and interviews with people who knew Udham Singh, including Lord Indarjit Singh, have contributed to piecing together Singh's story. [6] In addition, an account of Udham Singh's arrest, trial, and hanging are presented using documents released under the Freedom of Information Act. [7] [8]

The book begins with an account of 2013, when then UK prime-minister David Cameron visited the Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Amritsar, India. Anand then refers back to 13 April 1919, when Brigadier General Reginald Dyer's troops fired 1,650 rounds at an unarmed crowd in what came to be known as the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre. Anand explains that her grandfather, Ishwar Das Anand, was one of the civilians in that crowd, and discloses that she has "grown up with its legacy". [4] In 1919, Sir Michael O'Dwyer was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab. Twenty years later, a man named Udham Singh would kill O'Dwyer, and in Anand's words "became the most hated man in Britain, a hero to his countrymen in India, and a pawn in international politics". [4]

Part One has nine chapters and includes details of both Sir Michael O'Dwyer's and Brigadier General Reginald Dyer's lives, before giving the background and account of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. [4] [9] Sixteen chapters in Part Two complete the life of Udham Singh, tracing it from his childhood in Punjab to his travels through Germany, Russia, Mexico, California, and ultimately London in 1940, when he reached O'Dwyer and shot him "through the heart at point-blank range". [4] [5] [9] He gives his name as "Ram Mohammad Singh Azad”. [10]

Reception

William Dalrymple, who previously co-authored a book with Anand, compared The Patient Assassin with Kim A. Wagner's Amritsar 1919 . In his review in The Spectator , he notes that both authors used a number of archives in their research. While Wagner's "style is coolly forensic and scholarly", he describes Anand's as "a more warm-blooded approach". [5]

Anthony Khatchaturian in the Dublin Inquirer describes the book as "a straightforward narration of facts, many of them detailed and new". [11] Kavitha Rao, writing for LiveMint , called the book an "immensely lovable tale" put together with "painstaking investigation". [12] Rao adds that Anand's eye for fine details "humanizes Singh". [12] Rakhshanda Jalil, in an article in India Today magazine , described the book as a "giant jigsaw", with a collection of myths and truths relating to Udham Singh's life. [13]

Writing for Outlook , an Indian magazine, Nonica Dutta noted that the author opens a forgotten chapter of Indian revolutionary nationalism. [14] The Indian Express reported the work as the "first competent biography retracing the elusive, enigmatic life" of Udham Singh. [15]

Saudamini Jain, writing for Hindustan Times , noted that Anand had sought evidence from top secret British government documents and used an assortment of characters when piecing together the story of Udham Singh. [16] Nandini Nair, in her book review at Open, called the book a "psychological thriller". [9]

In The Guardian , Ian Jack questions the exact point in time that Udham Singh decided to take revenge. Without firm evidence that he was present at Amritsar on 13 April 1919, Jack suggests that a more precise title may have been "The Wandering Assassin". [7] "Her book isn't perfect", Jack notes, questioning some of Anand's speculations and terminology. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reginald Dyer</span> British Indian Army officer (1864–1927)

Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer, CB was an officer of the Bengal Army and later the newly constituted British Indian Army. His military career began in the regular British Army but he soon transferred to the Presidency armies of India. As a temporary brigadier-general, he was responsible for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that took place on 13 April 1919 in Amritsar. He has been called "the Butcher of Amritsar", because of his order to fire on a large gathering of people. The official report stated that this resulted in the killing of at least 379 people and the injuring of over a thousand more. Some submissions to the official inquiry suggested a higher number of deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-cooperation movement</span> Indian political campaign (1909-22)

The non-cooperation movement was a political campaign launched on 4 September 1920, by Mahatma Gandhi to have Indians revoke their cooperation from the British government, with the aim of persuading them to grant self-governance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jallianwala Bagh</span> Garden and memorial in Punjab, India

Jallianwala Bagh is a historic garden and memorial of national importance close to the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India, preserved in the memory of those wounded and killed in the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre that took place on the site on the festival of Baisakhi Day, 13 April 1919. The 7-acre (28,000 m2) site houses a museum, gallery and several memorial structures. It is managed by the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust, and was renovated between 2019 and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Udham Singh</span> Indian revolutionary (1899–1940)

Udham Singh was an Indian revolutionary belonging to Ghadar Party and HSRA, best known for assassinating Michael O'Dwyer, the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab in India, on 13 March 1940. The assassination was done in revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919, for which O'Dwyer was responsible and of which Singh himself was a survivor. Singh was subsequently tried and convicted of murder and hanged in July 1940. While in custody, he used the name 'Ram Mohammad Singh Azad', which represents the three major religions in India and his anti-colonial sentiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael O'Dwyer</span> British colonial administrator (1864–1940)

Sir Michael Francis O'Dwyer was an Irish colonial officer in the Indian Civil Service (ICS) and later the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, British India, between 1913 and 1919.

Sunam Udham Singh Wala is a town and a tehsil, near city of Sangrur in Sangrur district in the Indian state of Punjab. The city of Sunam Udham Singh Wala, which falls in Sunam Udham Singh Wala tehsil, was previously known only as Sunam. The Government of Punjab renamed it after the Indian freedom fighter and martyr Udham Singh in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jallianwala Bagh massacre</span> 1919 British Army massacre of Indian protesters

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919. A large, peaceful crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, British India, during annual Baishakhi fair, to protest against the Rowlatt Act and the arrest of pro-independence activists Saifuddin Kitchlew and Satyapal. In response to the public gathering, the temporary brigadier general R. E. H. Dyer, surrounded the people with his Gurkha and Sikh infantry regiments of the British Indian Army. The Jallianwala Bagh could only be exited on one side, as its other three sides were enclosed by buildings. After blocking the exit with his troops, he ordered them to shoot at the crowd, continuing to fire even as the protestors tried to flee. The troops kept on firing until their ammunition was exhausted. Estimates of those killed vary from 379 to 1,500 or more people and over 1,200 other people were injured of whom 192 were seriously injured. Britain has never formally apologised for the massacre but expressed "deep regret" in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Anand (journalist)</span> British radio and television presenter and journalist

Anita Anand is a British radio and television presenter, journalist, and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Workers' Association</span> A political organisation of Indian immigrants to Britain

The Indian Workers' Association (IWA) is a political organisation in Great Britain which consists of Indian immigrants to Britain and their descendants. IWA branches are organised in some major cities such as Birmingham and London. As one of the oldest and most active groups of immigrants, the organisation has been working in the fields of politics, race relations, industrial relations and social welfare, as well as many cultural issues. At the forefront of the struggle within trade unions, it has campaigned tirelessly against racism and on civil liberties issues.

<i>Shaheed Udham Singh</i> (film) 1999 Indian film directed by Chitraarth

Shaheed Uddham Singh is a 1999 Indian Punjabi-language biographical film based on the life of Udham Singh, an Indian revolutionary who had witnessed the 1919 Amritsar massacre and wanted to avenge the mass killing of his countrymen. He was desperate to punish Michael O'Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab for his involvement with the massacre. The film was theatrically released in India on 24 December 1999, just two days before Singh's birth centenary. The film was screened retrospective on 13 August 2016 at the Independence Day Film Festival jointly presented by the Indian Directorate of Film Festivals and Ministry of Defense, commemorating 70th Indian Independence Day.

Jallian Wala Bagh is a 1977 Indian Hindi-language film written, produced and directed by Balraj Tah, with a screenplay by Gulzar. It is based on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, where in 1919 Colonel Reginald Dyer ordered troops under his command to fire into a crowd of unarmed Indian 379 civilians, killing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundar Singh Majithia</span> Indian politician

Sardar Bahadur Sir Sundar Singh Majithia was a Punjabi landowner and politician.

<i>Sardar Udham</i> 2021 Indian biographical film by Shoojit Sircar

Sardar Udham is a 2021 Indian Hindi-Punjabi language biographical historical drama film directed by Shoojit Sircar, and produced by Rising Sun Films in collaboration with Kino Works. The screenplay is written by Shubhendu Bhattacharya and Ritesh Shah, with Bhattacharya also writing the story based on team research, and Shah also writing the dialogues, while playing a supporting role. Based on the life of Udham Singh, a freedom fighter from Punjab who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer in London to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar, the film starred Vicky Kaushal in the title role, along with Shaun Scott, Stephen Hogan, Amol Parashar, Banita Sandhu and Kirsty Averton in supporting roles.

Sir Miles Irving CIE, OBE was an English Indian Civil Service officer. As Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, the senior government official in charge, he transferred the city's administration to Colonel Reginald Dyer in April 1919, which helped to precipitate the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Satyapal was a physician and political leader in Punjab, British India, who was arrested along with Saifuddin Kitchlew on 10 April 1919, three days before the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Kim Ati Wagner is a Danish-British historian of colonial India and the British Empire at Queen Mary University of London. He has written a number of books on India, starting with Thuggee: Banditry and the British in early nineteenth-century India in 2007. He followed that up with a source book on Thuggee and has also written on the uprising of 1857 and the Amritsar massacre. A British citizen, Wagner feels an affinity for India.

Hans Raj was an Indian youth, in Amritsar, British India, who in June 1919 became an approver for the British government when he gave evidence for the Crown at the Amritsar Conspiracy Case Trial in which he identified his fellow Indian revolutionaries, buying his own freedom in return.

<i>Amritsar 1919</i> Book by Kim A. Wagner (2019)

Amritsar 1919: An Empire of Fear and the Making of a Massacre (2019), is a book by Kim A. Wagner and published by Yale University Press, that aims to dispel myths surrounding the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that took place in Amritsar, India, on 13 April 1919.

Vishwa Nath Datta was a distinguished Indian writer, historian and professor emeritus at Kurukshetra University.

The Central Khalsa Orphanage, also known as the Central Khalsa Yatimkhana, is an orphanage for boys in Amritsar, India, established in 1904 by the Chief Khalsa Diwan. It is located on a plot of land covering five acres and has a secondary school, sports facilities, a home for the blind, a guest house, a library and a gurdwara. There is also a re-creation of the room of Indian revolutionary Udham Singh who, during some of his childhood and teens, resided at the orphanage.

References

  1. ↑ Carter, Maxwell (5 July 2019). "Amritsar 1919' and 'The Patient Assassin' Review: Shots Heard Round the Raj" . The Wall Street Journal .
  2. ↑ The Patient Assassin. Simon & Schuster. 4 April 2019. ISBN   978-1-4711-7421-6.
  3. ↑ Anand, Anita (2019-06-25). The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India's Quest for Independence. Simon and Schuster. p. 4. ISBN   978-1-5011-9570-9.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Anand, Anita (2019). The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India's Quest for Independence. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-5011-9570-9.
  5. 1 2 3 Dalrymple, William (6 April 2019). "Bloodbath at Baisakhi: the centenary of the Amritsar massacre". The Spectator . Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  6. ↑ Llewellyn-Jones, Rosie (2019-08-08). "The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge and the Raj". Asian Affairs. 50 (4): 643–645. doi:10.1080/03068374.2019.1662181. ISSN   0306-8374. S2CID   211669990.
  7. 1 2 3 Jack, Ian (5 June 2019). "The Patient Assassin by Anita Anand review – massacre, revenge and the Raj". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  8. ↑ Sempa, Francis P. (21 June 2019). ""The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India's Quest for Independence" by Anita Anand" . Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 Nair, Nandini (10 April 2019). "Anita Anand: Beyond Myth and Misunderstanding". Open The Magazine. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  10. ↑ Anand, Anita (2019). "21. Ram Mohammad Singh Azad". The Patient Assassin, A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge and the Raj. London: Simon and Schuster. pp. 268–277. ISBN   978-1-4711-7424-7.
  11. ↑ Khatchaturian, Anthony (10 April 2019). "The Patient Assassin, Reviewed". Dublin Inquirer. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  12. 1 2 Rao, Kavitha (2019-05-05). "The talented Mr Udham Singh". Livemint. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  13. ↑ Jalil, Rakshanda (1 July 2019). "An uprising of one". India Today . Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  14. ↑ Datta, Nonica. "Arjuna Saw His Quarry | Outlook India Magazine". Outlook India. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  15. ↑ Sarna, Navtej (10 August 2019). "A moving target". The Indian Express. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  16. ↑ Jain, Saudamini (13 September 2019). "Book Review: The Patient Assassin by Anita Anand". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
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