Easy Returns
Easy Returns
Return within 7 days of
order delivery.See T&Cs
1M+ Customers
1M+ Customers
Serving more than a
million customers worldwide.
25+ Years in Business
25+ Years in Business
A trustworthy name in Indian
art, fashion and literature.

The Indian National Uprising of 1857- A Contemporary Russian Account (An Old and Rare Book)

$22
Express Shipping
Express Shipping
Express Shipping: Guaranteed Dispatch in 24 hours
Specifications
HBI894
Publisher: NALANDA PUBLICATIONS PVT. LTD., KOLKATA
Language: English
Edition: 1988
Pages: 100
Cover: HARDCOVER
9.00x6.00 inch
210 gm
Delivery and Return Policies
Ships in 1-3 days
Returns and Exchanges accepted with 7 days
Free Delivery
Easy Returns
Easy Returns
Return within 7 days of
order delivery.See T&Cs
1M+ Customers
1M+ Customers
Serving more than a
million customers worldwide.
25+ Years in Business
25+ Years in Business
A trustworthy name in Indian
art, fashion and literature.
Book Description
Foreword

I fear this foreword is a superfluous piece of writing. for it is no more than a token of my admiration for Harish C. Gupta whose assiduous and excellent translations from Russian into English are a remarkable performance. It so happens that when Mr. Gupta asked me to write a foreword to his translation of N. A. Dobrolyubov's article (1857) on A View of History and the Present Situation in East-India, I had before me a nearly 500-page book of serious studies by several Soviet scholars on the life and work of Swami Vivekananda, all translated from the original Russian by Mr. Gupta and published by the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture in an elegant volume of high value. Gupta's own 15-page introduction to this present brochure precludes the need of a foreword from my pen, but I fear I must yield to his gentle persuasion.

Perhaps one reason for Indo-Soviet amity, a striking feature now for over four decades of contemporary history, has been a long-time Russian predilection for understanding India. The fact of Tsarist Russia forming one-sixth of the earth and sprawling over enormous tracts of Asia as well as Europe perhaps contributed to a certain freedom from die-hard Europe-centric conceptions. Luckily, the Great October Socialist Revolution (1917) was inspired and led by Lenin and his Bolshevik party with the internationalism of Marxism in their bones, and while conscious of "back-ward Russia" having to overtake "civilized Europe", they knew also they had with them the then "awakening" masses of Asia to share the brave, new enterprise of building the world's first socialist commonwealth. Tsarist Russia, of course, was a link in the chain of world imperialism; its policies and geo-political compulsions are seen in being part of the system of imperialism and also necessarily involved in inter-imperialist contradictions. Jealousy of, and rivalry with the empire of Britain in Asia was a feature of Russian history in the century before the Revolution; the struggle for hegemony over large Asian regions, Persia, Afghanistan in especial, marks Anglo-Russian relations; there are picturesque phenomena like Daleep Singh, Ranjit Singh's heir, mollycoddled in the spider's parlour of the British monarchy, tiring of the experience and flirting with hopes of Russian patronage. However, from Afanasy Nikitin in the 15th century to Gerasim Lebedev in the 18th century to Ivan Minayev in the 19th, there was no lack of Russians of character and courage and intellectual eminence who fullthroatedly proclaimed their affinity, even affection, for India and her people.

Introduction

Russia, traditionally, had her first direct familiarity with India when Afanasy Nikitin, the Russian merchant from the city of Tver, undertook a journey to India in 1471-1474, much before the well known voyage of Vasco da Gama. The account of Afanasy Nikitin's voyage highlighted the big gulf between the prosperity of the rich and the abject misery of the poor in India, thus giving a blow to the centuries old Russian conception that India was only a land of fabulous riches. Behind the apparent luxury and splendour the keen eye of the Russian traveller was able to discern the grievous sides of Indian life, to comprehend that the glittering court, the foreign and native nobility, the alien and home-bred warriors lived, enjoyed their pleasures and amassed wealth at the expense of that rural population which was very poor.

Some sort of contact with India continued also in the 16th century during the reign of Ivan the Terrible (1533-1554), after the seizure of Kazan and Astrakhan, long the centres of the Eastern trade. Although Russia had no official relations with India in the 16th century, individual Russian merchants did nonetheless reach India, and there is evidence that Indian merchants also appeared in Russia and they enjoyed the protection of the Russian rulers. In the 17th century there was a regular colony of Indian merchants in Astrakhan, in Russia, and these Indians were often a good source of information on India.

The visit to India in the late 18th century of the well known Russian theatre director, musician, actor, linguist, Gerasim Lebedev, brought India much closer to the Russians. It is common knowledge that Lebedev established at Calcutta the first professional theatre in the modern sense of the word, and that he made a significant contribution to the propagation of Bengali language and gave his countrymen a first hand idea of the real conditions in India. Even otherwise, the ancient Indian literature was now attracting an ever greater attention in Russia as an evidence of Indian wisdom and as an example of Indian literary maturity. Based on an English translation of the Indian classic, Bhaga-vadgita, the distinguished Russian historian and writer, Nikolai Karamzin, translated this great work into Russian in 1788. Four years later, viz. in 1792, the same Nikolai Karamzin made a partial translation into Russian of Sakuntala, the famous work of the Sanskrit dramatist Kalidasa.

Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q. What locations do you deliver to ?
    A. Exotic India delivers orders to all countries having diplomatic relations with India.
  • Q. Do you offer free shipping ?
    A. Exotic India offers free shipping on all orders of value of $30 USD or more.
  • Q. Can I return the book?
    A. All returns must be postmarked within seven (7) days of the delivery date. All returned items must be in new and unused condition, with all original tags and labels attached. To know more please view our return policy
  • Q. Do you offer express shipping ?
    A. Yes, we do have a chargeable express shipping facility available. You can select express shipping while checking out on the website.
  • Q. I accidentally entered wrong delivery address, can I change the address ?
    A. Delivery addresses can only be changed only incase the order has not been shipped yet. Incase of an address change, you can reach us at help@exoticindia.com
  • Q. How do I track my order ?
    A. You can track your orders simply entering your order number through here or through your past orders if you are signed in on the website.
  • Q. How can I cancel an order ?
    A. An order can only be cancelled if it has not been shipped. To cancel an order, kindly reach out to us through help@exoticindia.com.
Add a review
Have A Question
By continuing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Book Categories