Uprising: The Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, by Neelesh Kulkarni
A freedom struggle with guns, clandestine meetings, and songs. That makes it a quintessential Indian freedom struggle, with music by Sudhir Phadke and songs by the legendary Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd Rafi.
India’s struggle for Independence culminated on the 15 August 1947, when the Tricolour was hoisted atop Red Fort and India was free of the British. So goes the oversimplified version of history. More than 500 princely states had still to be persuaded to merge with India, as opposed to staying independent or acceding to Pakistan—this was the last act of pettiness from a British empire fleeing its “Jewel in the Crown”, intent on destroying what they could no longer rule. Then there were territories still under the control of other foreign powers—the French and the Portuguese.
Relatively less known is the struggle to liberate Goa (and Daman and Diu) from the Portuguese, which finally happened after a brief assault by the Indian armed forces in December 1961.
Much less known is the struggle to liberate Dadra and Nagar Haveli—also from the Portuguese. Most Indians know it as a Union Territory. That a small group of freedom fighters, fighting not under the banner of ahimsa (non-violence), but armed as best as they could, overthrew the Portuguese and established an independent state in 1954, and then joined the Indian Union on 16 August 1961, would come as news and surprise to many. It is this story of struggle, planning, plotting, setbacks, and liberation that Neelesh Kulkarni has put together in his unputdownable book.
