The book is a collection of historical novellas, stories and articles by Hemendra Kumar Roy (1888 – 1963). He was an Indian writer regarded as a noted contributor to the development of detective fiction in the Bengali language. Though he was famous for his mystery/ adventure stories, he was also a prolific author in genres such as sci-fi, supernatural, historical fiction and general knowledge articles for children. Despite his immense popularity once upon a time, he was and continues to be looked down upon by some literature classists. I distinctly remember one school teacher referring to Hemendra Kumar Ray as a “third grade writer.” I don’t agree but to each his own.
Now coming to the actual review – the stories in this book are mostly based on Indian characters – from great kings, mighty warriors from the ancient and medieval era to a patriotic poet and a footballer player, both of whom lived during the pre-independence days. In addition there are a few stories dedicated to Napeleon, Alexander the Great, Timur, European pirates and the anit-colonial uprising in the erstwhile African kingdom of Dahomey.
I had read somewhere that the author always tried to instill pride and courage among Indians through his writing. Many of his books were written during a time when India was reeling under the tyranny of the British colonials who had vehement created the narrative that Indians were weak, cowardly people worthy of subjugation and exploitation. I have read only a few of his books, but I have seen his attempts at instilling a sense of pride in our national heritage- something very prominent in this book.
The stories in this book talk about the might kings/ emperors of India who had united the different warring kingdoms to create empires, fought tooth and nail to defend India from foreign invaders; people who in their own way tried to fight for the cause of the country either with a sword or a pen or even in the football field. Throughout the book the author extolled the bravery and also condemned the ruthlessness of the characters.
I enjoyed reading the book, but since the stories were written a long time back – the writing can come across as old-fashioned. Also some of the stories are a bit text-bookish – reminds you of the historical pieces in literature text books. Overall a decent read.