The Devil's Wind
Encyclopedia
The Devil's Wind is a historical novel by Manohar Malgonkar
that tells the story of Nana Saheb, the heir of the last Peshwa
of the Maratha Confederacy
, who played a leading role in the Indian Mutiny. It provides a sympathetic portrait of a man whom the British portrayed as a great villain, and is based on historical sources as far as possible. The book is written as an autobiography in which Nana Saheb describes his life in his own words.
. An urbane and sophisticated man, Nana Saheb is sympathetic to the British, several of whom are his close friends, but cannot accept their right to rule and exploit India.
When the mutiny breaks out in May 1857, Nana Sahib finds himself forced to accept a position of leadership. After a long and ultimately futile struggle in which both sides commit many atrocities, Nana Sahib flees to Nepal
where he receives a grudging sanctuary, taking with him an English woman he has rescued and with whom he has fallen in love. Many years later, he revisits India and then travels on to safety in Istanbul
, the place where he sets down his memoirs.
The book is both an epic and an autobiography.
Malgonkar's purpose is to rehabilitate Nana Saheb, maligned as a monster by British propaganda, by telling the story from the Indian point of view in Nana Saheb own words.
Malgonkar's Nana Sahib is an affectionate, soft-hearted, generous and cultivated nobleman, free from prejudice and governed by common sense and reason.
With skill and reticence, Malgomkar reconstructs the picture of India, with Kanpur as its microcosm, growing suspicious, aggrieved, alienated, hostile, rebellious, enraged and vengeful by degrees. He presents a convincing picture of the Indian reaction to British provocations, describes their hesitance and disunity at the time of the early "rebel" victories, and their growing determination mingled with despair as the tide turns against them.
Nana Saheb inherits from his adoptive father a delight in sex, and this theme recurs throughout the book.
Malgonkar treats the women in his book sympathetically, and grants their right to sexual choice. The book gives a powerful portrayal of Kashi, Nana Sahib's third wife, who remains a virgin while with him because of his fear of a curse that says if he consummates a marriage the wife shall die, which had happened with his first two wives. Later, Kashi gains her freedom to love as she chooses in the court of Nepal.
s gave to the mutiny, a barbaric, uncontrollable fury that swept across the hot plains of India as if blown by the Devil. It is another name for the Loo
, the hot dry and gritty wind that blows in the plains of India before the monsoons bring relief.
Dinesh Chandra Kumar notes that Malgonkar's moral views are deftly woven into the texture of his novels, sometimes expressed in a subtle way that is not perceivable by common eyes and minds.
J.Y. Dayananda points out that Malgonkar "does not deal with the social and political realities of India but only with the social and political thinking of a small property-owning conservative class in India". However, Dayananda believes that The Devil's Wind is the "most profound fictional treatment of the rebellion of 1857 from an Indian point of view".
Manohar Malgonkar
Manohar Malgonkar was an Indian author in the English language of both fiction and nonfiction....
that tells the story of Nana Saheb, the heir of the last Peshwa
Peshwa
A Peshwa is the titular equivalent of a modern Prime Minister. Emporer Shivaji created the Peshwa designation in order to more effectively delegate administrative duties during the growth of the Maratha Empire. Prior to 1749, Peshwas held office for 8-9 years and controlled the Maratha army...
of the Maratha Confederacy
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
, who played a leading role in the Indian Mutiny. It provides a sympathetic portrait of a man whom the British portrayed as a great villain, and is based on historical sources as far as possible. The book is written as an autobiography in which Nana Saheb describes his life in his own words.
Plot
Nana Saheb was the adopted son of Bajirao II, the last Maratha Peshwa, and heir to his position as "prime minister" of the Maratha lands. He is raised in an immensely wealthy family and educated as a Brahmin and a prince, although his father's power had been taken away by the British. On his father's death the British do not recognize his title, but allow him to continue in his comfortable exile in the town of BithoorBithoor
Bithoor is a centre of Hindu pilgrimage in Kanpur District near Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh, India.-Location:Bithoor is situated on the Kannauj Road, 27 km from center of Kanpur. Situated on the banks of the Ganges. It is a tourist place....
. An urbane and sophisticated man, Nana Saheb is sympathetic to the British, several of whom are his close friends, but cannot accept their right to rule and exploit India.
When the mutiny breaks out in May 1857, Nana Sahib finds himself forced to accept a position of leadership. After a long and ultimately futile struggle in which both sides commit many atrocities, Nana Sahib flees to Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
where he receives a grudging sanctuary, taking with him an English woman he has rescued and with whom he has fallen in love. Many years later, he revisits India and then travels on to safety in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, the place where he sets down his memoirs.
Major themes
The Devil's Wind is a painstaking literary work that blends beautifully the artist and the historian.The book is both an epic and an autobiography.
Malgonkar's purpose is to rehabilitate Nana Saheb, maligned as a monster by British propaganda, by telling the story from the Indian point of view in Nana Saheb own words.
Malgonkar's Nana Sahib is an affectionate, soft-hearted, generous and cultivated nobleman, free from prejudice and governed by common sense and reason.
With skill and reticence, Malgomkar reconstructs the picture of India, with Kanpur as its microcosm, growing suspicious, aggrieved, alienated, hostile, rebellious, enraged and vengeful by degrees. He presents a convincing picture of the Indian reaction to British provocations, describes their hesitance and disunity at the time of the early "rebel" victories, and their growing determination mingled with despair as the tide turns against them.
Nana Saheb inherits from his adoptive father a delight in sex, and this theme recurs throughout the book.
Malgonkar treats the women in his book sympathetically, and grants their right to sexual choice. The book gives a powerful portrayal of Kashi, Nana Sahib's third wife, who remains a virgin while with him because of his fear of a curse that says if he consummates a marriage the wife shall die, which had happened with his first two wives. Later, Kashi gains her freedom to love as she chooses in the court of Nepal.
Publication history
- 1972, UK, Hamish HamiltonHamish HamiltonHamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half-Scot half-American Jamie Hamilton . Confusingly, Jamie Hamilton was often referred to as Hamish Hamilton...
ISBN 0241021766, Hardcover - 1972, USA, Viking PressViking PressViking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
ISBN 0670271020, Hardcover - 1988, UK, Penguin BooksPenguin BooksPenguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
ISBN 014011047X, Paperback
Explanation of the novel's title
"The Devils Wind" is the name the sepoySepoy
A sepoy was formerly the designation given to an Indian soldier in the service of a European power. In the modern Indian Army, Pakistan Army and Bangladesh Army it remains in use for the rank of private soldier.-Etymology and Historical usage:...
s gave to the mutiny, a barbaric, uncontrollable fury that swept across the hot plains of India as if blown by the Devil. It is another name for the Loo
Loo (wind)
The Loo is a strong, hot and dry summer afternoon wind from the west which blows over the western Indo-Gangetic Plain region of North India and Pakistan. It is especially strong in the months of May and June...
, the hot dry and gritty wind that blows in the plains of India before the monsoons bring relief.
Literary significance and reception
P.P. Mehta in Indo-Anglian Fiction: An Assessment, described the book as "the first perfect historical novel of Indo-Anglian fiction."Dinesh Chandra Kumar notes that Malgonkar's moral views are deftly woven into the texture of his novels, sometimes expressed in a subtle way that is not perceivable by common eyes and minds.
J.Y. Dayananda points out that Malgonkar "does not deal with the social and political realities of India but only with the social and political thinking of a small property-owning conservative class in India". However, Dayananda believes that The Devil's Wind is the "most profound fictional treatment of the rebellion of 1857 from an Indian point of view".