Rebels against the Raj
Rebels against the Raj tells the little-known story of seven people who chose to struggle for a country other than their own. Foreigners to India who, from the late nineteenth century, arrived to join the freedom movement fighting for independence. Of the seven, four were British, two American and one Irish: four men, three women. Before and after being jailed or deported they did remarkable and pioneering work in a variety of fields, from journalism and social reform to education, organic agriculture, and environmentalism.
Through these entwined lives we reach deep insights into the relationship between India and the West, and India’s story as a country searching for its identity and liberty beyond British colonial rule.
Ramachandra Guha
Ramachandra Guha was born and raised in the Himalayan foothills. He studied in Delhi and Kolkata and has lived for many years in Bengaluru. His many books include a pioneering environmental history, The Unquiet Woods; a landmark history of his country, India after Gandhi; and an authoritative biography of Mahatma Gandhi, both volumes of which were chosen by the New York Times as a notable book of the year. Having previously taught at Oslo, Stanford and the London School of Economics, he is currently Distinguished university Professor at Krea university.
Guha’s awards include Leopold-Hidy Prize of the American Society of Environmental history, the Howard Milton Award of the British Society for Sports History and the Fukoka Prize for contributions to Asian culture. He is the recipient of an honorary doctorate in the humanities from Yale University.
Rukmini Banerji
Rukmini Banerji is the Chief Executive Officer of Pratham Education Foundation.
Rukmini Banerji was trained as an economist at St. Stephen’s College (Delhi) and the Delhi School of Economics. She was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University (1981-83) and completed her PhD at the University of Chicago in 1991. Rukmini returned to India in 1996 and joined Pratham. Over the years, she has worked extensively in Pratham’s education programs in rural and urban areas. Along with her teams, she has played a major role in designing and supporting large scale partnerships with state governments in India, for improving children’s learning outcomes. Since 2015, she has been the CEO of Pratham.
In 2008, Rukmini received the Maulana Abul Kalam Shiksha Puraskar by the Government of Bihar. She was the first recipient of this award. In 2021, Rukmini was awarded the Yidan Prize for Education Development.
