Flowers of the Sun: The People and Land of Kutch, c.1740–2020 by Mariam Dossal
INFORMATION
- AUTHOR : Mariam Dossal
- HB ISBN : 978-93-6883-866-1
- Year : 2024
- Extent : 466
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Flowers of the Sun: The People and Land of Kutch, c.1740–2020 examines Kutch’s rich and fascinating history, spanning nearly three centuries. It highlights the strong Sufi tradition of Kutch, the shared love of the land and the awareness that survival in the harsh environment requires cooperation and innovation, ‘mil and mithas’, friendship and sweetness.
The early years of the nineteenth century witnessed efforts by the British to establish political and military control over Kutch, Sindh and north-west India. Thwarted by effective Kutchi resistance under the able leadership of military commander Jamadar Fateh Mahomed, this period constitutes a significant marker in Kutch’s history. His death in 1813 was followed by increasing British domination over the princely state, until India (and Kutch) gained Independence in 1947.
Special attention is paid to Kutch’s participation in the Indian national movement, hitherto almost absent from history books. The role of important leaders, notably, Yusuf Meherally, K.T. Shah, M.M Mehta, Jilubha Jadeja among others, reveal the dominant concerns of the people of Kutch. This historical study concludes with the devastating earthquake of 26 January 2001 and the significant changes that have taken place thereafter.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Preface: A Personal Journey into the History of Kutch
Prologue: Flowers of the Sun
Introduction: Kutch’s Distinctive Culture and Identity
SECTION I: CULTURE, CRAFTS AND THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF KUTCH c.1740–1870
- Shared Land, Shared Culture: Kutch, Sindh and the River Indus
- Maharao Lakhpatji and the Promotion of Arts and Crafts in Kutch c.1740–1780
- Jamadar Fateh Mahomed and British Ambitions in Kutch c.1780–1820
- Political Manoeuvres and Geographical Explorations in Kutch c.1820–1870
- Maritime Trade and the Port-Towns of Kutch c.1820–1870
SECTION II: KUTCH IN A GLOBALIZING WORLD c.1870–2020
- Kutchi Crafts and the International Market c.1870–1910
- Kutch and the Nationalist Movement c.1910–1950
- A New Order: Kutch c.1950–2000
- Transforming Adversity: The Earthquake and its Aftermath, 2001–2020
Conclusion: Preserving the Diverse and Distinct
Bibliography
Index
The Author
Mariam Dossal is former Professor of the Department of History, University of Mumbai. She is a historian of modern India who focuses on urban and maritime history and has authored and edited several books. Some of her major publications include Imperial Designs and Indian Realities: The Planning of Bombay City, c. 1845–1875 (1991); Theatre of Conflict, City of Hope: Mumbai 1660 to Present Times (2010) and the edited volume State Intervention and Popular Response: Western India in the Nineteenth Century (1998). She has published extensively in national and international journals and is the recipient of several awards, including the Commonwealth Academic Staff Scholarship, (1983–4); the Indo-US Visitorship (1993); the Rockefeller Foundation Award (1995); Membership at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton (2002–3). Her current research explores scientific and technological advances in nineteenth and twentieth century western India.