The Confession of Sultana Daku
The Confession of Sultana Daku is a 2009 historical novel by Sujit Saraf.[1] The novel is about the swashbuckling criminal career of Sultana Daku (Daku is the Hindi for bandit ), undisputedly the most notorious dacoit in modern India's history.[2] He, actually, belonged to bhantu clan of criminals who terrorized the United Provinces (as Uttar Pradesh was then known) in 1920. The novel begins after he is captured by the ruling British and thrown into the Haldwani Gaol.[3] Here, just, a few hours to the gallows, he has a change of heart and he requests for Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Pearce, the officer who played a major role in capturing him.[4]
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Sujit Saraf |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Publisher | Penguin Books India |
Publication date | November 2009 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 296 |
| ISBN | 978-0-670-08282-7 |
| Followed by | Peacock Throne |
The officer, readily enthusiastic of Indian culture,[5] always keeps a paper and a pencil ready, so it does not take Sultana much to pursue him to record his biography, and that's necessary because he would like his clansmen, especially his son to know how he felt and thought through his hefty upheavals throughout the ups and downs of his meteoric criminal life. Here we come to know of his deepest feelings, his love for his horse Chetak (the choice of name indicates his love for chivalry, that being the historical mount of Maharana Pratap), (while his dog's name - Rai Bahadur, perhaps hints his despise for titular kings)[6]
References
- Wright, Gillian (14 December 2009). "The Honourable Bandit". India Today. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- The Real History of the Terror called Sultana
- Bhupesh Bhandari: Sordid tales of bandit Sultana
- Review at Telegraph
- Review in Dawn by Saba Sulaiman
- Honour Killing