565: The Dramatic Story of Unifying India

Mallika Ravikumar

Only two months to freedom.

A jigsaw of around 565* princely states.

At the stroke of midnight on 15 August 1947, India could emerge as a united nation.

Or disintegrate into several pieces.

On 3 June 1947, Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India, makes a historic announcement. After two centuries of being a colony, India would finally become an independent nation on 15 August 1947.

Yet there is no India as we know it today, only a patchwork of territories forming British India, and kingdoms ruled by maharajas and nawabs who had pledged their allegiance to the British Crown. The rulers are given three choices: accede to India, join Pakistan, or remain free. While many of the nearly 600 rulers unite with India, some with larger kingdoms decide to either wait for a better bargain, negotiate terms for joining Pakistan, or use the opportunity to give flight to their lofty ambitions. As the sun is poised to set on the British Empire, the future of India hangs in the balance.

What unfolds in those nerve-racking last days of the Raj?

In a gripping account, highlighting the key events and personalities of the time, this thoroughly researched book introduces young adults and older readers to the dramatic saga of how a great nation was forged.

*For why 565, see page i