Anandamath

Book excerpt: Anandmath is an extraordinary political novel. The plot, with its epical dimensions, is based on the sanyasi rebellion in Bengal in the late 18th century. The sanyasis fought the British against all odds, whom they regarded as an arch enemy of the country, and responsible for the terrible famine of 1772. In this novel Bankim also wrote Bande Mataram - Hail Motherland - and gave India its first national song, which later became a rallying call of the national freedom movement.