The Confession of Sultana Daku

by Sujit Saraf

7 July 1924. Sultana Daku, notorious leader of a gang of bhantu dacoits that terrorized the towns and villages of the United Provinces, awaits Lt. Col. Samuel Pearce’s arrival in Haldwani jail.

It is Sultana’s last night. In the morning he will be hanged.

Wrapped in a haze of charas and nostalgia, the daku speaks all night as the Englishman listens. He recounts tales of incredible feats and narrow escapes, of the camaraderie he shared with his bhantu companions, of his love for the nautanki dancer Phulkanwar, and of the shocking betrayal that brought him to the gallows. But even as Pearce and the reader are drawn into Sultana’s confession, the contradictions that emerge reveal the daku’s own demons—his fears, superstitions and ruthless excesses—and an unshakeable belief in his criminal destiny that clashes all too often with his secret longings and hopes.

Combining swashbuckling adventure with a moving story of human frailty and fortitude, The Confession of Sultana Daku is a grand narrative that is as mesmerizing as it is unsettling. Told with remarkable flair, passion and a rare sensitivity, it seals Sujit Saraf’s reputation as a master storyteller.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Anthropology

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2009

About the author

Sujit Saraf received an engineering degree from IIT Delhi and a Ph.D. from Berkeley. He has conducted research for NASA, taught at IIT and worked as a space scientist in California. When not at his desk, he runs Naatak, an Indian theatre company in America for which he writes and directs plays and films.

Reviews

[Rajat Ubhaykar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't begin to fathom why this book isn't more popular. Exceptionally well-written and researched, it is a fantastic retelling of the life of Sultana Daku, a dacoit who terrorized Rohilkhand in the 1920s [also referred to in Gangs of Wasseypur]. Sultana belonged to the Bhantu community, a nomadic tribe of degraded Rajputs who accompanied Maharana Pratap to the jungles after his defeat at Haldighati, stayed there for the next four hundred years, and took to making a living out of robbing and stealing. As Sultana tells his son, they 'stole as long as they breathed, robbed when they could not steal, and killed whenever necessary'. The Tarai - the marshy grassland near the foothills of the Himalayas - was their domain, and they were well versed at imitating birds to send signals, and at climbing trees. They were also experts at hiding coins, rings and small knives in their mouth, deep inside the throat, and in the folds of their dhotis, tricks that were passed down generations.

As a result, the Bhantus along with many other nomadic tribes were classified by the British as Criminal Tribes, made to register at police stations, and herded into Christian missionary settlements. It was at one such settlement Sultana was raised, before he formed his own gang and broke free.
 
I will not spoil the rest of the book by giving away the plot. All I will say is that not only is this a terrific story, it is an exceptional ethnographic document about a lost way of life. It is historical fiction at its best, accurately capturing the fiercely independent ethos of India's nomadic tribes. 

"I will not speak of the lies they flung at me during the trial. I stopped counting the murders that were laid on my head when they exceeded fifty-one, or the loot that was entered into my account. Sri Maharaj keeps his own book, and it is that book which will determine Sultana's punishment. In that book, my son, you will find that a bhantu is no more guilty than a leopard in the Tarai. When the leopard sees a goat, he kills it. When a bhantu sees one, he lifts it. They do not call the leopard a thief, so why blame the bhantu? We were lifting goats in the Tarai long before we ever saw a sahib or a bania. Why must we stop now because sahibs and banias tell us we are thieves? They think we have no respect for the law, but we have no respect for their laws. Our own laws we obey."

Highly recommended!

[Vikalp Trivedi · Rating 2 out of 5]

What makes this book important is the effort of its author to shed lights on an often neglected part of Indian history. When the entire nation was burning in the great fires of freedom struggle, there were some sects of people whose only means of survival was to steal or to rob or if needed to kill. These people were proud of their violent heritage and religiously follow this heritage, and quite normally they are duty-bound to pass on the legacy to their future generations. The main character of this novel being a member of Bhantu tribe the main focus of author was the origins and later history of the tribe, and author has done a terrific job in narrating the story of the Bhantus. Things like how their panchayat worked, how they created and coordinated a society and system of their own even after being  pariahs form the main society, their customs, their way of living, everything was brilliantly narrated.

But all these things were not enough to save book from being a let down. At start the book was meant to be a letter fro Sultana to his son but that format is not used even once. There were some parts where it seemed like Sultana was directly talking to Samuel Pearce like a friend is telling about his life and adventures to the other friend and not narrating a letter. It would have been alright if there was a bond was developed between Pearce and Sultana but there was no bond, nothing at all. The other thing with which the  novel comes short with is the diary entries of Samuel Pearce, these entries were largely inconsequential. The other major problem with the book is that it is mostly eventless. There are many (and I mean many) random things which contribute almost nothing to the story. Even when the events happen they are not depicted in an impactful manner. The character development except that of Sultana was also below average.

I think if the book was written in an non-fiction template it would have been a better one.

2 Stars.

[Hanil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to set the context by 'Harilal & Sons' - Sarafs other book which was exceptionally well-researched, engaging and immersive despite its length. The subject seemed tame and unassuming (how much can one expound on the life of a baniya?) but Saraf does that, and how!

By comparison, 'Sultana...' is a much more rivetting topic, with a lot more information in public domain. Yet, it does not live up to the charm and personal touch of Harilal... Also, doing a comparison shows that historical accounts of Sultana differ from what is presented in the book, so one does not know which version to go with...confusing. Finally, there's a lot of overlap of flavors, language and even setting of the two books (extensive presence of baniyas and angrez).

Riveting, yes, but Mr. Sujit, please give us another 'Harilal..' anyday!

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Probably the tone and wording are according to the theme and historical moment. But that helped me detach even more from the story.

[Pakhi Agarwal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great novel, unveils British hypocrite catastrophe.

[Siddharth Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. Since childhood every kid has heard the stories of Sultana Daku, so I was eager to know more about him.