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Tales of Man Singh
A single man who was pursued by 1,700 policemen of four states for fifteen years! A man who ruled the Chambal ravines and roamed 8,000 square miles, leading the police on a wild goose chase every time they plotted to nab him! Loved by the underprivileged and feared by the rich, he was eventually shot dead when cornered by a company of Gurkhas. Read the thrilling tales of his adventures and the legends of a man who was called ‘Raja’ because of his generosity and large-heartedness.
- GenresIndia
268 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2018
28 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Anderson
191 books73 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Kenneth Anderson (1910 – 1974) was an Indian writer and hunter who wrote many books about his adventures in the jungles of South India.
Kenneth Anderson (1910 – 1974) was an Indian writer and hunter who wrote many books about his adventures in the jungles of South India.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 17, 2018
Overall Verdict:- A could-have-been better one time read
A lost in thoughts turban wearing dacoit riding through Chambal valley carrying a gun in its cover and a colophon boasting the of Man Singh’s exploits promising to be the complete account of his legends, I decided to take a break from fiction and explore Man Singh through the words of Kenneth Anderson.
“Tales of..” is a collection of stories of Dacoit Man Singh which describe some of his exploits, his background and ultimately how he died.
To start, the well written foreword sets a good mood for reading and increases the expectations for what’s to come. The stories themselves are disconnected and there is no specific timeline as to when they are happening. You are able to read from one page to other but it lacks the elements that makes you immerse in the experience.
The book is written in first person perspective. Personally I felt the character of Man Singh could had been better portrayed. The choice of tales are taken from a period once he had been established as the king of dacoits, with the exception of last chapter which deals with how he became a dacoit and how he died. Mostly, he’s shown more a leader/judge than that of a dacoit, who swoops in to give judgement and move aside for someone to execute it. Even though the books title is Man Singh, we find that most of the tales consist of support characters, their background story, wherein Mansingh appears to be their conclusion.
Personally, I felt that the last chapter could had been introduced earlier. It would had perhaps given a better justification of the fear and respect of Raja Mansingh which the author makes tremendous use of. In comparison of the rest of the book, the last two tales are written well.
My overall rating would be 2.5/5.
Detailed Review Link - http://chevusread.blogspot.com/2018/0...
A lost in thoughts turban wearing dacoit riding through Chambal valley carrying a gun in its cover and a colophon boasting the of Man Singh’s exploits promising to be the complete account of his legends, I decided to take a break from fiction and explore Man Singh through the words of Kenneth Anderson.
“Tales of..” is a collection of stories of Dacoit Man Singh which describe some of his exploits, his background and ultimately how he died.
To start, the well written foreword sets a good mood for reading and increases the expectations for what’s to come. The stories themselves are disconnected and there is no specific timeline as to when they are happening. You are able to read from one page to other but it lacks the elements that makes you immerse in the experience.
The book is written in first person perspective. Personally I felt the character of Man Singh could had been better portrayed. The choice of tales are taken from a period once he had been established as the king of dacoits, with the exception of last chapter which deals with how he became a dacoit and how he died. Mostly, he’s shown more a leader/judge than that of a dacoit, who swoops in to give judgement and move aside for someone to execute it. Even though the books title is Man Singh, we find that most of the tales consist of support characters, their background story, wherein Mansingh appears to be their conclusion.
Personally, I felt that the last chapter could had been introduced earlier. It would had perhaps given a better justification of the fear and respect of Raja Mansingh which the author makes tremendous use of. In comparison of the rest of the book, the last two tales are written well.
My overall rating would be 2.5/5.
Detailed Review Link - http://chevusread.blogspot.com/2018/0...
May 28, 2018
Man Singh is a story of a man whom circumstances made a thief, murderer, and a dacoit. It is a tale of fate that took an ugly turn left a simple village farmer son with no other option than to break the law and took refuge in the jungle. Once was a law-abiding man, now a lawbreaker.
No one wanted to be a murderer and run for rest of his life, death was looming on his head. This book by Kenneth Anderson is a story of one such man who had no other choice than to take the path he never wanted to.
This is one adventures tale of Rajah Man Singh, the undisputed king of dacoits. A thrilling and chilling inside account of his life, expeditions, killings, and mercy, he only granted to innocent and poor and who had nothing to do with him. He was fierce, cruel, cunning, sly, clever and brave with the heart of a lion. A runner from the law, dutiful son, and well-wisher of the poor such was the Rajah Man Singh.
It’s a fascinating story of a man and how cruel sometimes the fate played its card who made a common man a dacoit. It was a pleasure reading the life of Man Singh had so many shades. And time and again, no one could stand or win with time.
https://thereviewauthor.com/
No one wanted to be a murderer and run for rest of his life, death was looming on his head. This book by Kenneth Anderson is a story of one such man who had no other choice than to take the path he never wanted to.
This is one adventures tale of Rajah Man Singh, the undisputed king of dacoits. A thrilling and chilling inside account of his life, expeditions, killings, and mercy, he only granted to innocent and poor and who had nothing to do with him. He was fierce, cruel, cunning, sly, clever and brave with the heart of a lion. A runner from the law, dutiful son, and well-wisher of the poor such was the Rajah Man Singh.
It’s a fascinating story of a man and how cruel sometimes the fate played its card who made a common man a dacoit. It was a pleasure reading the life of Man Singh had so many shades. And time and again, no one could stand or win with time.
https://thereviewauthor.com/
March 5, 2019
Heroism gets a few grey shades in Kenneth Anderson’s novel on India’s most dreaded bandit Man Singh (or Maan Singh) Rathore. In eyes of law, he was a bandit, but for the oppressed masses, Man Singh Rathore was a generous benefactor, a robin hood who looted the rich and donated money to the poor. As Robinhood was prince of thieves, Man Singh was king of dacoits. A man wronged by system. Misquoted as dreaded dacoit, Man Singh was not a born criminal. A Rajput by birth, Man Singh was content with his farming occupation and a happy family till a rival conspired to turn him into a ferocious outlaw. False charges of criminal actions were slapped on his family. The false charges not only stained his honor, but also sent him behind bars. When he returned back after 10 years of imprisonment, he was not the innocent Man Singh, but an avenger hell bent on vengeance. He sought vengeance, became a famed bandit loved by the poor and feared by rich. He ruled Chambal like a czar till he was rounded up and gunned down in encounter by the Gorkha army and a huge battalion of Police force in 1955. No one is born dacoit. He is either made a dacoit by circumstances or by anti-social elements. Man Singh was more of a rebel and less of a dacoit.
Though there were several bandits like Phoolan Devi, Sultana, Malkhan Singh who ruled the valleys, but no could surpass that legendary dacoit Man Singh who was chased by 1,700 policemen of four states for 15 years. The thrilling accounts of Man Singh by Kenneth Anderson give him a status of demigod. The legends of Chambal written by Kenneth are about people coming from various walks of life who cross the path with the infamous dacoit. Through the stories of these people, the legend of Man Singh starts unfolding. Each story brings you closer to the bandit. Sometime he is a benefactor of poor and sometimes he is worse adversary of Police spies. Like every dacoit, Man Singh pays a heavy price for being a bandit or a baaghi (outlaw or rebel). He loses two of his sons in encounter with the police. In the final action-packed climax, the shootout finally claims the life of the invisible Man Singh who once eluded the law for fifteen years.
Kenneth Anderson’s description about valleys and ravines of Chambal is top notch. For a moment, I didn’t feel that it was written by a foreign author who knew so much about the history of India. The portrait of rural India is beautifully painted by Kenneth through his words. To enjoy this bandit story, you need to have patience because the stories in this book unfold slowly. All the six stories in this book are unique from other. As far as history of Chambal valley is concerned, people of India knew a lot about the female bandit queen Phoolan Devi through dacoit movies that were loosely inspired by her. The 1995 biopic – The Bandit Queen gave Phoolan an international recognition. Compared to Phoolan Devi, Dacoit Man Singh was more popular than her. His courageous feats were even known to people abroad. His actions were not justifiable in eyes of law. Even if he had been Robinhood to the needy, he was also responsible for killings of several policemen who were slayed by his henchmen mercilessly. His henchman Charna was the most dangerous comrade operating in Chambal. How Policemen brought Dacoit Man Singh and his henchmen to justice is very interesting to discover in the book – Tales of Man Singh: King of Dacoits.
Though there were several bandits like Phoolan Devi, Sultana, Malkhan Singh who ruled the valleys, but no could surpass that legendary dacoit Man Singh who was chased by 1,700 policemen of four states for 15 years. The thrilling accounts of Man Singh by Kenneth Anderson give him a status of demigod. The legends of Chambal written by Kenneth are about people coming from various walks of life who cross the path with the infamous dacoit. Through the stories of these people, the legend of Man Singh starts unfolding. Each story brings you closer to the bandit. Sometime he is a benefactor of poor and sometimes he is worse adversary of Police spies. Like every dacoit, Man Singh pays a heavy price for being a bandit or a baaghi (outlaw or rebel). He loses two of his sons in encounter with the police. In the final action-packed climax, the shootout finally claims the life of the invisible Man Singh who once eluded the law for fifteen years.
Kenneth Anderson’s description about valleys and ravines of Chambal is top notch. For a moment, I didn’t feel that it was written by a foreign author who knew so much about the history of India. The portrait of rural India is beautifully painted by Kenneth through his words. To enjoy this bandit story, you need to have patience because the stories in this book unfold slowly. All the six stories in this book are unique from other. As far as history of Chambal valley is concerned, people of India knew a lot about the female bandit queen Phoolan Devi through dacoit movies that were loosely inspired by her. The 1995 biopic – The Bandit Queen gave Phoolan an international recognition. Compared to Phoolan Devi, Dacoit Man Singh was more popular than her. His courageous feats were even known to people abroad. His actions were not justifiable in eyes of law. Even if he had been Robinhood to the needy, he was also responsible for killings of several policemen who were slayed by his henchmen mercilessly. His henchman Charna was the most dangerous comrade operating in Chambal. How Policemen brought Dacoit Man Singh and his henchmen to justice is very interesting to discover in the book – Tales of Man Singh: King of Dacoits.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2018
Overall Verdict:- A could-have-been better one time read
A lost in thoughts turban wearing dacoit riding through Chambal valley carrying a gun in its cover and a colophon boasting the of Man Singh’s exploits promising to be the complete account of his legends, I decided to take a break from fiction and explore Man Singh through the words of Kenneth Anderson.
“Tales of..” is a collection of stories of Dacoit Man Singh which describe some of his exploits, his background and ultimately how he died.
To start, the well written foreword sets a good mood for reading and increases the expectations for what’s to come. The stories themselves are disconnected and there is no specific timeline as to when they are happening. You are able to read from one page to other but it lacks the elements that makes you immerse in the experience.
The book is written in first person perspective. Personally I felt the character of Man Singh could had been better portrayed. The choice of tales are taken from a period once he had been established as the king of dacoits, with the exception of last chapter which deals with how he became a dacoit and how he died. Mostly, he’s shown more a leader/judge than that of a dacoit, who swoops in to give judgement and move aside for someone to execute it. Even though the books title is Man Singh, we find that most of the tales consist of support characters, their background story, wherein Mansingh appears to be their conclusion.
Personally, I felt that the last chapter could had been introduced earlier. It would had perhaps given a better justification of the fear and respect of Raja Mansingh which the author makes tremendous use of. In comparison of the rest of the book, the last two tales are written well.
My overall rating would be 3/5.
A lost in thoughts turban wearing dacoit riding through Chambal valley carrying a gun in its cover and a colophon boasting the of Man Singh’s exploits promising to be the complete account of his legends, I decided to take a break from fiction and explore Man Singh through the words of Kenneth Anderson.
“Tales of..” is a collection of stories of Dacoit Man Singh which describe some of his exploits, his background and ultimately how he died.
To start, the well written foreword sets a good mood for reading and increases the expectations for what’s to come. The stories themselves are disconnected and there is no specific timeline as to when they are happening. You are able to read from one page to other but it lacks the elements that makes you immerse in the experience.
The book is written in first person perspective. Personally I felt the character of Man Singh could had been better portrayed. The choice of tales are taken from a period once he had been established as the king of dacoits, with the exception of last chapter which deals with how he became a dacoit and how he died. Mostly, he’s shown more a leader/judge than that of a dacoit, who swoops in to give judgement and move aside for someone to execute it. Even though the books title is Man Singh, we find that most of the tales consist of support characters, their background story, wherein Mansingh appears to be their conclusion.
Personally, I felt that the last chapter could had been introduced earlier. It would had perhaps given a better justification of the fear and respect of Raja Mansingh which the author makes tremendous use of. In comparison of the rest of the book, the last two tales are written well.
My overall rating would be 3/5.
January 6, 2023
Old world charm and old British English
A story that I had in my childhood heard from many constables posted at our residence. I used to hear stories of this dakku and how he would get to know when a constable to travelling home. How are times he would meet them challenge them and let them go without harm if they were good and honest men. There were two dakku that were remembered one was dakku man Singh and the other was pan Singh Tomar. I read this book hoping to relive the late 1980 ls and early 1990s. The book did not disappoint me in fact I found that language of the book was rather British and reminded me of old gazette that I used to read in library Board of revenue while waiting for my father to finish his work. It reminded me of stories I read in the library of forest guest house in binsar, ranikhet , champawat . It was a magical time of my childhood and I am happy to again visit it while reading the book
A story that I had in my childhood heard from many constables posted at our residence. I used to hear stories of this dakku and how he would get to know when a constable to travelling home. How are times he would meet them challenge them and let them go without harm if they were good and honest men. There were two dakku that were remembered one was dakku man Singh and the other was pan Singh Tomar. I read this book hoping to relive the late 1980 ls and early 1990s. The book did not disappoint me in fact I found that language of the book was rather British and reminded me of old gazette that I used to read in library Board of revenue while waiting for my father to finish his work. It reminded me of stories I read in the library of forest guest house in binsar, ranikhet , champawat . It was a magical time of my childhood and I am happy to again visit it while reading the book
November 23, 2022
This is a wonderful account of India's own Robin Hood, i.e. Man Singh, the terror of Chambal. He robbed the rich to help the poor and he even meted out punishment but only after hearing out both the parties which can be said to be just and impartial. This is the only non wildlife book from renowned hunter and naturalist, Kenneth Anderson. The way of telling Man Singh's tale is so captivating and worth reading not once but many times. Only a writer of Anderson's capability could have done justice to it.
January 20, 2020
Rajah Man Singh was one of the notorious dacoits of early independent India. He could be easily compared to "Robin Hood" of the West, who was respected and loved by the poor for his humbleness and justice. The Book "Tales of Man Singh" by Kenneth Anderson is a wonderful read to get an insight into the personal life of one of the deadliest dacoits of India.
March 8, 2020
Simple english and very very interesting plot and obviously writer's flawless story telling ability made this book a seriously unputdownable.
May 27, 2020
“The Tales of Man Singh” is the book for you if you’re even remotely interested in the legendary dacoits of the Chambal Valley. Kenneth Anderson wonderfully takes the reader in the pre-independence era and the early years of independence. She creates a sketch of rural India the way it actually was, which wasn’t ideal, to say the least.
The book is a collection of six stories, or rather incidents, all related to Raja Man Singh Rathore. Anderson has also penned a brief biographical piece at the end. Man Singh comes across as the uncrowned king of the Dacoits of central India, which includes the modern-day Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. All the six stories glorify Man Singh, as a man with a golden heart, who raids the rich and cruel, to help the poor and weak. Here are the six stories.
Check out the complete book review here:
https://www.bombayreads.com/tales-of-...
The book is a collection of six stories, or rather incidents, all related to Raja Man Singh Rathore. Anderson has also penned a brief biographical piece at the end. Man Singh comes across as the uncrowned king of the Dacoits of central India, which includes the modern-day Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. All the six stories glorify Man Singh, as a man with a golden heart, who raids the rich and cruel, to help the poor and weak. Here are the six stories.
Check out the complete book review here:
https://www.bombayreads.com/tales-of-...
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews