Set against the backdrop of the mutiny of 1857, C.F. Andrews draws upon the story of Zaka Ullah's life to briefly trace the social and literary history of Delhi from the decline of the Mughal Empire in the eighteenth century to the emerging nationalist movement in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Two new introductions written especially for this volume place the book, its subject, and its author in a socio-historical context.
Charles Freer Andrews (12 February 1871 – 5 April 1940) was a Church of England priest. A Christian missionary, educator and social reformer in India, he became a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi and identified with the cause of India's independence. He was instrumental in convincing Gandhi to return to India from South Africa, where Gandhi had been a leading light in the Indian civil rights struggle.
C. F. Andrews was affectionately dubbed Christ's Faithful Apostle by Gandhi, based on his initials, C.F.A. For his contributions to the Indian Independence Movement Gandhi and his students at St. Stephen's College, Delhi, named him Deenabandhu, or "Friend of the Poor".