Book Title: August 17: A Novel of Power and Rebellion
Author: S.Hareesh
Translator: Jayasree Kalathil
Publisher: Harper Perennial India
Number of Pages: 432
ISBN: 9369891552
Date Published: Apr. 19, 2026
Price: INR 420 / $34.63
Book Excerpt
Chapter 1
Pages 3 and 4
Everyone knows that the history of modern Thiruvithamkoor begins with the first day of the month of Chingam in the year 1123 of the Malayalam calendar Kollavarsham – that is, 17 August 1947 ce – when Maharaja Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma hoisted the saffron flag emblazoned with the sinistral form of the divine conch at Kizhakkekotta fort in Thiruvananthapuram. Of course, our country existed long before that, its history extending well into the medieval kingdom of Venad and into the empire of the Cheras. Still, with its current borders defined by Maharaja Marthanda Varma in 1729, Thiruvithamkoor can be said to have enjoyed true sovereignty only for about seventy years, after which, for centuries, we were under the shadow of the British Empire. When they decided to leave the subcontinent, it was generally assumed that we would surrender our identity and become part of India, one of the two nations that were being formed. But history had other plans for us. Thiruvithamkoor became a free, sovereign country.
This writer is not a historian. He is not experienced in the art of writing, nor does he have the linguistic skills required. Besides, the history of this part of the world has already been written by others. Then why bother, you might ask. I have an answer to that question. I was present to witness the historic event described above. I was standing, somewhat lost in my thoughts, at a little distance from the crowd, aware, of course, that what was unfolding before us was perhaps the most beautiful event of all times in the history of the great nation of Thiruvithamkoor. However, I was also distracted, unable to register fully the sights in front of me, as I was keenly aware of our enemies, both within and outside the country.
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As the flag unfurled in the pleasant breeze of the Onam season and showered flower petals over the crowd, everyone had their eyes trained upwards. In that moment, I felt an inexplicable urge to glance at the bottom of the flagpole. I can’t quite describe what I saw. When we witness something that entirely fulfils our lives, it is in our nature to doubt the experience later, to question its veracity. This, indeed, was such a moment! I realized that there was one other person who was not looking upwards at the fluttering flag. It was none other than the hero of the hour, Rao Bahadur Maharaja Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma. With his head cocked to the left, he was looking straight at me! Did it really happen? I am not sure. But I felt that moment stretching as long as a decade or two.
People like me are destined to have our mistakes discovered, even if it is at a later date, while the services we render go unrecognized and unvalued. And yet, there he was, the most important person of the land, gazing at me, telling me silently, ‘You too have contributed to this moment.’ My joy was so great that I could not even shed happy tears! I suppose we humans empty out and become hollow beings in moments of great doings.
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I have tried reading the odd history book. And I have been amazed at how different people interpret the same things in completely different ways. Is there anything that we human beings agree on? Ten people write twenty different stories about what is in front of their own eyes. So, consider this the history of our country as witnessed by me alone. You will find here things that happened before and after our country became independent. Do not expect it to follow the conventions of history writing. This is just something I felt like writing down. You may think of it as an autobiography, or the biographies of several people I have met, or even a story. Also, do not expect that everything in here will be substantiated with evidence. People usually don’t want that. Who knows what they want!
I shall begin.
Excerpted with permission from “August 17: A Novel of Power and Rebellion”, S. Hareesh and Jayasree Kalathil, and Harper Perennial India
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