New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) A new book explores the lives of two valiant freedom fighters, Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh and Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, who "never met" but found themselves embroiled in the same struggle -- the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

"A Begum and A Rani: Hazrat Mahal and Lakshimibai in 1857", published by Penguin Random House India (PRHI), is written by historian Rudrangshu Mukherjee.

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The book, capturing the different trajectories of Begum and Rani's lives and struggles, tells the story of the "two women in a rebellion". Notably, they both got married into royal houses and decided to uphold traditions of ruling and culture that their husbands had established but subverted by the policies of Lord Dalhousie who had annexed Jhansi and Awadh in year 1854 and 1856, respectively.

"I have been fascinated by the uprising of 1857 from the time I became a research student some forty years ago. I have tried in my other books to reconstruct the actions and consciousness of the rebels. In this book, I try to retrieve the actions and leadership of two remarkable women and also seek to understand how one is iconised the other almost forgotten," said Mukherjee, who is the chancellor and professor of History at Ashoka University.

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Both Rani (1828-58) and Begum (1820-79) sacrificed their lives trying to overthrow the British rule, which they considered to be "alien and oppressive".

Their resistance and their deaths are heroic and poignant, he noted.

The book also argues that while the world remembers the warrior queen on horseback with a raised sword, who died in battle, Hazrat Mahal was a relatively "forgotten figure" who did not get her due place in the roll-call of honour.

"Revisiting the revolt of 1857 from a unique perspective and looking at their afterlives, the myths, this book attempts to set the record straight. Looking at the revolt of 1857 from a different perspective, A Begum & A Rani is an act of retrieval," said the publishers in a statement.

Mukherjee's previously authored books include "Nehru & Bose: Parallel Lives", "Awadh in Revolt 1857-58: A Study of Popular Resistance" and "Spectre of Violence: The Massacres in Kanpur in 1857".

"A Begum and A Rani", priced at Rs 699, is presently available for sale on offline and online stores.

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