The patient assassin : a true tale of massacre, revenge, and India's quest for independence

Intro; Dedication; Epigraph; Preface; Part One; Chapter 1: The Drop; Chapter 2: The Good Son; Chapter 3: Birth of the Upheaval; Chapter 4: Rises and Falls; Chapter 5: Name, Rank, and Serial Failure; Chapter 6: Black Acts, Red Lines; Chapter 7: Elephants and Twigs; Chapter 8: Rex; Chapter 9: No Warning, No Way Out; The Legend of Udham Singh; Part Two; Chapter 10: I Repent, I Repent, I Repent; Chapter 11: Traumas and Truths; Chapter 12: The Untouchables; Chapter 13: London Limbo; Chapter 14: American Dreamers; Chapter 15: Patriots; Chapter 16: The Suffering of Simple Boys;The dramatic true story of a celebrated young survivor of a 1919 British massacre in India, and his ferocious twenty-year campaign of revenge that made him a hero to hundreds of millions-and spawned a classic legend. When Sir Michael O'Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, ordered Brigadier General Reginald Dyer to Amritsar, he wanted Dyer to bring the troublesome city to heel. Sir Michael had become increasingly alarmed at the effect Gandhi was having on his province, as well as recent demonstrations, strikes, and shows of Hindu-Muslim unity. All these things, to Sir Michael, were a precursor to a second Indian revolt. What happened next shocked the world. An unauthorized gathering in the Jallianwallah Bagh in Amritsar in April 1919 became the focal point for Sir Michael's law enforcers. Dyer marched his soldiers into the walled garden, blocking the only exit. Then, without issuing any order to disperse, he instructed his men to open fire, turning their guns on the thickest parts of the crowd, filled with over a thousand unarmed men, women, and children. For ten minutes, the soldiers continued firing, stopping only when they ran out of ammunition. According to legend, eighteen-year-old Sikh orphan Udham Singh was injured in the attack, and remained surrounded by the dead and dying until he was able to move the next morning. Then, he supposedly picked up a handful of blood-soaked earth, smeared it across his forehead, and vowed to kill the men responsible. The truth, as the author has discovered, is more complex-but no less dramatic. Award-winning journalist Anita Anand traced Singh's journey through Africa, the United States, and across Europe until, in March 1940, he finally arrived in front of O'Dwyer himself in a London hall ready to shoot him down. The Patient Assassin shines a devastating light on one of history's most horrific events, but it reads like a taut thriller and reveals the incredible but true story behind a legend that still endures today. The "compelling [and] vivid" ( The New York Times Book Review ) true story of a man who claimed to be a survivor of a 1919 British massacre in India, his elaborate twenty-year plan for revenge, and the mix of truth and legend that made him a hero to hundreds of millions. When Sir Michael O'Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, ordered Brigadier General Reginald Dyer to Amritsar, he wanted Dyer to bring the troublesome city to heel. Sir Michael had become increasingly alarmed at the effect Gandhi was having on his province, as well as recent demonstrations, strikes, and shows of Hindu-Muslim unity. All these things, to Sir Michael, were a precursor to a second Indian revolt. What happened next shocked the world. An unauthorized gathering in the Jallianwallah Bagh in Amritsar in April 1919 became the focal point for Sir Michael's law enforcers. Dyer marched his soldiers into the walled public park, blocking the only exit. Then, without issuing any order to disperse, he instructed his men to open fire, turning their guns on the crowd, which numbered in the thousands and included women and children. The soldiers continued firing for ten minutes, stopping only when they ran out of ammunition. According to legend, nineteen-year-old Sikh orphan Udham Singh was injured in the attack, and remained surrounded by the dead and dying until he was able to move the next morning. Then, he supposedly picked up a handful of blood-soaked earth, smeared it across his forehead, and vowed to kill the men responsible. The truth, as the author has discovered, is more complex—but no less dramatic. Award-winning journalist Anita Anand traced Singh's journey through Africa, the United States, and across Europe until, in March 1940, the young man finally arrived in front of O'Dwyer himself in a London hall ready to shoot him down. The Patient Assassin "mixes Tom Ripley's con-man-for-all-seasons versatility with Edmond Dantès's persistence" ( The Wall Street Journal ) and reveals the incredible but true story behind a legend that still endures today. Intro Dedication Epigraph Preface Part One Chapter 1: The Drop Chapter 2: The Good Son Chapter 3: Birth of the Upheaval Chapter 4: Rises and Falls Chapter 5: Name, Rank, and Serial Failure Chapter 6: Black Acts, Red Lines Chapter 7: Elephants and Twigs Chapter 8: Rex Chapter 9: No Warning, No Way Out The Legend of Udham Singh Part Two Chapter 10: I Repent, I Repent, I Repent Chapter 11: Traumas and Truths Chapter 12: The Untouchables Chapter 13: London Limbo Chapter 14: American Dreamers Chapter 15: Patriots Chapter 16: The Suffering of Simple Boys Chapter 17: Losing GodChapter 18: Curious Case Chapter 19: Shadows Chapter 20: Reckonings Chapter 21: Mohammed Singh Azad Chapter 22: Name in Vain Chapter 23: Trial and Tribulation Chapter 24: Letters, Books, Cars, and Codes Chapter 25: The Return Photographs Acknowledgments About the Author Notes Bibliography Index Copyright "Describes Udham Singh's journey to fulfill his vow of revenge against the men responsible for the 1919 British massacre in India."