Rajwanti Mann’s book unearths  banned texts on Jallianwala Bagh

A former officer of the Haryana Archives Department, Rajwanti Mann, has authored the book.
It was released by historian Harish Puri, former Chair of the B R Ambedkar Chair (Guru Nanak Dev University), at an event organised by the Readers and Writers Society of India.

Drawing upon material acquired from India Office Records (British Library, London), Mann unearthed works that capture the era’s pain and anger.

The works include poems, plays and eyewitness’ accounts describing the brutality inflicted on civilians. Among the accounts, there is the testimony of Ratan Devi, a widow who spent the night beside the bodies in Jallianwala Bagh.
The book has nine chapters that bring together literary pieces documenting social despair, fear and resistance under colonial rule. Many of these works were circulated orally among the people despite strict censorship, ensuring that public memory of the tragedy endured.

Mann said, “Jallianwala Bagh ki Karahein aims to restore these forgotten voices and present a people’s history that has long remained outside official archives.”
She also said, “While colonial English records projected an official narrative, the voices of ordinary Indians — poets, playwrights and small publishers — were suppressed and often seized after publication. My research revealed that leading British newspapers reported only government‑approved updates from India.”
This is Mann’s seventh book based on banned and confiscated literature.

– Abhishek Goyat is an intern with The Indian Express