ABOUT THIS BOOK
This is the first time that Sachindra Nath Sanyal’s famous autobiography Bandi Jeevan: A Life in
Chains has been translated into English.
The book is not merely interesting as the personal testimony of a key leader of the armed resistance
to British colonial rule, but is in itself notable for inspiring several generations of revolutionaries
across India. Indeed, it provides a direct insight into the ideas and personality of a freedom fighter
who inspired and mentored the likes of Bhagat Singh, Rajendra Lahiri, Chandrashekhar Azad, Ram
Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan and many others.
The book is packed with vivid first-hand descriptions of major historical events, the lives and
motivations of the remarkable individuals who sacrificed their lives for India, their fears and their
dreams. A must-read first-hand account from the early days of the independence movement.
AUTHOR OF THE BOOK
Sachindra Nath Sanyal was born in 1893 in Varanasi and was a co-founder of the Hindustan
Republican army. He was one of the towering figures of the revolutionary strand of India’s independence
movement. Uniquely, he was a key part of virtually every generation of the movement from the
early Anushilan Samiti phase, through the Ghadarite and Hindustan Republican association phases,
and eventually to the revival during World War ii. He died in 1942 in Gorakhpur, unfortunately
before India’s Independence. Sanyal was among the first to clearly articulate the vision that post-
independence India would be a democratic republic based on universal franchise.
Sanjeev Sanyal is a writer and economist. He currently serves as a member of Prime Minister
Modi’s economic advisory council. His best-selling books include, among others, Land of the Seven
Rivers, Life over Two Beers, India in the Age of Ideas, Iconic Indians, and Revolutionaries: The Other
Story of How India Won Its Freedom.
This book was translated by Maneesha Taneja, an acclaimed translator between three languages—
Spanish, English and Hindi. She is an associate Professor of Spanish at Delhi University. She has
translated works of Gabriel García Márquez, nadine Gordimer, Pablo Neruda and Amitav Ghosh,
among others.
