How much do we know about the valorous saga of our ancestors from the east to west, north to south of Bharat? Unfortunately very little! Were we always defeated? It is a BIG No! But we have been projected as losers! During the last 1300 years, our ancestors across the country put up a brave resistance against invaders, first against Islamic invasion and rule and later the British. Hundreds and thousands of our warriors won battles and many fought until their last breath defending the motherland.

Indian History textbooks have hardly glorified these real warriors of the soil. We have grown up reading more about the glories of our invaders. A nation’s citizens, who are ignorant about the brave feats of their ancestors, tend to deviate away from their roots, historicity, and their sense of belongingness for the motherland. Saffron Swords that contains 52 tales of valor, is a tribute to the unsung warriors of India, both men, and women, from the last 1300 years. This book is the first in its series.

Manoshi Sinha is the author of several books, including the 'Saffron Swords' series. A postgraduate in English Literature from Pune University, she is from Assam. She is an independent Researcher on Indian History and ancient Temples. She is the founder of myindiamyglory.com, an emagazine that presents Bharat from ancient to present with special focus on History and heritage. Also a blogger, she has interviewed a few freedom fighters. Prior to her present stint, she worked as an Editor in leading publication houses. Together, along with her husband Yogaditya Singh Rawal, a history and fitness blogger, Mr. India 2016 (Federation CupBodybuilding), an ancient martial art learner/practitioner, Manoshi Sinha has been exploring historical places, ancient and medieval temples, forts and fortresses to unearth information about India's past glorious history. Most of the episodes of ‘Saffron Swords’ are based on the husband-wife duo's research visits across India.

History, is like Hollywood and Bollywood. Every film has a Story so does History. Almost every film, irrespective of what the theme is. projects and portrays equally both, heroes and villains, so does I listory. But does Indian History follow this justification of equal portrayal of both sides? No! It is only a one-sided and biased narrative supplemented with distortions. Even that one-sided narrative portrays only one aspect. If we consider Indian History from the eighth century till 1947 in our academic books, it is a portrayal of only die invaders, looters, and plunderers projected in detail in good light. Where are the heroes and heroines of the soil in the textbooks? Only a counted, select few warriors. find a place in the textbooks.

Were we always defeated? Were we on the losing side always? Did our warrior ancestors easily surrender? Didn't out warrior ancestors offer resistance? These questions often lurk in lakhs of Bharatiya (Indian) minds because we have been projected as losers and as always having been defeated. A sense of inferiority complex and avoiding remembrance of the past thousand years prevail in our minds. This is a result of the one-sided, biased, and distorted historical narrative fed to us for decades. And this happens to such an extent that one robotically tends to think that all that is from foreign lands is better than what we have here.

But the truth is different. There are lakhs of warriors from the east to west, north to south-warriors who put up a brave resistance against Muslim invaders, rulers, and plunderers in battle and against British oppression. But their stories are missing in our history textbooks. When our history books blank the exploits of the warriors of the soil and when we read only about defeats, and no resistance by our ancestors, we end up alienating ourselves from a sense of belongingness for the nation. We do not know about our own historical roots. Hence, History needs to be retold.

**Contents and Sample Pages**