In the pages have been brought together two historical figures, whose facts in interwined at many points, but who in life, if we can credit Rajput tradition, came face to face once only in a mirror. Whether or not this story as a whole can properly by termed a historical romance, the author, leaves for others to decide. Sultan ‘Alu-ud-din’ Rani Padmini, her husband Rawul Rattan Singh and many others figuring in the tale, all undoubtedly lived and had, reality. Chittore was certainly sacked by ‘Ala-ud-din’ and Padmini did immolate herself by fire to avoid falling into his hands. Equally established are the death, in the final phase of the siege, of Rattan Singh and of the escape of Ajey Singh to carry on the royal line. According to author there have been difference of opinion about this between Muslim and Rajput versions, as also the mirror scene and the version f Kangra Rani, guardian goddess of Chittore. The author also suspects the poets of invention. Yet the invention, if such it be, is so unimportant historically and so romantically colourful, that any writer might be excused for clinging to it. the absence of psychological documents has made it necessary to fill in the gaps, and in this the author has been more blessed than many writers, who find themselves, faced with the task of constructing intimate detail for a dim or forgotten past. Rajputana in its polity, its customs and its outlook has changed so little through the centuries, that anyone can recapture the past from the present. The author feels he can safely say with Montaigne, “I have only made anosegay of culled flowers, and have brought little of my own but the thread which bins them together.â€
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Armald Webb
Armald Webb, born in 1898 was then a well known literary figuer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR S.K. Bhatia
S.K. Bhatia is a professional consultant in Human Resource Management, trainer, counselor and author. He is corporate trainer and conducts workshops and need-based training programmes on Human Resource Development for public and private sector organization. He is senior faculty for MBA and Post-Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management in various Business Management institutions. He is “Accredited Management Teacher†by all India Management Association, New Delhi. He has over four decades of experience as practitioner in HRM Industrial Relations, Training, Organisation Development etc. He has been associated with the establishing of Human Resource and IR functions in factories/units and has been involved in formulation, co-ordination and implementation of these policies, in senior positions as Addl. General Manager, BHEL and as Director, Personnel, Oil India Ltd. After his Master’s degree, he obtained degree in Law from Delhi University In 1956 and took post-graduate diploma in Personnel Management from Calcutta University. He was selected in 1976 from BHEL, as a fellow under the “Action Learning Programme†of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Government of India. Mr. Bhatia has attended a number of seminars and was specially sponsored to attend “ILO Modular Training†in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia/Singapore in March 1984. He has also attended General Mangement Programme for Top Management Personnel in Public Enterprises at Administrative Staff College of India. Hyderabad and in Yugoslavia during June 1987. He had the benefit of participating in several specialized professional traning programmes conducted by Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad, IIMs, NPC, BHEL, MDI, etc. He is Corporate Member of National Institute of Personnel Management, Calcutta. He has published a number of books and has written many articles which have appeared in professional journals/dailies. His papers won “Shriram Awards†for two consecutive years, i.e. 1984 and 1985 from Delhi Management Association for the best adjudged papers in their Journal. He is the recipient of “Escorts 1987 for his contribution to the Understanding of management practices through his book “Principles and Techniques of Personnel Managementâ€. Mr. Bhatia has organized two institutions of which he is founder Director, (i) Indian Institute for Management of Absenteeism (IIMA), New Delhi in 1989, (ii) Human Resource Management Foundation (HEMF), New Delhi.
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