Published Paper Details:

Sanjay Bahadur's Hul: Cry Rebel (2013) revisits the Santhal rebellion of 1855, a pivotal yet historically marginalized uprising against British colonial rule and feudal exploitation in eastern India. This paper examines the novel as a work of historical fiction that reconstructs subaltern resistance while interrogating colonial epistemologies and capitalist modernity. Drawing on Subaltern Studies (Ranajit Guha), postcolonial theory (Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak), Foucauldian notions of power and discipline, and eco-critical perspectives, the paper argues that Bahadur's narrative reclaims indigenous voices erased by colonial historiography. Through a close reading of character arcs, narrative structure, and thematic motifs, the paper demonstrates how the novel foregrounds Adivasi ecological ethics, critiques structures of domination, and reimagines history as a site of resistance. Ultimately, Hul: Cry Rebel emerges as a powerful intervention that bridges past and present struggles over land, identity, and justice.