{"product_id":"smash-and-grab-annexation-of-sikkim-by-sunanda-k-datta-ray","title":"Smash and Grab: Annexation of Sikkim by Sunanda K. Datta-Ray","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"4\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"4\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eTHE UNTOLD THRILLER OF A KINGDOM'S FALL: HOW SIKKIM BECAME INDIA'S 22ND STATE.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"5\"\u003e\u003ci data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eSmash and Grab\u003c\/i\u003e is the gripping, intimate, and definitive account of the final days of the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim. When it first appeared in 1984, the book was not officially banned, but its disappearance from shelves was so cleverly managed that few ever got to read the true story. Now, complete with the author's extensive 2013 introduction, this suppressed masterpiece returns to the light, reading less like a standard historical text and more like a high-stakes geopolitical thriller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"6\"\u003eAuthor Sunanda K. Datta-Ray—described by \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"41\"\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e as being \"alone in witnessing and communicating the essential story\"—navigated immense obstacles to document this transition. The narrative brings a vivid cast of characters back to life: Sikkim's sad last king, Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal; his vivacious American queen, Hope Cooke; and the bumbling Kazi Lendhup Dorji along with his scheming Kazini. Rich with lamaist rituals, durbars, espionage, and intrigue, it is a masterclass in narrative history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"7\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eWhy this book is a crucial historical document:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul data-path-to-node=\"8\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eA Suppressed Classic:\u003c\/b\u003e Discover the book that was quietly pulled from circulation, offering the only authentic, boots-on-the-ground account of the annexation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eExclusive Archives:\u003c\/b\u003e Cites documents unseen by any other writer, masterfully analyzing the intersection of law and politics during the takeover.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8,2,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eThe Great Game:\u003c\/b\u003e Frames the dramatic fall of the kingdom against the larger, tense backdrop of 20th-century geopolitical maneuvering between India and China.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8,3,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eVivid Storytelling:\u003c\/b\u003e Captures the atmosphere of a bygone era, blending the tragedy of a lost kingdom with the thrilling pace of a spy novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"9\"\u003e\u003ci data-path-to-node=\"9\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eSmash and Grab: Annexation of Sikkim\u003c\/i\u003e didn't just make history. It \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"9\" data-index-in-node=\"66\"\u003eis\u003c\/i\u003e history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BEETLE BOOK SHOP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52424032059675,"sku":null,"price":764.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0686\/2150\/0699\/files\/81Pv5SzvyjL._SL1500.jpg?v=1782884721","url":"https:\/\/beetlebookshop.com\/hi\/products\/smash-and-grab-annexation-of-sikkim-by-sunanda-k-datta-ray","provider":"Beetle Book Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}