If you grew up learning about all the luminaries who contributed to India’s freedom struggle but never heard of a man called Syud Hossain (1888-1949), don’t be harsh on yourself. You can blame Motilal Nehru and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi instead. Does that sound bizarre? Read N S Vinodh’s book A Forgotten Ambassador in Cairo: The Life and Times of Syud Hossain (2021) to uncover the colourful and murky details.
This book has been written by a Bangalorean who works in corporate real estate and dabbles in history as a passion project. He writes, “Born of an elite pedigree, dashingly handsome, erudite,