1947: A Memoir of Indian IndependenceIndia gained independence from the British Raj in 1947 but the country had to be divided into India and Pakistan, a divide which resulted in unspeakable violence with the death of close to two million people. The author of this book was then ten-year- old. His father was a doctor in a small town in Punjab which was the epicenter of the religious violence. Caught on the wrong side of the dividing line between India and Pakistan, Zahir's family tried to leave by train for Pakistan. The train was ambushed and almost all the Muslims were killed on the spot. Miraculously, a young Hindu put his life in grave danger to save most of Zahir's immediate family. Zahir, a Rhodes Scholar and now a retired doctor living in Canada, remembers the events which happened over sixty years ago. He describes how an ancient multicultural society was utterly destroyed within a few months due to the machinations of its leaders. Zahir writes with incredible impartiality. You may not enjoy this unique book but you will never regret reading it. |
