In the last few days I have been able to read four fascinating books related to Punjab, Sikhs, and Indias Independence Movement. First of these are two novels, Helium by Jaspreet Singh and Lost Generations by Manjeet Sachdeva. Both books have events of 1984 and massacres of Sikhs in Delhi, as their background, and in both cases, make powerful statements about helplessness of minorities in times of crisis. Other two books are about Indian and Punjabi history with a liberal dose of events in 1947 as parts of their historical (and political) narrative. Punjab: A History From Aurangzeb To Mountbatten by Rajmohan Gandhi ( Mahatma Gandhis grandson ) is a well researched historical account of undivided Punjab by a writer who is knowledgeable and interested in the subject matter he is dealing with. His work can easily be considered a historical account of Punjab just about as good as that of Syed Mohammad Latif. Gandhi has updated History of Punjab all the way unto 1947 and later, with a chapter about changes and developments that have taken place in Punjab in the years after independence . Jaswant Singhs book on Jinnah, India, partition, Independence is a detailed account of developments that resulted in Indias partition in 1947 (and also subsequent partition of Pakistan into Bangladesh and Pakistan). Many aspects and causes of events that took place before and after partition are discussed in detail but one significant cause of split was the personality conflict between Pandit Nehru and Mr. Jinnah. Mr. Jaswant Singh has detailed Mr.Jinnahs evolution from an advocate of Hindu Muslim unity to a forceful partisan of Muslim cause and a proponent of two nation theory. Jinnah started out as a nationalist leader but because of his origins in the minority (Muslim ) community he lost the leadership battle to Nehru and slowly developed into a leader of his minority community. He was probably the brainiest politician of his era but found himself unable to reach the top of Indian political leadership because of his Muslim antecedents.We all know how this conflict has shaped the destiny of millions who are now citizens of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Gandhis book is a readable and knowledgeable account of Punjabi history. Jaswant Singhs book is a detailed account of struggle for Indian Independence and related topics.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 01:18:20 +0000
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