The Golden Sparrow (2013)

This is the last in my Partition books series, until I relaunch myself into the era and genre sometime in the unspecified future. The Golden Sparrow by Ashok Malhotra was published in 2013 with Createspace, an Amazon company, and comprises of 336 pages and 36 chapters. A sequel, Echoes from Far, was published in 2014. The Golden Sparrow fictionalises the experiences of the author and his parents during this period of history. I will be looking at stylistic as well as thematic elements of the novel namely, the depiction of the Indian (Hindu, Punjabi) culture, the role of the British and the British Raj, some consequences of Partition addressed in the novel.

The tale is told from the perspective of a Hindu child, Vikram, who has a supernatural sixth sense. He is able to predict or "get a feeling" for future events. I must admit that the supernatural gift was not quite convincing to me, as the examples were generally unspectacular and the feat needed refining. Vikram simultaneously recounts his life, from pre-birth (including how his parents met) to being a school-going boy and the Partition of India and its effects on his life. It does seem strange that at one point the narrator is someone who has not yet been born nor conceived but this is done well. The use of the present tense to describe past events is significant as it brings the events to the forefront and, in a way, relives them.

The novel begins in Lahore, a Punjabi city now in Pakistan. He describes the Indian culture as well as Hindu traditions in a captivating fashion and, despite my familiarity with the culture and traditions, I still learnt quite a few new things, such as the initial reason and use for dowries in Hinduism. I enjoyed the frank and sweet insight to the world of arranged marriages, a subject that often garners negative press. However, that does not mean that he shies away from typical family politics and the roles expected to be shouldered. He also does not exclude an insight into the culture of favours, bribes and signification of hospitality. Malhotra cleverly decodes the culture's structures and traditions for a Western audience and in a way that still entertains someone who shares his background. Malhotra takes the reader through Kashmir and New Dehli too, exploring common Partition-novel locations.  

A valuable insight this novel provides more than most of the others, is the presence and effect of the British in India. Vikram's family is educated and his father, Surinder Mehra, is an English literature professor, nicknamed "Shakespearewala", due to his love of the writer and the British culture. It is through Surinder Mehra that we learn the love and respect some Indians hold towards the British and the extent of the "Englishification" of the Indian education system, their loyalties and fashion sense. Our narrator equally shows the reader how the British manipulate and take advantage of Indians (via flattery and by granting titles) for personal and political gain. The British, in this novel, are also privileged to have their own "safe trains" and transport in a climate of immense bloodshed. The relationships  with the British are complex; they are intimate and distantly removed at the same time. Ultimately the novel comes to the same conclusion as Gandhi: the British Raj as a system is problematic because of issues like white privilege and institutional racism but every individual British person is not bad, as they could stand against the injustices caused by the British rule.  

Some interesting issues raised in light of the Partition and removal of the British include the increased suspicion between Hindus and Muslims, a psychological consequence, the decision to use Hindi or English as national languages to either create a national identity or international position in the world, a linguistic consequence, and the continued yet hidden presence of the British in business, a political and economic consequence. Malhotra also notes the establishment of camps of lost children, illustrating the huge human effects of the Partition on all levels of society. 

Overall, this novel shares some characteristics with other Partition literature for example, child narrators/ perspectives, fantastical elements and pre-, during and post- experiences. It is not as explicitly violent as Train to Pakistan or Cracking India but it does not deny the violence of the time either nor the human cost. It was a pleasant read and had some vague resemblances to Rushdie's Midnight's Children but definitely on a different register and it tackles some different issues. I'm contemplating reading the sequel but have a few other books on my list to get through first!

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Have you read any Partition literature or even the books mentioned? Have you enjoyed this little series? Did you learn anything new? 

Post a comment with your thoughts! :) 

Freedom's Battle (1921)

Mahatma Gandhi wrote this book in order to explain and advocate his political views. It does not refer to his personal life except for what is relevant to his political argument. The work sometimes seems repetitive, though we see Gandhi's efforts to explain, justify and respond to criticism about his political strategy of non-co-operation, which goes to show to what degree people needed convincing and reassuring. 

I read the kindle edition published by the Jovian Press in 2017. The nine chapters are entitled as follows: Introduction, The Khalifat, The Punjab Wrongs, Swaraj, Hindu Moslem Unity, Treatment of the Depressed Classes, Treatment of Indians Abroad, Non-Co-operation and Mahatma Gandhi's Statement, which refers to his statement during his trial in court. 

I personally learnt a lot (and maybe the most) from the first few chapters because Gandhi takes efforts to not only explain the function and importance of the Muslim Khalifat and Muslim rule in Arabia, but also the manner in which it was dismantled. This is a significant observation considering the contemporary climate is a clear continuation of the same motive that resulted in the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire, the Khalifat and the creation of nation states. India later became subject to the same division wrought upon Europe. 

Inter-religious tolerance is a key issue in Gandhi's argument, largely because he saw this relationship as key in creating a united front against the British as well as making the country function successfully. He highlights the inter-religious tolerance advocated in Hinduism (and I add that Islam advocates the same) and this alliance would only benefit independent India as it would create a positive and safe relationship with its neighbouring Arab countries. 

Gandhi notes the importance of valuing producers (people who make things) in society. This refers to craftsmen and women as well as farmers, which naturally protects and elevates poorer civilians as well as maintaining a social (and environmental) harmony. Modern India's history appears shameful and distant from this value. 

A valuable point in the development of Gandhi's personal political stance is his own disillusionment of the British. He went from being someone who was happy to serve them and see the best in them to being utterly betrayed by their dishonesty, mistreatment and corruption. Consequently, he openly criticises the British institution of Empire and details many reasons why. He demands justice and for them to recognise their wrongs. 

In his chapter "Treatment of Indians Abroad" Gandhi mentions the poor treatment of Indians in African colonies and in Britain. This is clearly due to racism. He also discusses his experiences in South Africa but otherwise focuses on India and International British politics. 

To conclude, there is an irony of secular India calling Gandhi the "father of the nation" since he was almost ascetic in his approach to gain independence, which is remote from the notions of secularism. He advocated religious tolerance while currently there is an increase in anti-Muslim sentiment in India due to Hindu nationalism. Gandhi's motivation for his strategy was doubly political and spiritual (religious). 

Partitions: A Novel (2011)

Paritions tells a tale of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim protagonists, namely Shankar & Keshav, Simran and Ibrahim Masud, that attempt to migrate across the newly-created border between India and Pakistan. Ibrahim Masud, is a socially recluse medical doctor, Simran is a teenage Sikh village girl and Shankar and Keshav are twin Hindu boys. 

Partitions by Amit Majmudar was published in 2011 by Metropolitan Books and I selected it for my self-study reading list on Indian Partition literature. The novel comprises of six chapters plus a prologue and an epilogue. I read a digital edition on my iPad that alters the page count according to my text size; I read it with 158 pages then 139 pages. Majmudar wrote this novel after reading and researching into the period, as opposed to personal experience like the authors Bapsi Sidhwa and Ashok Malhotra. I'll discuss the  representation of Muslim and Hindu characters, narrative elements as well as the notions of villainy and heroism.

The novel takes on a fantastical nature as the narrator is a ghost, the dead father of the two Hindu twins. In his unearthly form he focalises into the Hindu, Sikh and Muslim worlds and by way of the protagonists. He also gives insights into his life before his death, which reveals his Brahmin origins and the role his high caste played in his life and in his community. This raises issues of the purity and sanctity of his caste and the discrimination towards lower classes. The novel is mainly chronological, though it includes some flashbacks relating to the narrator. 

While Majmudar attempts to tell a tale that represents the suffering of all peoples in the conflict, I noted the characterisation of Ibrahim Masud made him harder to identify with than other characters. Also the villains we follow the longest in the story are Muslim villains, which suggests a disproportionate focus on their abuse, especially towards women and children. No doubt Majmudar implies the crimes of Hindus and Sikhs by mentioning the wounds of Muslim women to Pakistan and the looting and burning of buildings by Hindus, but he only shows the violence towards people via Muslims.  

The story of Ibrahim and Simran is based on the story of Buta Singh and a Muslim girl.  It is an interesting move by Majmudar to reverse the religions of the original protagonists. While Masud's name change may have been simply to refer to the origin of the character, it also illustrates how being considered Muslim is controversial. It also "robs" Ibrahim of his faith. Nevertheless, Ibrahim becomes, in many ways, the hero of the novel. I wonder if he had to be separated from his religious identity in order to become a "complete" hero but he definitely understood that care towards others is not restricted to co-religionists. 

In conclusion, the novel successfully incites suspense and concern and is well-narrated. It recognises the pain and suffering of peoples of both sides of the border and I rate it higher in its "authenticity" because it does not consistently translate all Hindi/ Urdu terms, which can sometimes feel like it's overly speaking to a Westerner than its own people. It exposes the abuse towards women and its organised nature, revealing a culture of trafficking.