Title:
Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore
Author:
Sachin Garg
Genre:
Historical Romance
Publisher:
Grapevine India
Pages:
225
Ratings:
3.5/5
Have you read books about
partition before? I got the chance to read Gulzar’s Two and it had shook me to
the core. Even after many decades, it is painful to read about those cruel experiences
faced by our countrymen. Some of them lost their lives, loved ones, homeland
and identity as well. Its repercussions never fade away.
‘I had to report to the police
station every week to register my whereabouts. ‘You’re a free man now,’ he
added, just before the police van left. I wanted to tell him that I’m not a
free man. I’m a prisoner of an entire country.’
Sachin Garg’s Hindu Refugee
Camp, Lahore, is published by Grapevine India, 2021. This book is based on true
incidents. It is written in epistolary form. These series of letters are
exchanged between our two main protagonists, Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza. Through their conversation, reader gets the
chance to peek inside the journey of both characters. Basically, story is set in
1958, Ghulam ali who was a renowned Havaldar
in British Indian Army, now dumped into Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore, Pakistan.
‘I have crossed the border
between India and Pakistan several times. And there is one thing that is common
to each of these crossing: that I am received with hatred and scorn every time.
India receives me with suspicion as I am a Muslim man wanting to come back to
what I call my country. The Pakistanis call me Muhajir and are by now fed up
with the mass inflow of people from across the border.’
On the other side, Zahira Raza
was a dancer at the heart but due to some obstacles, her dreams couldn’t fly,
but there is a hope and it lies in the hands of Ghulam Ali only. I liked that
part, a sheer roller-coaster ride, first how they both met at a government
office, amidst all the chaos their bond began to evolve and one day they got
separated out of choice.
‘I won’t forget the look on
your face as you saw me leave and all I could do was just extended my hand in
your direction as if the air between our hands could pass on a touch. You stood
transfixed at your spot. Even though your heart must have been beating fast,
the rational side of you knew that there was nothing you could do, we were
fitted against the system that is much bigger than you and me.’
As far as, prose style of the
book is concerned, it is simple yet captivating. Through this emotional ride
and sub-plots, author tried to depict the state of both countries, how innocent
lives were crushed by arrogant storm of politics.
All in all, Sachin Garg’s Hindu
Refugee Camp, Lahore, reflects on the pain of an ordinary man, during partition,
more than that it is a story of survival of love and human courage. I would recommend
this book to beginners, who are interested in simple and engaging story of loss.
About the
Author
Sachin Garg is a bestselling author, popular speaker and serial entrepreneur based out of Mumbai. He has written articles for Huffington Post and Scroll.in and has been featured in most leading newspapers and magazines. He has also spoken at numerous Indian and international forums like South Asia Media Summit (Islamabad), TEDx (Allahabad) and several IITs and IIMs.
He can be reached at Twitter
Buy the Book: Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore (Amazon)
