Author: Manreet Sodhi Someshwar
Publisher: HarperCollins India
I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
What were the key events that shaped our history immediately after the
Partition in 1947?
Maharaja Hari Singh rules Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Princely State
expected to accede to Pakistan during the partition in 1947. But Hari Singh
dreams of a Switzerland-like status for his Himalayan kingdom. Meanwhile,
popular leader Sheikh Abdullah rallies for freedom and the Poonchis in western
Jammu revolt, telegramming Jinnah for help; soon, fearsome kabailis are carving
a swath of savagery and destruction through the kingdom towards Srinagar. In
the Valley, tourists flee in the face of the tribal invasion. When Durga
Mehra's husband is murdered by the kabailis, she seeks refuge in a camp where
another desperate inmate, Zooni, is also awaiting passage to Srinagar. As
rations become scarce, newly widowed Kashmira worries how she'll feed her
children, but her houseboat guest, intrepid American journalist Margot Parr, is
unfazed. She realizes she has the scoop of a lifetime on her hands. The rattled
Maharaja signs the accession to India, pleading for immediate help. Pandit
Nehru and Sardar Patel dispatch the Indian Army to defend the Valley, and Akbar
Khan of the Pakistan Army races to aid the kabailis. Barely two months into
independence, the two new nations are pitched into battle. The first Indo-Pak
war begins, upending the subcontinent forever. Kashmir is the thrilling
conclusion to The Partition Trilogy that began with Lahore and continued with
Hyderabad.
Setting the story in Kashmir, Manreet presents a detailed version of
events that take place here, through the eyes of prominent political figures as
well as common folks. While the first book was focused primarily on the events
preceding the partition, and the second on the events while the partition was taking
place, Kashmir sheds light on the emotions and how Kashmir was affected by the
partition. The author has explored the impact of the unrest through various
aspects such as tourism and livelihood. The details of the first Indo-Pak war
and its impact on the life and the viewpoint of the local residents has been
captured quite in detail. What I liked about the book is that while Manreet
shows the emotions and the reactions of the local populace, she has included
the character of a foreign journalist which adds a third-person perspective to
the narrative. Another aspect of the book that stands out is the focus on
minute details and how the multiple threads come together at the end to tie the
story in a bow. As in the previous books, the blend of historical facts and
fictional story was quite balanced and there are events which give you an aha moment
as you come across a fact that you have heard before. The part about the transit
camp for women has been very well written and the focus on the human aspect of
history is very well portrayed. Talking about the pace of the book, the initial
part of the book is a bot slow as it sets the tone of the events that are to
take place, but as it moves forward, the pace increases but stays comfortable
enough to enable the reader to grasp the storyline. Another thing that stood
out for me was the focus on Pashmina and how that becomes an important part in
the story.
The characters in the story are crucial to the storyline that Manreet has
built. While the historical characters maintain their detailing in this book as
well, what stood out for me was the manner in which Zooni’s character was
shaped right from the first page to the very last. The character arc has been
well-planned and at no point do you feel that the same is not aligned with the
story. Kashmira’s character is another one that I liked in the manner it was
built into the storyline.
Overall, Kashmir is a fitting closure for The Partition Trilogy
which started from the events in Lahore to Hyderabad, culminating in Kashmir. While
the timeline might seem small (February 1947 to September 1948) across the
three books, they cover one of the key events in the history of the
subcontinent and Manreet captures the key events in an engaging manner. The book
scores a 4.88/5 for me.
Get a copy of the book from your nearest bookstore or on Amazon India.
You can read my reviews of the previous books in the series as well:
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