Here is a comprehensive anthology of stories by a diverse group of authors from North India, West Bengal, Bangladesh and Pakistan on the most traumatic period in the history of the subcontinent. The stories, many of them written originally in the vernacular and specially translated into English for this volume, explore every facet of Partition: from acts of unprecedented brutality and savagery to moments of tender compassion and humanity. Some of the writers whose works are included here are: Kartar Singh Duggal, Bapsi Sidhwa, Sadaat Hasan Manto, Mulk Raj Anand, Khushwant Singh, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Kamleshwar, Mohan Rakesh, Rajinder Singh Bedi, Krishan Chander and Samaresh Basu. Included also in this anthology is a wide selection of stories by Pakistani writers such as Aziz Ahmad, Qudrat Ullah Shahab and Intizar Husain. What was their experience and how does it correspond to the Indian experience? Are Hindus and Muslims one people? If so, what happened? To what extent must we hold our politicians responsible for the holocaust and to what degree must we shoulder the responsibility ourselves? These, and other such questions, are still searching for an answer. Represented in this collection are a variety of styles and themes that reflect a multiplicity of experience and voices. A strong, unique, appealing and valuable book.
