Page 166 - EW December 2020

Books

substantial, vigorous, com- joins this organisation to In a tragic commentary the desert was a line from
plex and always given the establish contact with Jyot on India he says, ‘….. I am the Bhagvad Gita: ‘If the
customary short shrift.’ and record her story. She American now. I go back radiance of a thousand
Niki’s task brings the meets a dour, withdrawn to my des, my India, every suns…’. To Niki this was
third woman of this book person who refuses to few years, but this is where an appropriate description
into her life. Her father’s communicate. Traumatic I belong. When I first came of the beacon in her life.
plan had been to locate events finally make Jyot here all you had to do was This book leaves us
one narrative which would open up to reveal her to arrive and you were with the grim knowledge
serve as ‘the spine’ of the secrets. American. All the people that we forget the events
book — that is, one nar- The concept of national here are like streams from of Partition at our peril.
rative of a victim of the identity is poignantly across the world which If communities united by
Partition as well as the captured in the story of a have ended up in the culture can be divided by
1984 Delhi riots. This is Sikh cab driver Niki meets Hudson. But in India you religion in an instant, the
Jyot who sees her fam- in New York. He is the ar- have to be Indian to be very idea of India as a na-
ily killed by her father to chetypal immigrant from Indian.’ tion is in danger. The only
prevent them from falling Punjab who has followed The book ends on way forward is to inter-
into the hands of maraud- the three pillars of Sikh- a triumphant note as nalise the eternal truth
ing Muslims. She survives ism — work hard, share Niki’s daughter makes ‘we are one’ and put it into
and is found on a mound with others, contemplate an addition to Nooran’s action. Or to remember
of bodies by her uncle. She God — all his life. He has embroidered cloth — a the immortal line from
is raised in a gurudwara, worked unearthly hours sun. This follows a the Mundaka Upanishad
trains to work in a hospital and shared rooms with conversation in which ‘…like a thousand sparks
and is finally taken to New three others to save money Niki tells her daughter from a blazing fire are
York where she works with to send home so that his that Oppenheimer’s first we…’
an organisation helping family can build a brick thought when he saw the RAVI MENON (The Book
immigrants to settle. Niki house. atom bomb explode in Review)

166 EDUCATIONWORLD DECEMBER 2020