Train to Pakistan

Book Review

Title- Train to Pakistan

Author- Khushwant Singh

Genre- Historical Novel

I read this book during the Republic Day fortnight and I was truly impressed with the storyline and style. This was the first book I read by Khushwant Singh and I still get goosebumps when I remember some of the scenes depicted in the book. The storyline is drawn from the horrors of the partition so the brutality of it all hits hard. It is a gripping book right from the start to the end. The descriptions of the village and the inhabitants of Mano Majra is vivid and makes us become a part of their story. 

The Sikhs  and Muslims of Mano Majra are torn due to the changing circumstances that took place in the country in the year 1947. How the equation between the inhabitants and also the nearby villages change gradually forms the crux of the story. Who is right  and who are the wronged is difficult to decipher. Though not everyone is thirsting for blood, there are many who want to sit on the fence and save themselves instead of taking action to stop the wrongdoing. 

The characters in the story are well defined and the story moves forward at a steady pace. Our curiosity is piqued as we wonder about the turn of events. The climax is the scene stealer. There are some scenes that give us goosebumps and we can actually picturize the horror penned. It is painful to realize that this similar events took place in the country and they are a dark part of History that cannot be forgotten. The pain and the struggles people went through during those times is unfathomable and this book relives that dark side of our freedom struggle. 

This is a must read for all those who would like to walk through the pages of history and relive the horrors of the partition. After reading the book we realize that even after what happened in history we have not learnt our lessons. We still keep fighting out own brothers under different pretexts and there is still disharmony around. This book makes us wonder whether there will ever be hope for peace to reign in our country. This book leaves us with many uncomfortable questions in our minds and for some it will be difficult to erase the scenes of the horrors of partition that were vividly described in the book.