Review: Train to Pakistan

Straight up... Khushwant Singh's "Train to Pakistan" is a masterpiece! It's books like these that reinforce my love for reading. Published in 1956, the book was written very close to the actual year of India's partition (1947) and hence remains very honest and real in describing some of the events that occurred during that period. I can almost feel Khushwant Singh's anguish jump out at me from the pages. I have read a lot of partition literature before but most of it has been in the form of history books, so to read about those events in the form of a story with elements such as romance, suspense etc thrown into it was simply a treat. The story is basically about a small village in India called Mano Majra which lies close to the border of Pakistan. Life in this village takes a drastic turn when a ghost train on its way to Pakistan arrives at the station in Mano Majra. This book holds a lot of meaning for me especially now in the type of communal climate that exists in parts of India. Mano Majra is a village where Sikhs and Muslims have lived together in harmony for years. But the way in which hate is manufactured between them makes you wonder if the same is still being done in parts of India, although not so openly. The events described in this book are by no means easy to digest and it certainly makes you think about the extent to which human beings are capable of falling. But despite all that, the book isn't one of those books that will make you feel sad or morose. I guess it's the fast pace of the book that barely gives you the opportunity for that feeling to sink it. Ultimately it's the story and not the tragic events that took place that takes center-stage in the book. I recommend that everyone read this book as soon as possible!

My Rating 4/5