A few years ago, I reached out to investigative journalist Jupinderjit Singh and asked him if he was interested in writing a book on Moosewala. I knew that Jupinderjit wrote regularly and had been following this case regularly. He jumped at the idea. We (I, his literary agent and Jupinderjit, the author) were fortunate that Westland Books published the book in English, Hindi, and Punjabi. This was two years ago.
Earlier in June 2025, to coincide with Moosewala’s birth anniversary (11 June), BBC released on You Tube a documentary that they had made. When the book was first published, Ishleen Kaur, had requested us to send her a copy of the book as she was working on the very same subject.
Here are the links to the two episodes. Jupinderjit features in them too.
Here is the book blurb:
A POWERFUL BOOK THAT DETAILS THE DEATH AND THE SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION OF THE MURDER OF ONE OF THE RISING SUPERSTARS OF PUNJABI HIP-HOP. On 29 May 2022, Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moosewala left his haveli in Moosa for a quick ride to his aunt’s house in the neighbouring village. He was never to return home. The singer was ambushed and gunned down by six assailants. He was only twenty-eight. The news of his death spread like wildfire; fans thronged to his village in Mansa district to pay their last respects. Others mourned him on social media. An icon for many, the rebellious young man had also been a controversial figure. There were allegations that he promoted gun culture and violence, and rumours that he had ties with certain gangs. With his sudden and violent death, the questions about his life became louder—as also those around his death. Who had killed Moosewala? Everyone wanted to know. As the police made arrests and the investigation started in earnest, a story began to emerge—one of old enmities, uncomfortable truths, disgruntled youths and the violence that simmers in Punjab, just below the surface of everyday life. In this gripping and fast-paced book, seasoned crime reporter Jupinderjit Singh closely follows the investigation into Moosewala’s death and also offers us glimpses into the man he was behind the mask of celebrity. The story of the slain singer and those behind his murder, this book is also a rumination on the growing unrest in Punjab.
Jupinderjit Singh is an award-winning journalist, specialising in crime reporting for The Tribune in Punjab. He has authored five books two of which have been translated into Hindi. He is known for discovering the lost pistol of Shaheed Bhagat Singh that was used to kill a British police officer in 1928. He was awarded the Prem Bhatia Young Journalist Award in 2005. He is a fellow with the Centre for Science and Environment and a FIDE-rated chess player and coach. He is also a motivational speaker.
Brand new books launched this week — Gunboy and Water Days: A Novel. Both are by second-time fiction authors — Shreyas Rajagopal and Sundar Sarukkai. Fiction. Novels. It is a lovely coincidence that two titles released by separate publishing houses — HarperCollins India and Westland Books — have very similar cover designs. The designers are Haitenlo Semy and Srinivas Bhashyam, respectively.
The centuries-old philosophy of the Stoics holds the key to navigating our modern world. With its practices for staying calm under pressure, making ethical decisions and navigating challenges, Stoicism offers a practical framework for cultivating calmness and positivity in a complex world.
One of the greatest of the Stoics is Lucius Annaeus Seneca, whose writings explore the importance of ethics, resilience and virtue. His work lays the foundations of the Stoic way of life. Using curated quotations from Seneca’s work, and supplemented with helpful commentary, authors Jana Capri and Charan Díaz formulate seventy-nine questions that cover a range of universal concerns. Stay Calm with Seneca is a thoughtful and wise companion through the twists and turns of modern life.
Renowned as the last great Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius is best known for his work Meditations, which grounds his philosophy in self-reflection, rationality, personal virtue, inner strength and an unbiased perspective to living a fulfilling life.
In Stay Positive with Marcus Aurelius, authors Jana Capri and Charan Díaz explores seventy-nine questions and scenarios that deal with both philosophical and practical concerns that people face—ethical dilemmas, existential inquiries, self-improvement prompts and reflective queries. Based on Meditations, the answers are adapted to the modern world and are accompanied by thoughtful reflections that help you remain positive amidst life’s upheavals.
Of late, book compilations of the Stoics by various publishers in India and globally are selling like hotcakes. All of a sudden, Stoic philosophy is back in vogue. It does not seem to matter how many publishers create texts of the stoic philosophers or in which format, they will sell. It is understandable. There is wisdom and practical sense. Westland Books newly launched “The Stoic Philosophy Series” falls into this category. Handy, decent size hardbacks, easy to hold and flip through, with wide margins for scribbling notes, and perhaps, adding a few more questions to those asked, these are worth keeping or even gifting.
~ To launch six titles this year in non-fiction, poetry and more
Mumbai, 14 May 2025: Godrej DEI Lab, the diversity and inclusion initiative of the Godrej Industries Group and Westland Books, today announced the launch of “Queer Directions” (QD) – a new publishing imprint dedicated to amplifying LGBTQIA+ voices across genres spanning non-fiction, poetry, and eventually, fiction. With plans to launch six compelling titles this year, the collaboration signals a deep commitment to inclusive storytelling and representation.
At its core, Queer Directions will celebrate queer expression, identity, and lived experiences. From insightful memoirs to imaginative narratives for younger readers, Queer Directions aims to build an ever-expanding bridge between queer creators and readers everywhere.
Parmesh Shahani, Head of Godrej DEI Lab and author of Queeristan, will serve as Series Editor for Queer Directions. Shahani said, “The idea is to build a bridge, not a border. At a time when queer rights are being challenged across the world, this imprint stands as both an act of solidarity and a space to nurture fresh, authentic voices from within the LGBTQIA+ communities. It will showcase the rich diversity of queer lives to straight allies and non-queer readers.”
Westland Books, which has steadily built a credible LGBTQIA+ list over the years – from Queeristan to recent acclaimed fiction by Unmana and Santanu Bhattacharya – now takes a bold step forward with this focused publishing programme.
“It has been a long-cherished hope that someday we would be able to launch a thoughtful, inclusive and truly intersectional imprint that is focused on discovering and nurturing new voices in the LGBTQIA+ space. Queer Directions is that,” said Karthika V.K., Publisher at Westland Books. “‘And we couldn’t have found more supportive and engaged partners than Godrej DEI Lab and series editor Parmesh Shahani to help shape and enhance the impact of all that we publish in QD.”
With the launch of Queer Directions, the Godrej Industries Group reaffirms its continued investment in social equity and inclusion. The imprint, as a creative endeavour, will be a testament to the power of partnerships in shaping inclusive narratives and imagining progress for all.
About the Godrej DEi Lab
The Godrej DEI Lab empowers inclusion ecosystems both within and outside the Godrej Industries Group.
Godrej Industries Ltd. is the holding company of the Godrej Industries Group (GIG). We are privileged to serve over 1.1 billion consumers globally through our businesses with market leadership positions in the consumer products, real estate, agriculture, financial services and chemicals industries.
About Westland Books
Westland Books is an award-winning Indian publisher with a diverse and exciting range of books from popular and literary fiction to business, politics, biography, spirituality, popular science, health, and self-help. Its key publishing imprints include Context, which publishes award-winning literary fiction and non-fiction; Ekadā, which publishes the best of contemporary writing in Indian languages and in translation; Tranquebar, home to the best new fiction from the Indian subcontinent; the eponymous Westland Sport, Westland Business and Red Panda, which publishes a range of books for children of different ages.
A little before the covid pandemic hit us hard, Nalin and I met to discuss his new manuscript. He mentioned that he was writing it on the Bharatiya Janata Party that was at the time, in its first term in office in the Indian government. We discussed the pros and cons of writing this book. Both of us knew that it had to be entirely factual, accurate, non-partisan, data rich, and with a detailed analysis. Nalin, as he well documents in his book, stuck to facts, empirical evidence, archival research, incredible number of interviews, on-the-road conversations and much much more. All the information collated for the purposes of this text were in the public domain. Nothing was gleaned from off-the-record documentation or conversations. The manuscript went through many iterations. Once completed, then it was legally vetted, not once, but twice by a team of lawyers. The legal team issued a letter on their official letterhead confirming that everything was accurate and above board. It was an exercise that kept both of us, Nalin and me, busy through the pandemic. Many times we were confronted by what we encountered in terms of data and research analysis, but after many checks, if the evidence still stood as is, we accepted. This was not easy to do given that the surround noise would always point to something else. After a while, it was only a matter of belief in the work that we were doing that propelled us forward. The New BJP was published on 3 Jan 2022. Since then, it continues to sell by all accounts. The number of people who have met Nalin and told him that his book is superb is impossible to tell. The book has been published in English ( Westland Books), Punjabi (Rethink Publishers) and Marathi (Mehta Publishing House).
The audio version, released by KUKU FM, is available in English and Hindi. In fact, today, while checking the KUKU FM website, I discovered to my delight, three and a half years on since the book was first published, there are literally thousands of listeners plugged in to the Hindi and English audio books. Quite remarkable! Here are the screenshots from today (12 May 2025).
Kuku FM, English, The New BJPKuku FM, Hindi, The New BJP
This book has changed the political discourse in India. Moreover, if reports are to be believed, it is now an essential read for all diplomats and international journalists being sent to India. Even amongst politicians, across the spectrum, it is a must read. Apart from this, lay readers, journalists, academics, researchers, students et al are reading it. As a backhand compliment, we have even come across sections of it being pirated and circulated on WhatsApp. There is a story before a book comes into existence and there is a story afterwards. The New BJP has many anecdotes around it that continue to grow with every passing year.
Meanwhile, I am sharing the very kind and generous words Nalin had to say in his acknowledgement:
The indomitable and erudite Jaya Bhattacharji Rose formally my literary agent but, in practice, she was also this book’s editor who reshaped it in fundamental ways. Endless daily conversatrions, round-the-clock WhatsApp messages and her constant questions became such a way of life that halfway through it, she became the voice in my head, the person I was writing the whole thing for. Though she was deeply confronted by what this book was finding, she believed in the project and its method wholeheartedly. Jaya threw herself totally into this as an intellectual sparring partner and entire sections were born in our daily conversations as I sought to make sense of it all. It was V. K. Karthika who had first suggested writing a chapter on how the BJP sees women but when I dithered while writing, Jaya insisted, ‘you cannot write a book on the BJP without writing about women.’ She became my tutor on the world of gender studies and her refusal to take no for an answer forced me out of my usual comfort zone and turned what was orignally a 500-word section intoa 20,000-word chapter. Similiarly, though I was reluctant to insert myself into the narrative and write about personal histories in the Introduction, she persisted for a week, simply refusing to relent until I finally agreed and wrote them in. Despite the lockdown, she also conducted the riveting auction with India’s top six publishers that led to this book being published. I have been lucky to have her as a partner in this project.
The New BJP is an extraordinary book and it is worth reading, whether you agree with the party’s ideologies or not. It is seminal. It will be talked about and referred to for a long, long time to come.
In his fine introduction to the book, Echoes of Eternity, former diplomat, Pavan K. Varma, explains very clearly his methodology for selecting the texts included in this anthology. Also, the reason for putting together this essential book. Here is an excerpt from the opening pages:
India is a civilisation of moulik such — the power of original thought. This faculty has been the bedrock on which the Indian people have survived and flourished since the dawn of time. Other ancient civilisations, such as the Greek, Roman, Persian, Assyrian and even classical Chinese, have long ceased to exist. What makes our civilisation different is a certain ability for cerebral interrogation, discovery and renewal that has bestowed the great stream of Indian ideas with antiquity, continuity, diversity, assimilation and peaks of refinement.
This compendium, or anthology, seeks to capture some of the magnitude of this vast ideational canvas. Its breadth covers a period of 7,000 years at the very least, from the Rigveda, dated circa 3500 to 3000 BCE, to the philosopher Osho, closer to the present. The subjects its includes range from philosophy, metaphysics, religion, values, politics, economics, arts, literature, poetry and aesthetics to social change and renewal. The geographical sweep is as wide, covering the whole of Bharatvarsha, from the Himalays to Kanyakumari, and Dwaraka to Puri and the Northeast. This selection would have been even richer in contenthad the script of the great Indus Valley Civilisation been deciphered, and one can only hope that scholars will succeed one day.
As can be imagined, the greatest challenge in such a task was what to select and what to leave out. Our corpus of thought is so copious that some degree of judicious selectivity had to be exercised. It also required going through tons of literary material in order to decide what the final selection would be. Certainly, there was an element of subjectivity involved in the process and the final decision was mine. I am fully conscious that there will be some who feel that the contents are incomplete, or that certain texts have been excluded which, according to their thinking, need to be there, or that the material is disproportionately focused on some texts, or even on some historical periods, to the neglect of others. I plead guilty to these accusations, since I have already made the disclaimer that a process of selectivity was involved, and that is bound to lead to some exclusions. My only defence is that I was influenced by no extraneous or ulterior agenda, that my intent was entirely benevolent, and it was my genuine attempt to provide a fair sampling of the infinite sparkle of ideas that have gone into the making of our civilisational heritage.
To my mind, even this is a good beginning to introduce readers to our remarkable legacy of thought. Many educated Indians are woefully unaware of its contents, depth and range. They are aware of some important names, and may have read a few texts, but on the whole, there is a regrettable ignorance with regard to the endless river of thought of which there are legatees. For such people, this book, I hope, will serve as an essential primer to undersand the brilliance and continuity of our cerebral evolution, and inform them that the concept of nationhood is underpinned, since time immemorial, not only by a shared geography, but also the generous benediction of application of mind that, like some exquisite weave, binds us all together.
This infusion of knowledge is particularly important for us at this juncture, when we are poised to take our legitimate place at the high table of the world.
p. ix – xi
Here are images of the list of contents that are spread across four pages. It will give a sense of the breadth of literary selections included in the volume.
From the ancient Nasadiya Sukta to twentieth-century discussions about caste and nation, this is an anthology of Indian philosophical and political thought that deserves a place on every bookshelf. Wise and diverse, reflective and provocative, each of the pieces in this collection, be it Sanskrit verse, Urdu poetry or a speech in Parliament, belongs to the canon of intellectual thought that defines Indianness.
Echoes of Eternity has its limitations as the author has recognised but it is certainly a good introduction to our rich literary inheritance. It is worth remembering.
Qabar or grave, is a novella by award-winning writer K. R. Meera ( published by Westland Books). It is a curious story. Is it possible to share the story briefly. No. Suffice to say that the dark parallels drawn between a woman’s existence and that of a Muslim in a very patriarchal and Hindu-dominated society, respectively, are very disconcerting. For the characters, it is akin to being dead while alive, confined to their qabar. Resorting to elements of magic realism or preying upon classic myths of witches and djinns, does not in any way ease the reader while trying to comprehend Qabar. The competent translation by journalist/author, Nisha Susan is very good. She achieves the balancing act by slipping in Malayalam words into the English translation without making the text jarring to read.
Award-winning writer Anjali Joseph’s Keeping in Touch( Context, Westland/Amazon) is about Keteki and Ved Ved, both of whom are in their late thirties. (Ved is Ved twice over as the first Ved is the title for a doctor. The second is his name meaning “knowledge”.) They met at the airport while waiting for their respective flights. Coincidentally, one of the projects that Ved is assessing in India for a potential investment has a manufacturing plant in Upper Assam, very conveniently it is close to Keteki’s ancestral home in Jorhat. After a one night stand, Keteki heads off to Guwahati and Ved to London. They exchange phone numbers. Ketkei is a designer. Ved is a venture capitalist. They come across as mildly bored, disengaged with their world, their professional commitments are completed more than successfully but they remain dissatisfed, they seem to be unaffected by anything that happens around them and are always available for a party with like-minded souls. They seem to live lives that would be the envy of many — parties organised at the drop of a hat, jet setting between the UK and India as and when they feel like it, travelling within India upon a whim, an ease that is available to the single and unattached, without any other responsibilities. Even having sex seems to be a “time pass” activity. Yet, slowly and steadily, via text messages, unexpected as well as planned meetings in London, Guwahati and Jorhat, Keteki and Ved begin to get to know each other. It is almost as if they are behaving like teenagers, who are infatuated with each other, but for some reason are unable to express it clearly in words to each other. Although to be fair, Ved does say to Keteki’s uncle that he would like to spend the rest of his life with his niece. Keteki and Ved keep in touch but are unable to make a commitment until Ved decides to quit his job in London, puts his flat on rent and moves to Guwahati to be closer to Keteki. She too has for the moment moved base to the city to be with her aunt.
Anjali Joseph excels in these middle class stories. It is almost as if it is in the spirit of Jane Austen, to polish the two inches of ivory. There is the hustle bustle of the outside world in terms of social engagements and conversations, much of it polite chatter. But the focus of the story remains firmly upon the two main characters. The desis in Keeping in Touch are equally at ease in India or abroad. They have the mobility and grace to move in diverse social circles. Interestingly, this novel is probably a fine example of a new brand of diasporic literature that blends the cultures of the two lands deftly and unapologetically. It is evident in little details such as the use of Assamese words in the course of conversation or to describe dishes. Thankfully not once are these italicised in the text or over explained. Instead they are placed as they are meant to be on the page and the reader has to accept them.
As always, Saurabh Garge’s cover design is perfect. The lone, empty boat, marooned on the river bank is a symbolic image for the two lovers described in the story. It is intriguing. For those wishing to pick up a book based upon its cover, well they are in for a satisfying read.
Keeping in Touch is a very old-fashioned love story in a modern setting. It is beautifully told. It is impossible to put down. It lingers with you long after the book is over.
Tarana Khan’s debut novel, The Begum and the Dastan, ( Tranquebar, Westland Books) is historical fiction set in the late nineteenth century. A fictional recreation based on broad facts known about a Nawab’s family, probably Rampur, although the story is set in a fictional township called Sherpur. ( Here is the backstory: https://www.shethepeople.tv/books/tarana-husain-khan-excerpt-raffat-begum/ “Raffat Begum: How a begum’s emergence from the harem changed the lives of Rampur’s women”, 4 March 2021 )
The novel begins in the twenty-first century, around 2016, when Ameera asks her grandmother to tell her tales about her grandmother, Feroza Begum. Then the story begins set in 1896. Most of the novel is about Ameera’s great-great-grandmother, Feroza Begum, although in the novel she is referred to inaccurately as “great-grandmother”. ( Read an excerpt: https://scroll.in/article/988872/womens-day-fiction-what-a-little-girl-learns-about-her-great-grandmothers-life-in-a-harem) It is about the abduction of a married and pregnant Feroza by the young nawab — Nawab Yunus Ali Khan. The nawab was known for his roving eye and Feroza was known for her beauty. But when the sawani festival organised by the Nawab, Feroza threw a hissy fit insisting she be allowed to join other women in the zenana. Her father gave in to her demands despite his misgivings about the Nawab. He insisted on Feroza being chaperoned by her stepmother and her maids but man proposes, God disposes. The nawab sighted a beautiful Feroza on his grounds and had her whisked away to his harem.
The Begum and the Dastan is about Feroza, her husband giving her talak/ divorce under the impression that she wanted it when it was actually the manipulative Nawab who had set it all up. There are many, many more details. Feroza is initially set up as this headstrong, obstinate, demanding firstborn. A trait that she exhibits even in the Nawab’s harem except that after a while the forces of patriarchy take over. It is demeaning, humiliating and slowly breaks her, although the fire within her continues to smoulder. The novel extends itself by narrating a little more about the next generation and the crumbling of this dynasty.
“The dastan” or the story is narrated by Mirza Ameeruddin Dastango, nicknamed ‘Kallam Mirza’. He is the storyteller whose job is to narrate stories, to the best of his abilities, despite being in an opiate stupor. His brother had been appointed the court dastango upon the demise of their father. But it was Kallam Mirza’s tales spun beautifully twice a week that had the audiences mesmerised.
Kallan’s narrative style, drawing on the witticism and idioms of the Sherpur gullies, had endeared him to his audience who came from all classes, cared little for the Persianised Urdu couplets of his contemporaries, loved his passionate romancing, his tongue-in-cheek humour and somewhat oblique irony. His narrative was the tilism, the magic. While his famous brother, Mirza Aleemuddin, had succeeded his father as the court dastango, Kallan, unlettered was of the masses. Most listeners paid any amount depending on their station in life, keeping the annas and paisas at a predetermined place, generally in a taaq or alcove in the wall. The nobleman-host paid much more.
The women folk, prohibited from attending the opium-riddled mehfils, were his invisible audience, peering from behind half-opened doors of darkened rooms, their eyes fixed on the expressions and gestures of the dastango, stifling giggles and sighs.
The story he spun was of a despotic sorcerer, Tareek Jaan, and his grand illusory city, the Tilism-e-Azam,where women are confined in underground basements. Slowly Kallan Mirza’s tale intertwines with the one that the dadi narrates to her granddaughter. Lovely premise, to a potentially lovely story. In many parts of the story it is evocative of a particular style of living that is still elusive. Little is known about it. More so, because Tarana Khan attempts to tell the story from the zenana. It is the women’s quarters, a part of the household that is not easily accessed by men and certainly not by the public. It is a perspective that can be easily exploited to share much more than the court settings and the hustle-bustle outside. There is so much potential to enrich a story, particularly historical fiction, via the women’s conversations, the gossip, the manner of running a household, the internal mechanisms and of course the gupshup over cooking or while selecting fabric to make the prettiest of dresses.
The literary device of having three narrative threads — Feroza Begum’s life, Kallan Mirza’s dastango and Ameera listening to her Dadi narrating Feroza Begum’s story — requires a dexterity that is not always evident in The Begum and the Dastan. As a plot it is an enticing thought but its execution needs to be crisp and sharp. A reader should be able to discern from the dialogue that this specific section belongs to the dastan or to Feroza Begum or Ameera. There has to be a shift in the tenor, in the details, in the mannerisms etc. Instead it all seems to blur into one monotonal narrative. There are no variations in the rhythm of storytelling.
Tarana Khan has established her writerly credentials on food history. Her writing style is exquisite for its detailing. Her articles are fabulously absorbing to read for they are a sophisticated blend of the past, her insight, a generous dollop of storytelling, followed by an old recipe, redone for a modern audience. With this expectation in mind, The Begum and the Dastan, has been eagerly awaited for a very long time. It has been whispered about in Indian literary circles for a while now. Tarana’s regular writing shows her acute awareness of the modern sensibilities but it is missing in the patchwork of a novel. There are parts of the novel that are beautifully told but then there are others that are hastily written. The women could be a little more nuanced. The characters built well. The relationships. They are thin. They lack the oomph one associates with well-written historical fiction — richly told, detailed with multiple layers. As for food descriptions, they barely exist! (More on that later.)
Historical fiction is a specialised literary art form. It is not the mere placement of a story in the past that makes it historical fiction. Salman Rushdie speaking to Paul Holdengraber in March 2021 about historical fiction. He said, “history is alway partially legendary, plenty of room for the fabulous imagination to work. What I have always believed about historical novels is that they end up being as much about our time as they are about their own time. We are looking at them with the interests and concerns of our time. and those interests and concerns find their expression in the past. We see them in the past. So to write about the past is also to write about the present.” To a degree this is echoed by Alexander Chee in his interview with Edward Carey where he says, “I think of historical fiction as being an argument with history, and with culture.”
With historical fiction, the author has the creative license to do whatever they please, but within the parameters of historical accuracy to important details. Within the framework, the author can then take leaps of imagination to do whatever they like. It is permissible. But I shake my head in disbelief when I begin to find a slip such as the use of an oxygen mask in 1911 whereas the mask as we know it today was not invented till 1919 and put into medical use till 1941. It is true that Haldane had by 1919 developed a prototype and by the late nineteenth century nasal catheters were being used to administer oxygen, but masks were certainly out of the question. One slip like this and I begin to doubt the entire edifice despite the innumerable footnotes ( a distraction) in the novel. Then there is the acute disappointment at not being entertained by descriptions of food especially when reading fiction by a food writer. Instead to make things worse, food served to Feroza is described as bland that is spiced up by her maid by adding powdered red or yellow chillies. I expected more. I expected richer, sensuous descriptions of food, that added a dimension to the myriad relationships depicted in the pages — British/Indian/Mughlai; Nawab and his wives /harem; the various levels of women who existed and were served food from the court kitchens; the food served to courtiers/ guests; the banquets at celebrations; food served at naming ceremonies of the babies etc. And of course juxtaposed with the food conversations of Ameera and her dadi in the present age. Or the food descriptions of the dastango. None of this exists. Food and food ceremonies are an essential part of our life. To ignore this aspect of life is an inexplicable oversight. Read Jahanara Habibullah’s memoir, Remembrance of Days Past: Glimpses of a Princely State during the Raj that is also set in Rampur and has terrific descriptions of food.
I continue to have mixed feelings about The Begum and the Dastan even though it has been more than two months since I read the book. The possibilities in this story are immense but fall short of one’s expectations knowing how talented Tarana Khan is as a writer. I look forward to her next novel.
The Nameless God by Savie Karnel is an extraordinary novel for little kids. It is simply told. Set in Dec 1992 but in a nameless town where communal tensions erupt after the demolition of Babri Masjid on 6 December. It is a story about two friends — Noor and Bachchu — who find themselves caught in the communal riots that have broken out. On the eve of the riots, the boys had created a nameless god of their own and very sweetly, not knowing what items to use to decorate their makeshift altar, had gathered items associated with Hinduism and Islam. The boys saw no wrong in assimilating the two cultures they were intimately familiar with.
It is a story set in the near past but is so obviously a story that is affecting our present every day. It is a simply told story about very tough subjects that are not always openly discussed with children — religion, communalism, politics, secularism, the Constitution etc. At the same time, the basic messages of friendship, respect, kindness, humanity and India’s syncretic character come through strongly in the novel. It is obvious it is in our citizen’s DNA. And yet children are being slowly indoctrinated by the toxic prejudices of their elders. This has to be countered by sharing histories that are being scrubbed out of the public conscious and are being rapidly replaced by new ones that are being created. This is done effectively in The Nameless God.
This is a powerful story by a debut novelist with a strong voice, Savie Karnel . The author does not mince words. A story that will resonate with many and should be adopted by schools as a middle grade reader. It must also be translated and made widely available in the local languages. We need more of our own stories and histories being made available to school children than bombarding them with stories from other lands especially about Nazi Germany. Those too must be heard but we are at such a critical juncture of our nationhood that books like The Nameless God are essential to kick-start difficult conversations. It is time.
