A Fine Family

by Gurcharan Das

A Fine Family is the extraordinary chronicle-- rich in passion and incident--- of several generations of a Punjabi family. covers partition and then life in East Punjab.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Indian Literature

Paperback

First published July 1, 1991

About the author

Gurcharan Das (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਚਰਨ ਦਾਸ, Hindi: गुरचरण दास), (born October 3, 1943), is an Indian author, commentator and public intellectual. He is the author of The Difficulty of Being Good: On the subtle art of dharma which interrogates the epic, Mahabharata. His international bestseller, India Unbound, is a narrative account of India from Independence to the global Information Age, and has been published in many languages and filmed by BBC.

He is a regular columnist for six Indian newspapers in English, Hindi, Telugu and Marathi, and he writes periodic pieces for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, and Newsweek.

He graduated with honors from Harvard University in Philosophy. He later attended Harvard Business School (AMP), where he is featured in three case studies. He was CEO of Procter & Gamble India and later Managing Director, Procter & Gamble Worldwide (Strategic Planning). In 1995, he took early retirement to become a full time writer. He is currently on many boards and is a regular speaker to the top managements of the world’s largest corporations.

His other literary works include a novel, A Fine Family, a book of essays, The Elephant Paradigm, and anthology, Three English Plays.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Indian set-novel follows the fortunes of a Punjabi family who have to flee to a post-Partitioned India. Having three generations of the family cohabiting in this story, allows Das to explore the differences between them and gives the tale some nice weight. All in all it's a almost majestic story of family. 7 out of 12.

I feel that more of us (me included) should try learn a lot more about Partition, the causes, what happened, the legacy. Starting with a fictional read is great, but sometimes we should let fiction turn us down a path of further learning.

2007 read

[Akshay Dasgupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an extraordinary tale of an Indian punjabi family, starting from Lyallpur (currently in Pakistan) before the Partition and ending in Bombay with the Emergency as the backdrop. The book is chronologically divided into three section - the first being "Lyallpur", followed by "Simla" and ending with "Bombay"

Of all the three sections, the first part "Lyallpur" is extremely well written. We have all heard the saying that 'Partition was the price India paid for independence'. However, i never really felt the impact of this statement until i read the first part of this book. The author's description of this dark period in the lives of people of the two counties, especially in the Punjab region is simply 'hard hitting' and can move anyone to tears. Having read "Tamas" by Bhisham Sahani when i was in school, I was way too naive to really comprehend the havoc created in the two countries by the Partition. The author's simplistic and honest way of narrating this period is simply heart rending.

The second part "Simla" deals with the protagonist "Bauji' finding himself reestablishing his life and business in Simla after he and his family are uprooted from Lyallpur, now belonging to the newly formed country of Pakistan. This part deals with the transition period from colonial rule to a democratic country and the challenges faced along the way. It largely focuses on Tara (Bauji's daugher) and her life in Simla and her feelings as an Indian in a free state.

The third part "Bombay" is where I felt that the book started going downhill. This section felt way too philosophical after the first two sections which dealt with serious and true facts. It largely deals with the third generation (Bauji's grandson - Arjun) working and settling in Bombay with the 'Emergency' (another bleak period in India's history) as a background.

To be honest the rating for this book is largely based on the first part. There is something about our Indian authors who write in the English language, it's simply fascinating. I am sure I will turn to this part again after a couple of months.

Recommended for anyone interested in the rich and heartbreaking history of our great country 'India', then and now.

[Vidyaa Krishna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale spanning three generations set against the backdrop of India's transformation through pre-independence, independence, and post-independence eras. The characters are deeply developed, and their emotions resonate vividly. Overall, a heartwarming read.

[Varun Iyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA708gSAM...

[Meenu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt that this story of three generations of a punjabi family from pre independance india to Indira Gandhi's emergency could have been a great novel , an epic saga of the changing times with each character vying for centre place but instead i thought it was more of a hurried chronicle of the family history. i found the writing a bit too detached to start with. As soon as one started getting more personal with the characters , the story moved on . The last phase , ' bombay' was the most enjoyable to read with the pace picking up quite a bit and also the writing was smoothed out as if the author finally settled down into the right rhythm. I started to appreciate the authors penmanship in the last few chapters of the book when sadly it was time to end it.

[Pooja T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed this book. A sweeping narrative from the 1940s India to the years following the Emergency provides a backdrop to the story of a family dealing with change and a new country taking shape. I loved the story and how real the characters, flawed and complex. I liked Bauji's character a whole lot, he was complicated and layered and in some ways represented the new country, full of new dreams and hopes. I liked the first half of the book way better than the latter half. Arjun wasn't the most exciting character to read about, Priti interesting to read about but I wish there was more about her and Karan's relationship. Overall, I highly recommend this book!

[Vrinda Pandey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well may be i was expecting a really worthwhile read from Gurcharan das , but disappointed by this , the story which runs thru the three generations has actually no soul , the focus changes on and off from one character to another and come back to same character without any definition /identity creation of each character , the books touches pre independence , post independence , emergency , naxal movement , china war and whatnot , but nothing really came out to full exposure.

[Manish Kumar · Rating 1 out of 5]

कहानी एक परिवार की' जो कि लेखक का पहला उपन्यास है, १९९० में प्रकाशित हुआ। ये उपन्यास पूर्वी पंजाब में रहने वाले और विभाजन के समय भारत में आने वाले परिवार की कहानी है। अंग्रेजी में A Fine Family के नाम से छपी इस किताब का हिंदी अनुवाद नरेंद्र सैनी, जो कि खुद एक पत्रकार रह चुके हैं, ने किया है।

उपन्यास शुरुआत में लॉयलपुर कस्बे के मशहूर वकील बाउजी के व्यक्तित्व का परिचय कराता हुआ उनके परिवार के इर्द गिर्द घूमता है, जबकि विभाजन के बाद की गाथा पूरी तरह उनके पोते अर्जुन की जिंदगी की जद्दोज़हद से जुड़ी है। विभाजन पर लिखे अन्य उपन्यासों की तरह ये उपन्यास भी उस के पूर्व और बाद की सामाजिक और राजनीतिक परिस्थितियों का आकलन करता है। गुरुचरण दास ने उस वक़्त की हिंदू और मुस्लिम सोच को उभारने की सफल कोशिश की है।

पर कहानी कहने का लेखक का अंदाज बेहद नीरस और उबाऊ है। कई पात्र कहानी के साथ चलते-चलते अचानक से गायब हो जाते हैं। वैसे तो ये एक अनुवाद है पर लेखक की भाषा बिना किसी लोच-लचक के सीधी सपाट ही चलती रहती है। मुझे यकीं है कि ३९५ पृष्ठों वाली इस किताब को ख़त्म करना आपके लिए चुनौती जरूर होगा।

https://www.ek-shaam-mere-naam.in/200...

[Vijay Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fine Family by is a captivating exploration of family dynamics, societal expectations, and the pursuit of happiness. Set against the backdrop of post-independence India, Das skillfully weaves together the lives of a family navigating the complexities of tradition and modernity. Das's prose is elegant and evocative, transporting readers to a bygone era while addressing timeless themes. In this book, Das offers profound insights into the human condition and the eternal quest for fulfillment. "A Fine Family" is a thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable read that will linger in the mind long after the final page is turned. Highly recommended for those who already admire Gurcharan Das and literary work.

[Ankit Dua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories of partition have always touched me whether its 'Toba Tek Singh' by Manto or 'Train to Pakistan' by Khushwant Singh or Gulzars Short stories. All these tragedies are similar to the story of my grandfather who left his Home and farms in Pakistan and came to India, he also told me how his entire savings were taken during the journey.

While reading this book, I felt the pain of the countless women who were physically abused, these incidents prove that deep down every individual is filled with FILTH and they exercise their power when they know they will not punished.

I feel "Its not the MORALS that is stopping people from doing the wrong thing but the FEAR of LAW"

[Karanvir Singh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had I known that this book was written for non Indians to make them understand about the history, culture and day to day lives of Indian people, I would have never picked this book up
It seems as though Das is hell bent on teaching its readers history lessons by weaving a story which is just so basic that it hardly holds your interest.
If you had any high hopes regarding fiction by Das, then be rest assured its not up to the mark. Pace is quite slow and most of the content is skimmable.

[Vedika Kaushal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: a solid 3.5!

I wish I could give it a full 4 because it's definitely deserving and yet, the usual and quite honestly tiring portrayal of women in modern Indian literature often dampens the charm of a most exquisitely written prose. While some stereotypes ring true, the others simply annoy and at times I expect better. 🤷🏻

[Mustafa Bilal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just wonder why such a wonderful book is neglected and not discussed by people reading south-asian literature. I took a long gap in between. Started it up yesterday. Would recommend it to all.

[Sanat Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of history, lots of emotions. A poignant tale of love, passion, hatred, communal riots during partition of India
Also a bit of the Emergency years.

[POONAM Bhatnagar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is good read. Beginning till 3/4th of the book kept me engaged but i lost interest towards the end.

[Chaya Dronamraju · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was a rather disappointing read overall.

[Uzair Awan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review was goog

[Vish Patil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frankly speaking, the language is easy to read and the story interwoven between reality and fiction. It does have the ingredients of a novel but it doesn't fetch you the fun of reading as compared to R.K Narayan and Satyait Ray's Feluda kind of vigor.
I might be a victim of following him for quite some time now. I did a grave mistake of reading all books of his one after other, that might have made me lose interest as there are repetitions here and there and you tend to skip some pages and later some parts of the entire story. It will still be engaging if you are reading it for the first time and haven't read other books of his.

[Binny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine book transcending generations. Starts in pre independence India and ends in modern day. I found it amazing to read a common person perspective on era that created "Independent India". Life as described in Shimla was nostalgic as i tried to recall all the places mentioned in there. I also admired how a corporate case study of labor/vendor relations found its way in there. Truly mixture of lot of things!

What i did not like was i found the book too long which it ought to be considering what i said above. It did get boring at times. Thats why it took me so long to finish! But it was interesting enough to keep getting me back to it!

[Marilyn Saul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rarely abandon a book half-way through. I made it through the partition and its horrors and moved on to Simla, where I immediately notice a change in Tara's character. She used to be a smart, educated, empathic person, but she has now turned into a money-grubbing shrew, still nursing a sexual fantasy about Karan (who we all know is gay, but that's never really said outright). Regardless, I find myself skipping pages, not a good sign. I'll probably read a bit more on my bus ride home, but I'm pretty sure this one is way too irritating for me to bother finishing.

[Srikanth Peetha · Rating 4 out of 5]

As tittle says the story is all about family's three generations.
first about grandfather ,second his daughter and the third about his grandson.
well i liked the grandson part.
i was very much moved during partition. Each and very sentence during partition was realistic. i had read few novels and this was completely different from them.
This novel is not for those who doesn't have much patience.

[Kadri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable, the book follows the lives of a family through several decades. It has a rather sad undertone to it, as none of the characters seem to be satisfied with their lives and are always trying to find something unreachable, while being swept along by the changes that are happening around them.

[Sachin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A remarkable, provocative, morally uplifting and thoroughly entertaining novel that narrates the life and times of an original Punjabi family from pre-independence era till mid 70s. One of those stories you feel bad it ended so soon.

[Ishani Sai · Rating 4 out of 5]

History unfolded!!