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Dear Zahira, With Love: Love Letters Across Borders | A True South-Asian Romance of Distance & Separation
A love story stuck in the Partition of India
Ghulam Ali meets Zahira when he briefly returns to India, his motherland. Zahira falls for him almost instantly. India, however, refuses to take him back. All Ghulam wants is to return to Lucknow and be with the woman he loves.
Instead, he finds himself injured and starving in a Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore, suspected of being a jasoos.
Having been forced to serve in the Pakistani Army, India now rejects him completely. Trapped across the border with no hope in sight, Ghulam begins writing letters, to ministers, bureaucrats, journalists, and anyone who might listen. And to Zahira Raza, the love that keeps him alive.
Zahira has always dreamed of dancing freely, but her desire is held back by a secret only Ghulam knows.
As she waits for him in Lucknow, living with her naani and sister, she navigates the struggles of being a working Muslim woman in 1950s India. Written as an exchange of love letters, 'Dear Zahira, With Love' is the true story of Havaldaar Ghulam Ali, as relevant today as it was then.
An earlier version of this book was published under the title 'Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore'.
Ghulam Ali meets Zahira when he briefly returns to India, his motherland. Zahira falls for him almost instantly. India, however, refuses to take him back. All Ghulam wants is to return to Lucknow and be with the woman he loves.
Instead, he finds himself injured and starving in a Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore, suspected of being a jasoos.
Having been forced to serve in the Pakistani Army, India now rejects him completely. Trapped across the border with no hope in sight, Ghulam begins writing letters, to ministers, bureaucrats, journalists, and anyone who might listen. And to Zahira Raza, the love that keeps him alive.
Zahira has always dreamed of dancing freely, but her desire is held back by a secret only Ghulam knows.
As she waits for him in Lucknow, living with her naani and sister, she navigates the struggles of being a working Muslim woman in 1950s India. Written as an exchange of love letters, 'Dear Zahira, With Love' is the true story of Havaldaar Ghulam Ali, as relevant today as it was then.
An earlier version of this book was published under the title 'Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore'.
206 pages, Paperback
Published May 22, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
June 27, 2026
4.75⭐️
When you text the author a long paragraph right after you finish the book, you know the damage is real.
So here I am, 25 minutes after finishing the book, still in a weird mindspace thinking how grateful I should be for my life?
Because, the struggle of all people; of all the religions; make me question just how many stories and struggles there still are that the world is unknown of.
This book follows the life of Ghulam and Zahira through the letters they write to each other after being forcefully separated. But I'd never consider this book as a romance book. I'm starting to realize how there's a difference between a love story and a romance book.
This was the struggle that came with love. The strength of love. The things people will do just to reunite with their love.
And somehow, despite me not realizing fully, I ended up crying over side characters that weren't exactly "side" characters. Rajkumar, Pundit ji, and so many more, for whom I truly feel, because despite this being a fictional story, the message was clear. Things like these were real at that time.
When a book has letters, I know it will destroy me. SO WHAT DID I EXPECT FROM A BOOK THAT'S WHOLLY WRITTEN IN LETTERS?
Well, when the lines began with:
Dear readers,
To know Ghulam was to love Ghulam.
I should have expected crying.
When the blurb gave major Veer-Zaara and Sita Ramam vibes, I should have expected destruction.
But I'm an idiot, so again, here I am, so in love with this book.
When you text the author a long paragraph right after you finish the book, you know the damage is real.
So here I am, 25 minutes after finishing the book, still in a weird mindspace thinking how grateful I should be for my life?
Because, the struggle of all people; of all the religions; make me question just how many stories and struggles there still are that the world is unknown of.
This book follows the life of Ghulam and Zahira through the letters they write to each other after being forcefully separated. But I'd never consider this book as a romance book. I'm starting to realize how there's a difference between a love story and a romance book.
This was the struggle that came with love. The strength of love. The things people will do just to reunite with their love.
And somehow, despite me not realizing fully, I ended up crying over side characters that weren't exactly "side" characters. Rajkumar, Pundit ji, and so many more, for whom I truly feel, because despite this being a fictional story, the message was clear. Things like these were real at that time.
When a book has letters, I know it will destroy me. SO WHAT DID I EXPECT FROM A BOOK THAT'S WHOLLY WRITTEN IN LETTERS?
Well, when the lines began with:
Dear readers,
To know Ghulam was to love Ghulam.
I should have expected crying.
When the blurb gave major Veer-Zaara and Sita Ramam vibes, I should have expected destruction.
But I'm an idiot, so again, here I am, so in love with this book.
July 27, 2026
The first thing I thought after reading the book was, how privileged I am for the life I have and how grateful I should be for all of it.
People have lived such difficult lives, one such I read in this book, the lives of Zahira and Ghulam Ji, two people who had such difficult lives before meeting each other, fell in love and then got separated again to live an even more difficult life.
This story is set in the time of post partition which brought a cruel fate to thousands of people who had to live their lives feeling they belonged nowhere, who all had to fight for every single day. This story broke me so much because I kept on thinking if it is so difficult for me to read all this, I cannot begin to imagine how it must have been for the people who had to live it. (this story is based on true events)
The story was written in such a raw manner that I could feel it all. Zahira and Ghulam, despite facing so many difficulties, held on to the smallest of hopes and the greatest of love they had for each other.
One such hope Zahira gave to Ghulam, that touched me was, “This piece of paper in your hand was in my hands just a few days ago. Isn’t that something to live for?”
For someone to understand what real love looks like, this story is it. It will break you, but it will also show you what resilience looks like, what holding onto love and faith can give you.
People have lived such difficult lives, one such I read in this book, the lives of Zahira and Ghulam Ji, two people who had such difficult lives before meeting each other, fell in love and then got separated again to live an even more difficult life.
This story is set in the time of post partition which brought a cruel fate to thousands of people who had to live their lives feeling they belonged nowhere, who all had to fight for every single day. This story broke me so much because I kept on thinking if it is so difficult for me to read all this, I cannot begin to imagine how it must have been for the people who had to live it. (this story is based on true events)
The story was written in such a raw manner that I could feel it all. Zahira and Ghulam, despite facing so many difficulties, held on to the smallest of hopes and the greatest of love they had for each other.
One such hope Zahira gave to Ghulam, that touched me was, “This piece of paper in your hand was in my hands just a few days ago. Isn’t that something to live for?”
For someone to understand what real love looks like, this story is it. It will break you, but it will also show you what resilience looks like, what holding onto love and faith can give you.
August 13, 2026
This book was so so heartbreaking and heartwarming. Listening to stories of partition and living them are so very separate things but while reading this you could feel the pain of losing your loved ones your homeland and everything. Each character hits deep and provides a different arc to the story!!
Absolutely loved the framework of letters.
Ghulam and Zahira’s story is going to stay with me for a long long time!!
Loved how beautifully the idea of power and religion is shown!!
My favourite character has to be Rajkumar!! Oh my god💌
Absolutely loved this book!!
I have cried so much while reading this but absolutely recommended🥹💕💌
Absolutely loved the framework of letters.
Ghulam and Zahira’s story is going to stay with me for a long long time!!
Loved how beautifully the idea of power and religion is shown!!
My favourite character has to be Rajkumar!! Oh my god💌
Absolutely loved this book!!
I have cried so much while reading this but absolutely recommended🥹💕💌
September 16, 2026
In the end, it says "the book broke me while writing". This is actually the type of book that broke "while reading".
Each & every character has been represented so beautifully that I love the characters which should be loved, and hate the character which deserves all the hate since beginning.
I read a new side of partition that I was so unaware of, and it changed something in me (for better).
I absolutely the love the representation of love to kindness for both the religions at the end.
Each & every character has been represented so beautifully that I love the characters which should be loved, and hate the character which deserves all the hate since beginning.
I read a new side of partition that I was so unaware of, and it changed something in me (for better).
I absolutely the love the representation of love to kindness for both the religions at the end.
September 17, 2026
I love epistolary books and this one was like a warm hug.
The story follows Zahira, a government official, and Gulzar, a limb-fitter, over the period of over 20 years. Through letters written to each other, we see the struggles they go through a decade after the Partition. Everyone has settled down - or so everyone believes. But is the reality so simple?
I loved the way main characters love each other quietly. There were no dramatic proclamations of love or any grand romantic gestures. Yet still, their love for each other continued throughout the years they were forced to spend apart.
I felt especially for Zahira. A woman working in a prominent government job in the 1950s, trying to prove her loyalty to the country every single day. Her quiet resilience is something women today still face. While Gulzar also suffers in the refugee camp far from home, he still has people he can call friends. Zahira lives with her family in her home, but she is more alone than Gulzar ever was. Her Naani's support comes, but it is too little too late.
A special mention to Rajkumar. This man brought life to every page he was in. I'd love to meet him in real life.
To be honest, I'd selected this book because I loved the cover. Happy to say that the story is worth it, too!
4.5 stars.
The story follows Zahira, a government official, and Gulzar, a limb-fitter, over the period of over 20 years. Through letters written to each other, we see the struggles they go through a decade after the Partition. Everyone has settled down - or so everyone believes. But is the reality so simple?
I loved the way main characters love each other quietly. There were no dramatic proclamations of love or any grand romantic gestures. Yet still, their love for each other continued throughout the years they were forced to spend apart.
I felt especially for Zahira. A woman working in a prominent government job in the 1950s, trying to prove her loyalty to the country every single day. Her quiet resilience is something women today still face. While Gulzar also suffers in the refugee camp far from home, he still has people he can call friends. Zahira lives with her family in her home, but she is more alone than Gulzar ever was. Her Naani's support comes, but it is too little too late.
A special mention to Rajkumar. This man brought life to every page he was in. I'd love to meet him in real life.
To be honest, I'd selected this book because I loved the cover. Happy to say that the story is worth it, too!
4.5 stars.
August 2, 2026
After i finished this book I felt broken for zahira and ali . My rage for sharma is at peak I am gonna kick his ass if he is real 😂 but spoilers aside that's the connection author gave in this book to me
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2026
When a Border Separates Two People, What Exactly Does It Fail to Separate?
Some love stories are about two people trying to find each other.
Dear Zahira, With Love by Sachin NG is about something more difficult: two people trying to remain connected when history has decided they belong on opposite sides of a border.
That distinction stayed with me.
Because we often talk about Partition through numbers—millions displaced, families separated, lives destroyed, borders redrawn. History gives us dates, political decisions and maps.
But a border is never really drawn on a map alone.
It is drawn through someone's home.
Someone's family.
Someone's identity.
And sometimes, someone's love.
Ghulam Ali returns to India, the country he considers his motherland, and meets Zahira. What begins as love quickly becomes entangled with the realities of Partition. Ghulam finds himself stranded in Lahore, injured, starving and suspected of being a jasoos. Having been forced into the Pakistani Army, he discovers an especially cruel irony: the country he longs to return to does not know where to place him anymore.
So he writes.
To ministers.
To bureaucrats.
To journalists.
And, most importantly, to Zahira.
Those letters become more than communication. They become evidence that he still exists somewhere between two countries that have stopped recognising him as their own.
And that is where the epistolary form works beautifully.
Letters are strange things. They are written in the absence of the person we most want to speak to. They require patience. You write, you wait, you hope.
Today, we can send a message across a border in seconds.
Ghulam and Zahira had words.
And time.
The distance between them therefore isn't measured merely in kilometres. It is measured in uncertainty, silence, waiting and the fear that the next letter may never arrive.
What I particularly appreciated about the book is that Partition remains a backdrop without completely swallowing the people living through it.
We see Ghulam's desperation.
But we also see Zahira waiting.
And Zahira's story matters because she isn't merely positioned as the woman waiting for her lover. She is living her own life in 1950s India, with her naani and sister, trying to navigate the realities of being a working Muslim woman while carrying a deeply personal secret.
Her dream of dancing freely becomes another quiet dimension of the story.
And this made me think about something we sometimes forget when discussing history:
People don't stop having personal dreams simply because history is going through a catastrophe.
They still fall in love.
They still worry about family.
They still want to work.
They still want to dance.
They still wait for letters.
They still imagine tomorrow.
That is perhaps the book's greatest strength.
It doesn't ask us merely to remember Partition.
It asks us to feel what it meant to be a person caught inside it.
At the same time, the book made me question one of the romantic ideas we often attach to love stories—that love can overcome every obstacle.
Can it?
Dear Zahira, With Love makes that question considerably more complicated.
Love can keep someone alive.
It can give someone hope.
It can provide a reason to keep writing when everything else has collapsed.
But love cannot control governments.
It cannot redraw borders.
It cannot erase suspicion.
It cannot undo history.
And perhaps that is what makes Ghulam's letters so affecting. They aren't written from a world where love magically solves everything. They are written from a world where love is sometimes the only thing a person can still control.
I also found myself thinking about the written word itself.
A letter is a physical act of faith.
You write to someone who isn't there.
You trust that they will receive it.
You trust that they will understand it.
And, most importantly, you trust that they will still care by the time it arrives.
In an age of instant communication, that feels almost foreign.
Sachin NG's choice to tell this story through letters therefore isn't merely a stylistic decision. It reinforces the central emotional reality of the book: connection requires patience when distance has power.
The writing is accessible and emotionally direct, and the historical setting supports rather than overwhelms the human story. There are quieter stretches where the pace slows, but those moments also give the reader space to sit with the characters rather than rush toward the next event.
And perhaps that is how this book should be read.
Slowly.
Because some letters are not meant to be hurried through.
Dear Zahira, With Love left me with a thought that has little to do with romance and everything to do with history:
When countries divide people, what remains entirely their own?
A passport can change.
A nationality can change.
A border can move.
A government can decide where you belong.
But can it decide whom you love?
I don't think this book gives us a simple answer.
And I'm glad it doesn't.
Because the most moving stories from history are often not the ones that explain history to us.
They are the ones that remind us that history happened to people.
Ghulam Ali and Zahira are two such people.
And their letters remind us that sometimes, across a border created by history, the most powerful thing a human being can say is simply:
I am still here.
And I still remember you.
My take
Dear Zahira, With Love is for readers who enjoy historical fiction, epistolary storytelling and emotionally driven narratives—but more importantly, for readers willing to look at Partition not only as an event in history, but as a collection of lives interrupted by it.
A tender story about love, separation and waiting.
But beneath all of that, it is also a story about identity—and the painful question of who gets to decide where a person belongs.
Some love stories are about two people trying to find each other.
Dear Zahira, With Love by Sachin NG is about something more difficult: two people trying to remain connected when history has decided they belong on opposite sides of a border.
That distinction stayed with me.
Because we often talk about Partition through numbers—millions displaced, families separated, lives destroyed, borders redrawn. History gives us dates, political decisions and maps.
But a border is never really drawn on a map alone.
It is drawn through someone's home.
Someone's family.
Someone's identity.
And sometimes, someone's love.
Ghulam Ali returns to India, the country he considers his motherland, and meets Zahira. What begins as love quickly becomes entangled with the realities of Partition. Ghulam finds himself stranded in Lahore, injured, starving and suspected of being a jasoos. Having been forced into the Pakistani Army, he discovers an especially cruel irony: the country he longs to return to does not know where to place him anymore.
So he writes.
To ministers.
To bureaucrats.
To journalists.
And, most importantly, to Zahira.
Those letters become more than communication. They become evidence that he still exists somewhere between two countries that have stopped recognising him as their own.
And that is where the epistolary form works beautifully.
Letters are strange things. They are written in the absence of the person we most want to speak to. They require patience. You write, you wait, you hope.
Today, we can send a message across a border in seconds.
Ghulam and Zahira had words.
And time.
The distance between them therefore isn't measured merely in kilometres. It is measured in uncertainty, silence, waiting and the fear that the next letter may never arrive.
What I particularly appreciated about the book is that Partition remains a backdrop without completely swallowing the people living through it.
We see Ghulam's desperation.
But we also see Zahira waiting.
And Zahira's story matters because she isn't merely positioned as the woman waiting for her lover. She is living her own life in 1950s India, with her naani and sister, trying to navigate the realities of being a working Muslim woman while carrying a deeply personal secret.
Her dream of dancing freely becomes another quiet dimension of the story.
And this made me think about something we sometimes forget when discussing history:
People don't stop having personal dreams simply because history is going through a catastrophe.
They still fall in love.
They still worry about family.
They still want to work.
They still want to dance.
They still wait for letters.
They still imagine tomorrow.
That is perhaps the book's greatest strength.
It doesn't ask us merely to remember Partition.
It asks us to feel what it meant to be a person caught inside it.
At the same time, the book made me question one of the romantic ideas we often attach to love stories—that love can overcome every obstacle.
Can it?
Dear Zahira, With Love makes that question considerably more complicated.
Love can keep someone alive.
It can give someone hope.
It can provide a reason to keep writing when everything else has collapsed.
But love cannot control governments.
It cannot redraw borders.
It cannot erase suspicion.
It cannot undo history.
And perhaps that is what makes Ghulam's letters so affecting. They aren't written from a world where love magically solves everything. They are written from a world where love is sometimes the only thing a person can still control.
I also found myself thinking about the written word itself.
A letter is a physical act of faith.
You write to someone who isn't there.
You trust that they will receive it.
You trust that they will understand it.
And, most importantly, you trust that they will still care by the time it arrives.
In an age of instant communication, that feels almost foreign.
Sachin NG's choice to tell this story through letters therefore isn't merely a stylistic decision. It reinforces the central emotional reality of the book: connection requires patience when distance has power.
The writing is accessible and emotionally direct, and the historical setting supports rather than overwhelms the human story. There are quieter stretches where the pace slows, but those moments also give the reader space to sit with the characters rather than rush toward the next event.
And perhaps that is how this book should be read.
Slowly.
Because some letters are not meant to be hurried through.
Dear Zahira, With Love left me with a thought that has little to do with romance and everything to do with history:
When countries divide people, what remains entirely their own?
A passport can change.
A nationality can change.
A border can move.
A government can decide where you belong.
But can it decide whom you love?
I don't think this book gives us a simple answer.
And I'm glad it doesn't.
Because the most moving stories from history are often not the ones that explain history to us.
They are the ones that remind us that history happened to people.
Ghulam Ali and Zahira are two such people.
And their letters remind us that sometimes, across a border created by history, the most powerful thing a human being can say is simply:
I am still here.
And I still remember you.
My take
Dear Zahira, With Love is for readers who enjoy historical fiction, epistolary storytelling and emotionally driven narratives—but more importantly, for readers willing to look at Partition not only as an event in history, but as a collection of lives interrupted by it.
A tender story about love, separation and waiting.
But beneath all of that, it is also a story about identity—and the painful question of who gets to decide where a person belongs.
August 23, 2026
Sachin NG's
DEAR ZAHIRA, WITH LOVE: Love Letters Across Borders
✨BEST SELLERS RANK on amazondotin as on 23rd aug, 2026.
#457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#2 in Historical Romance (Books)
#2 in Romance Collections & Anthologies (Books)
#12 in Contemporary Romance (Books)
.
🌹My thoughts..
Wow. Love like this could exist only in those times..
I finally got & read this book. After seeing it everywhere, I yearned for it yet chose to be indifferent because I knew it would break my heart, the reading experience..
This story is much much much more than I had imagined. I expected a love story shared through borders via letters. But it was so much more.. and it made my heart feels so heavy.
More than what Ghulam Ali had to go through, I just couldn't digest the ordeal Zahira had to live with.
The Hindu refugee camp at Pakistan who took care of Ghulam proved humanity is still alive while people like Om Prakash, the various police officers at India & Pakistan, proved, evil has no religion.
Even if this story had been a piece of fiction, it would have stayed with me but it being a true story, makes it even more endearing.
Women. How they quietly, silently always prove, their strength..
"If every woman spoke of her struggles.. no house would seem respectable."
The book is so beautifully made, the clothbound Hardback & the graceful colour scheme.. the language is simple but the story that shouts through is profound.
They say nothing in this world is a coincidence. The author was chosen, to share this story with the world.
Do read the author's note in the end.
-------
✨A love story stuck in the Partition of India
Ghulam Ali meets Zahira when he briefly returns to India, his motherland. Zahira falls for him almost instantly. India, however, refuses to take him back. All Ghulam wants is to return to Lucknow and be with the woman he loves.
Instead, he finds himself injured and starving in a Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore, suspected of being a jasoos.
Having been forced to serve in the Pakistani Army, India now rejects him completely. Trapped across the border with no hope in sight, Ghulam begins writing letters—to ministers, bureaucrats, journalists, and anyone who might listen. And to Zahira Raza, the love that keeps him alive.
Zahira has always dreamed of dancing freely, but her desire is held back by a secret only Ghulam knows. As she waits for him in Lucknow, living with her naani and sister, she navigates the struggles of being a working Muslim woman in 1950s India.
Written as an exchange of love letters, Dear Zahira, With Love is the TRUE STORY of Havaldaar Ghulam Ali, as relevant today as it was then.
An earlier version of this book was published under the title "HINDU REFUGEE CAMP, LAHORE".
✨Ghulam Ali is a Muslim limb fitter from Lucknow who is deported to Pakistan on the same night he asks Zahira Raza to marry him. Stranded in a Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore, suspected of being a spy, he spends years writing letters to every government office he can find, trying to get permission to return to India. Zahira waits in Lucknow and writes back.
TOLD ENTIRELY THROUGH THEIR LETTERS, the book spans roughly two years of correspondence between 1958 and 1960. It is A STORY ABOUT WHAT ORDINARY PEOPLE ENDURE WHEN HISTORY HAPPENS TO THEM.
Based on a TRUE STORY.
✨'This saga remains especially urgent and relevant today.’
Mint
‘A moving reminder that while nations may be divided, love, memory, and hope continue to defy boundaries.’
Times Now
‘Potent reminders of an alternative vision for India-Pakistan engagement, one marked by mutual respect and forgiveness.’
Mint Lounge
‘A moving reminder that some journeys are measured not in miles, but in years of waiting.’
Times of India
‘A moving story of two lives profoundly altered by the upheaval of India’s Partition.’
ThePrint
✨About the Author ✍🏻
Sachin NG is a bestselling author and a popular speaker. He has written articles for Huffington Post and Scroll.in and has been featured in most leading newspapers and magazines.
He has also spoken at numerous Indian and international forums like South Asia Media Summit (Islamabad), TEDx (Allahabad) and several IITs and IIMs.
He now splits his time between New York and Mumbai, enjoying racquet sports, and strength training in his free time.
DEAR ZAHIRA, WITH LOVE: Love Letters Across Borders
✨BEST SELLERS RANK on amazondotin as on 23rd aug, 2026.
#457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#2 in Historical Romance (Books)
#2 in Romance Collections & Anthologies (Books)
#12 in Contemporary Romance (Books)
.
🌹My thoughts..
Wow. Love like this could exist only in those times..
I finally got & read this book. After seeing it everywhere, I yearned for it yet chose to be indifferent because I knew it would break my heart, the reading experience..
This story is much much much more than I had imagined. I expected a love story shared through borders via letters. But it was so much more.. and it made my heart feels so heavy.
More than what Ghulam Ali had to go through, I just couldn't digest the ordeal Zahira had to live with.
The Hindu refugee camp at Pakistan who took care of Ghulam proved humanity is still alive while people like Om Prakash, the various police officers at India & Pakistan, proved, evil has no religion.
Even if this story had been a piece of fiction, it would have stayed with me but it being a true story, makes it even more endearing.
Women. How they quietly, silently always prove, their strength..
"If every woman spoke of her struggles.. no house would seem respectable."
The book is so beautifully made, the clothbound Hardback & the graceful colour scheme.. the language is simple but the story that shouts through is profound.
They say nothing in this world is a coincidence. The author was chosen, to share this story with the world.
Do read the author's note in the end.
-------
✨A love story stuck in the Partition of India
Ghulam Ali meets Zahira when he briefly returns to India, his motherland. Zahira falls for him almost instantly. India, however, refuses to take him back. All Ghulam wants is to return to Lucknow and be with the woman he loves.
Instead, he finds himself injured and starving in a Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore, suspected of being a jasoos.
Having been forced to serve in the Pakistani Army, India now rejects him completely. Trapped across the border with no hope in sight, Ghulam begins writing letters—to ministers, bureaucrats, journalists, and anyone who might listen. And to Zahira Raza, the love that keeps him alive.
Zahira has always dreamed of dancing freely, but her desire is held back by a secret only Ghulam knows. As she waits for him in Lucknow, living with her naani and sister, she navigates the struggles of being a working Muslim woman in 1950s India.
Written as an exchange of love letters, Dear Zahira, With Love is the TRUE STORY of Havaldaar Ghulam Ali, as relevant today as it was then.
An earlier version of this book was published under the title "HINDU REFUGEE CAMP, LAHORE".
✨Ghulam Ali is a Muslim limb fitter from Lucknow who is deported to Pakistan on the same night he asks Zahira Raza to marry him. Stranded in a Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore, suspected of being a spy, he spends years writing letters to every government office he can find, trying to get permission to return to India. Zahira waits in Lucknow and writes back.
TOLD ENTIRELY THROUGH THEIR LETTERS, the book spans roughly two years of correspondence between 1958 and 1960. It is A STORY ABOUT WHAT ORDINARY PEOPLE ENDURE WHEN HISTORY HAPPENS TO THEM.
Based on a TRUE STORY.
✨'This saga remains especially urgent and relevant today.’
Mint
‘A moving reminder that while nations may be divided, love, memory, and hope continue to defy boundaries.’
Times Now
‘Potent reminders of an alternative vision for India-Pakistan engagement, one marked by mutual respect and forgiveness.’
Mint Lounge
‘A moving reminder that some journeys are measured not in miles, but in years of waiting.’
Times of India
‘A moving story of two lives profoundly altered by the upheaval of India’s Partition.’
ThePrint
✨About the Author ✍🏻
Sachin NG is a bestselling author and a popular speaker. He has written articles for Huffington Post and Scroll.in and has been featured in most leading newspapers and magazines.
He has also spoken at numerous Indian and international forums like South Asia Media Summit (Islamabad), TEDx (Allahabad) and several IITs and IIMs.
He now splits his time between New York and Mumbai, enjoying racquet sports, and strength training in his free time.
August 13, 2026
I think some books make you cry because something sad happens.
And then there are books where you don't even realise you've become emotional until you close the book and just sit there for a minute.
"Dear Zahira, With Love" by Sachin N.G. was more of the second kind for me.
I went into it knowing it was a love story set around Partition, but I don't think I was prepared for how much the "letters" would make me feel.
There is something very different about reading someone's feelings in a letter.
Maybe because letters don't have the immediacy of a conversation. You write something, you send it, and then you wait. And when the person you're writing to is on the other side of a border, in a completely different life, that waiting becomes something else altogether.
That is what got me.
Ghulam Ali and Zahira's story isn't really about some grand, dramatic romance. It's about two people trying to hold on to something while the world around them has already decided that they shouldn't.
And Partition doesn't just sit quietly in the background of their story. It changes everything.
Homes. Families. Friendships. Identities. Even something as simple as "writing to someone you love" becomes complicated.
I think that's what made the book more emotional for me than I expected. Because while reading about Ghulam Ali and Zahira, I kept thinking about how easily we take ordinary things for granted. Meeting someone. Going home. Talking to someone whenever you want. Knowing that they'll still be there tomorrow.
For them, none of that was guaranteed.
I also really liked the epistolary format. Sometimes I actually forgot that I was reading a novel and felt like I was reading someone's private correspondence. And because of that, the silences mattered as much as the letters themselves.
There were moments when I found myself thinking, *okay, but is there going to be another letter?*
And that says a lot about how invested I became.
I will say, though, this isn't a book I'd pick up when I'm looking for something light and fluffy. There is a lot of loss here. Family, separation, betrayal, displacement... the love story is at the centre, but there is so much happening around it.
And maybe that's why it works.
Because this isn't really a story about two people who were separated by distance.
It's about what happens when history decides where you are allowed to belong.
What stayed with me most was the idea that sometimes people don't stop loving each other.
Life just makes it impossible for them to love each other the way they want to.
And honestly, that thought hurt more than any dramatic scene could have.
The writing itself is quite simple, which I liked. It doesn't feel like the author is constantly trying to make every sentence sound profound. The emotions are allowed to do most of the work.
By the time I reached the end, I didn't feel like I had just finished a historical romance.
It genuinely felt a little like I had been reading someone's old letters and then suddenly had to put them away.
And I didn't really want to.
"Dear Zahira, With Love" is for you if you like stories about love, history, separation and all those feelings that don't necessarily get a proper ending.
Just don't expect to finish it and immediately move on to your next book.
You might need a little while first.
And then there are books where you don't even realise you've become emotional until you close the book and just sit there for a minute.
"Dear Zahira, With Love" by Sachin N.G. was more of the second kind for me.
I went into it knowing it was a love story set around Partition, but I don't think I was prepared for how much the "letters" would make me feel.
There is something very different about reading someone's feelings in a letter.
Maybe because letters don't have the immediacy of a conversation. You write something, you send it, and then you wait. And when the person you're writing to is on the other side of a border, in a completely different life, that waiting becomes something else altogether.
That is what got me.
Ghulam Ali and Zahira's story isn't really about some grand, dramatic romance. It's about two people trying to hold on to something while the world around them has already decided that they shouldn't.
And Partition doesn't just sit quietly in the background of their story. It changes everything.
Homes. Families. Friendships. Identities. Even something as simple as "writing to someone you love" becomes complicated.
I think that's what made the book more emotional for me than I expected. Because while reading about Ghulam Ali and Zahira, I kept thinking about how easily we take ordinary things for granted. Meeting someone. Going home. Talking to someone whenever you want. Knowing that they'll still be there tomorrow.
For them, none of that was guaranteed.
I also really liked the epistolary format. Sometimes I actually forgot that I was reading a novel and felt like I was reading someone's private correspondence. And because of that, the silences mattered as much as the letters themselves.
There were moments when I found myself thinking, *okay, but is there going to be another letter?*
And that says a lot about how invested I became.
I will say, though, this isn't a book I'd pick up when I'm looking for something light and fluffy. There is a lot of loss here. Family, separation, betrayal, displacement... the love story is at the centre, but there is so much happening around it.
And maybe that's why it works.
Because this isn't really a story about two people who were separated by distance.
It's about what happens when history decides where you are allowed to belong.
What stayed with me most was the idea that sometimes people don't stop loving each other.
Life just makes it impossible for them to love each other the way they want to.
And honestly, that thought hurt more than any dramatic scene could have.
The writing itself is quite simple, which I liked. It doesn't feel like the author is constantly trying to make every sentence sound profound. The emotions are allowed to do most of the work.
By the time I reached the end, I didn't feel like I had just finished a historical romance.
It genuinely felt a little like I had been reading someone's old letters and then suddenly had to put them away.
And I didn't really want to.
"Dear Zahira, With Love" is for you if you like stories about love, history, separation and all those feelings that don't necessarily get a proper ending.
Just don't expect to finish it and immediately move on to your next book.
You might need a little while first.
July 6, 2026
🍀 Book- Dear Zahira, With love
🍀 Author- Sachin NG
🍀 Between the Pages-
“We stood facing each other, separated only by the cloth that covered her face. Then I heard the sound of old, tired wood giving way. Whatever remained of her fitting cracked and collapsed at that very moment. It was as if its journey had ended, and it had returned my Zahira Ji to me. I couldn't have planned that moment better myself.”
🍀 Review -
Dear Zahira With Love is the true story of Hawaldar Ghulam Ali and Zahira —a love story told through their real letters after the India–Pakistan Partition.
Ghulam Ali was born in Lucknow and served in the British Indian Army. He was posted in Rawalpindi when Partition happened. He was an expert limb fitter too.
He met Zahira in Lucknow when he came seeking her advice for his documents. He was sent back to Pakistan and Zahira was left in India.
From that day, their lives became a long wait to be together again and letters were the only medium which kept them connected.
The letters are the heart of this book. They are filled with love, hope, fear, and endless longing. Ghulam Ali writes from a Hindu refugee camp in Lahore, sharing not just his pain but also the struggles of people whose lives were destroyed by Partition.
Zaheera replies with courage, hiding her own fears while trying to keep hope alive. Their conversations remind us that sometimes letters can carry emotions that words spoken aloud never can.
The most heartbreaking part is that neither country truly accepted Ghulam Ali. In India, he was suspected because he came from Pakistan. In Pakistan, he was seen as someone who wanted to leave. One sentence from the book stays with you: “I was too Muslim for India and too Indian for Pakistan.”
It captures the pain of countless people whose identities were torn apart by history.
➡️ “It crossed my mind many times, but I never asked you. What did you do that the others could not? What did you see, or understand, that made this limb different? It was not only better, but it felt as if it had been listening to me. How did you manage to create something so precise for me? I have always wanted to hear you explain it, in your own words. I find that when I am reading your words, the distance between us feels, if not smaller, then at least more bearable.”
What touched me the most was the honesty of their love. There are no dramatic speeches or grand promises—just two people who deeply love each other and refuse to give up hope.
Even when Zaheera becomes pregnant, all they dream about is building a life together. Their love survives distance, borders, and years of uncertainty.
This book is not just a love story. It is a reminder that while Partition may have ended on paper in 1947, for many families, its wounds never healed.
If you enjoy emotional, character-driven stories based on real events, this book deserves a place on your shelf. It will make you appreciate love, hope and question the meaning of borders, and leave you thinking long after you turn the last page.
🍀 Author- Sachin NG
🍀 Between the Pages-
“We stood facing each other, separated only by the cloth that covered her face. Then I heard the sound of old, tired wood giving way. Whatever remained of her fitting cracked and collapsed at that very moment. It was as if its journey had ended, and it had returned my Zahira Ji to me. I couldn't have planned that moment better myself.”
🍀 Review -
Dear Zahira With Love is the true story of Hawaldar Ghulam Ali and Zahira —a love story told through their real letters after the India–Pakistan Partition.
Ghulam Ali was born in Lucknow and served in the British Indian Army. He was posted in Rawalpindi when Partition happened. He was an expert limb fitter too.
He met Zahira in Lucknow when he came seeking her advice for his documents. He was sent back to Pakistan and Zahira was left in India.
From that day, their lives became a long wait to be together again and letters were the only medium which kept them connected.
The letters are the heart of this book. They are filled with love, hope, fear, and endless longing. Ghulam Ali writes from a Hindu refugee camp in Lahore, sharing not just his pain but also the struggles of people whose lives were destroyed by Partition.
Zaheera replies with courage, hiding her own fears while trying to keep hope alive. Their conversations remind us that sometimes letters can carry emotions that words spoken aloud never can.
The most heartbreaking part is that neither country truly accepted Ghulam Ali. In India, he was suspected because he came from Pakistan. In Pakistan, he was seen as someone who wanted to leave. One sentence from the book stays with you: “I was too Muslim for India and too Indian for Pakistan.”
It captures the pain of countless people whose identities were torn apart by history.
➡️ “It crossed my mind many times, but I never asked you. What did you do that the others could not? What did you see, or understand, that made this limb different? It was not only better, but it felt as if it had been listening to me. How did you manage to create something so precise for me? I have always wanted to hear you explain it, in your own words. I find that when I am reading your words, the distance between us feels, if not smaller, then at least more bearable.”
What touched me the most was the honesty of their love. There are no dramatic speeches or grand promises—just two people who deeply love each other and refuse to give up hope.
Even when Zaheera becomes pregnant, all they dream about is building a life together. Their love survives distance, borders, and years of uncertainty.
This book is not just a love story. It is a reminder that while Partition may have ended on paper in 1947, for many families, its wounds never healed.
If you enjoy emotional, character-driven stories based on real events, this book deserves a place on your shelf. It will make you appreciate love, hope and question the meaning of borders, and leave you thinking long after you turn the last page.
October 1, 2026
I picked up this book thinking I was going to read an old-school love story. I didn't expect to end up carrying this story with me after I finished it. 🥹
Dear Zahira, With Love is the story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira, whose lives cross during the difficult years around Partition. What starts as a simple meeting slowly turns into something much deeper between them.
But this isn't just a love story.
There are borders, religion, separation, uncertainty and so many things standing between these two people. And at the heart of their relationship are their letters. 💌
I really loved the way the story is told through them. I wasn't just reading letters from Ghulam Ali to Zahira. I was experiencing those letters through Zahira, seeing her reactions and understanding what those words meant to her. Somehow, that made everything feel much more personal.
And Ghulam Ali calling her “Zahira ji” throughout the book? 🥹
I don't know why, but I loved that. There was so much respect in the way he spoke to her.
This wasn't the kind of romance that gave me butterflies or made me squeal. It was much more emotional for me. I felt connected to these two people and kept thinking about their patience, trust and hope.
It also made me think about relationships today. We have phones, video calls, instant messages and so many ways to communicate, yet trust can still be so difficult. These two had so little, but they still held on to each other.
That really stayed with me.
The Partition setting also added so much to the story. It made me think about how borders and religion can affect ordinary people's lives in ways they never asked for. We often learn about Partition as history, but reading about it through the lives of two people made it feel much more personal to me.
I also really appreciated the writing. It's simple, easy to understand and doesn't try too hard to sound complicated. I could understand the emotions of the characters without feeling like I was reading something overly heavy.
And honestly, I didn't expect to get this attached to them.
There were moments when I had to stop reading because I was genuinely emotional. 😭 I kept wondering what would happen next, what the next letter would bring and whether these two people would ever get the things they were hoping for.
This also isn't my usual kind of romance. I usually want chemistry, butterflies and fictional men who make me giggle. 😂 But this book gave me something completely different.
It gave me love, patience, pain, hope and a lot to think about.
I started this book without knowing much about it.
I finished it with a head full of thoughts and a heart full of emotions. ❤️
Definitely a book that surprised me and stayed with me.
Dear Zahira, With Love is the story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira, whose lives cross during the difficult years around Partition. What starts as a simple meeting slowly turns into something much deeper between them.
But this isn't just a love story.
There are borders, religion, separation, uncertainty and so many things standing between these two people. And at the heart of their relationship are their letters. 💌
I really loved the way the story is told through them. I wasn't just reading letters from Ghulam Ali to Zahira. I was experiencing those letters through Zahira, seeing her reactions and understanding what those words meant to her. Somehow, that made everything feel much more personal.
And Ghulam Ali calling her “Zahira ji” throughout the book? 🥹
I don't know why, but I loved that. There was so much respect in the way he spoke to her.
This wasn't the kind of romance that gave me butterflies or made me squeal. It was much more emotional for me. I felt connected to these two people and kept thinking about their patience, trust and hope.
It also made me think about relationships today. We have phones, video calls, instant messages and so many ways to communicate, yet trust can still be so difficult. These two had so little, but they still held on to each other.
That really stayed with me.
The Partition setting also added so much to the story. It made me think about how borders and religion can affect ordinary people's lives in ways they never asked for. We often learn about Partition as history, but reading about it through the lives of two people made it feel much more personal to me.
I also really appreciated the writing. It's simple, easy to understand and doesn't try too hard to sound complicated. I could understand the emotions of the characters without feeling like I was reading something overly heavy.
And honestly, I didn't expect to get this attached to them.
There were moments when I had to stop reading because I was genuinely emotional. 😭 I kept wondering what would happen next, what the next letter would bring and whether these two people would ever get the things they were hoping for.
This also isn't my usual kind of romance. I usually want chemistry, butterflies and fictional men who make me giggle. 😂 But this book gave me something completely different.
It gave me love, patience, pain, hope and a lot to think about.
I started this book without knowing much about it.
I finished it with a head full of thoughts and a heart full of emotions. ❤️
Definitely a book that surprised me and stayed with me.
September 23, 2026
A moving and a touching collection of letters, portraying a beautiful love story, a long distance relationship, that's so emotional and I have to admit it brought me tears at certain parts. Author has done a commendable job in capturing this true story of ghulam ali while making that emotional connection with readers that's seems to be of such depth and weigh. The book gives you a clear picture of the impact of partition back then on the segment of the ppl taking too much of a toll on them, making quite a number of them to struggle, suffer and indeed lose their loved ones. This story will make you experience the pangs of seperation and it ll take you on an emotional, painful and an unforgettable journey of long distance relationship. I would recommend this book to ppl who like emotional romantic or love drama plots and also to guys who love reading nicholas sparks kinda book.
Some of the quotes i'd like to highlight from the book -
The truth of life is that till there is life, there is struggle. As long as there is life, there is struggle. But also, as long as there is life, there is hope.
With you and her, I don’t need anything else in this world.
You and Zubeida are the reason I am moving forward. I will do everything I can to return. You are not alone in this.
Something tells me Allah will make this work, and that I will be with you soon
I kept thinking of the last time we were together. Of your closeness. Of the peace I felt when I was with you. I long for that again.
This distance between us feels unlivable at times. "When will that day come again?"
It is only a matter of time before I am with you again. I count the days until I can hold you in my arms.
I need you now more than ever, Zahira ji.
Please reply to me soon. Please tell me you and Zubeida are alright. Please write back. I beg you.
You can’t just disappear, Zahira Ji. I am incomplete without you, and I don’t know how long I can keep going. One waiting has ended, and another has begun, only this time, I can’t even speak to you through letters. I find myself walking to your house every day and asking if anyone has seen you or heard of you. What else do I live for now?
Come back, please.
At last, I received my share of happiness long delayed, but intact. In front of everyone, I held Zahira Ji’s hand and danced without restraint. I am no dancer, not even a shadow of her,but it was joy that mattered, not skill.
After the engagement ended, when the guests had gone and the house had grown quiet, Zahira Ji and I stayed where we were.
We danced some more.
My rating - 5/5
#myreads #sachinng #dearzahirawithlove
Some of the quotes i'd like to highlight from the book -
The truth of life is that till there is life, there is struggle. As long as there is life, there is struggle. But also, as long as there is life, there is hope.
With you and her, I don’t need anything else in this world.
You and Zubeida are the reason I am moving forward. I will do everything I can to return. You are not alone in this.
Something tells me Allah will make this work, and that I will be with you soon
I kept thinking of the last time we were together. Of your closeness. Of the peace I felt when I was with you. I long for that again.
This distance between us feels unlivable at times. "When will that day come again?"
It is only a matter of time before I am with you again. I count the days until I can hold you in my arms.
I need you now more than ever, Zahira ji.
Please reply to me soon. Please tell me you and Zubeida are alright. Please write back. I beg you.
You can’t just disappear, Zahira Ji. I am incomplete without you, and I don’t know how long I can keep going. One waiting has ended, and another has begun, only this time, I can’t even speak to you through letters. I find myself walking to your house every day and asking if anyone has seen you or heard of you. What else do I live for now?
Come back, please.
At last, I received my share of happiness long delayed, but intact. In front of everyone, I held Zahira Ji’s hand and danced without restraint. I am no dancer, not even a shadow of her,but it was joy that mattered, not skill.
After the engagement ended, when the guests had gone and the house had grown quiet, Zahira Ji and I stayed where we were.
We danced some more.
My rating - 5/5
#myreads #sachinng #dearzahirawithlove
September 14, 2026
And I was right about this book ❤️🩹
Some books make you cry.
Some leave you heartbroken.
And then there are books that leave you completely shaken.🤧
Dear Zahira, With Love was that book for me.
I finished it without tears, but somehow I couldn't move on from it either. There was this strange heaviness left behind ..especially because of Zahira and Ghulam Ali.❤️
Their story isn't simply about love. It's about waiting, sacrifice, separation and the desperate lengths people can go to for someone they cannot bear to lose.
Zahira’s sacrifice genuinely broke something inside me. The thought of someone going so far, risking so much, simply because she wanted to bring Ghulam Ali home… I wasn't prepared for that.
And Ghulam Ali ...his character made the whole story feel even more painful because behind all the circumstances, there was simply a person who wanted to return home. That longing stayed with me.✨
Then there is Rajkumar, whose presence adds another dimension to the story, and Surayya and Malka, who bring their own emotions, relationships and complications into this already tangled world. Each character has a place in the story, and slowly you realise that this isn't just Zahira and Ghulam Ali's story ,it's a story of many lives being affected by love, loyalty, choices and circumstances.👀
What kept me turning the pages wasn't just “What happens next?”
It was “What will they have to lose to get there?”
And perhaps that's what affected me the most.
I didn't cry when I finished this book.
I just sat there thinking about Zahira.
About Ghulam Ali.
About what she was willing to do for him.
And about how sometimes the greatest expressions of love aren't the ones we get to witness together, but the sacrifices someone makes when they have no guarantee of a happy ending.
Dear Zahira, With Love didn't shatter me loudly.
It stayed quietly in my head.
And somehow, that's worse.
Some stories you read.
Some stories you remember.
And some stories become a feeling.
This one became a feeling for me. 🤍
★★★★
Some books make you cry.
Some leave you heartbroken.
And then there are books that leave you completely shaken.🤧
Dear Zahira, With Love was that book for me.
I finished it without tears, but somehow I couldn't move on from it either. There was this strange heaviness left behind ..especially because of Zahira and Ghulam Ali.❤️
Their story isn't simply about love. It's about waiting, sacrifice, separation and the desperate lengths people can go to for someone they cannot bear to lose.
Zahira’s sacrifice genuinely broke something inside me. The thought of someone going so far, risking so much, simply because she wanted to bring Ghulam Ali home… I wasn't prepared for that.
And Ghulam Ali ...his character made the whole story feel even more painful because behind all the circumstances, there was simply a person who wanted to return home. That longing stayed with me.✨
Then there is Rajkumar, whose presence adds another dimension to the story, and Surayya and Malka, who bring their own emotions, relationships and complications into this already tangled world. Each character has a place in the story, and slowly you realise that this isn't just Zahira and Ghulam Ali's story ,it's a story of many lives being affected by love, loyalty, choices and circumstances.👀
What kept me turning the pages wasn't just “What happens next?”
It was “What will they have to lose to get there?”
And perhaps that's what affected me the most.
I didn't cry when I finished this book.
I just sat there thinking about Zahira.
About Ghulam Ali.
About what she was willing to do for him.
And about how sometimes the greatest expressions of love aren't the ones we get to witness together, but the sacrifices someone makes when they have no guarantee of a happy ending.
Dear Zahira, With Love didn't shatter me loudly.
It stayed quietly in my head.
And somehow, that's worse.
Some stories you read.
Some stories you remember.
And some stories become a feeling.
This one became a feeling for me. 🤍
★★★★
October 25, 2026
We all know the stories of the Partition of India and Pakistan, how it led to one of the largest mass migrations in human history. We know the facts and the events we were taught in history lessons. But how many of us have actually stopped to think about the people who lived through it? Their suffering, their helplessness, and the pain of belonging to neither side of a divided land?
Reading this book opened up an entirely different perspective for me. It made me realise that the Partition wasn’t simply a conflict between two countries, but a tragedy of humanity itself. Ordinary people were forced to endure years of separation and sacrifice the lives they knew, all because of political decisions made by those in power.
As I turned the pages, I could almost put myself in their position and feel their pain. When I first discovered that the author was Indian, I was a little sceptical, wondering whether the story would favour the Indian perspective. But I was wrong, and I was genuinely glad to be wrong. The book beautifully portrays the suffering on both sides of the border, reminding us that humanity and pain have no nationality.
Beneath the historical tragedy lies a beautiful love story between two individuals who were never at fault, yet had to suffer and wait for years because of a conflict they had no control over.
Although there were a few aspects I didn’t entirely agree with, the writing deeply touched me. The characters felt so real that it sometimes felt like I was sitting across from them, listening to their stories rather than reading words on a page.
I finished this book in a single day, and I think that says enough about how deeply it resonated with me.
Some books tell you about history. Others make you feel what it was like to live through it. For me, this book did the latter.
Reading this book opened up an entirely different perspective for me. It made me realise that the Partition wasn’t simply a conflict between two countries, but a tragedy of humanity itself. Ordinary people were forced to endure years of separation and sacrifice the lives they knew, all because of political decisions made by those in power.
As I turned the pages, I could almost put myself in their position and feel their pain. When I first discovered that the author was Indian, I was a little sceptical, wondering whether the story would favour the Indian perspective. But I was wrong, and I was genuinely glad to be wrong. The book beautifully portrays the suffering on both sides of the border, reminding us that humanity and pain have no nationality.
Beneath the historical tragedy lies a beautiful love story between two individuals who were never at fault, yet had to suffer and wait for years because of a conflict they had no control over.
Although there were a few aspects I didn’t entirely agree with, the writing deeply touched me. The characters felt so real that it sometimes felt like I was sitting across from them, listening to their stories rather than reading words on a page.
I finished this book in a single day, and I think that says enough about how deeply it resonated with me.
Some books tell you about history. Others make you feel what it was like to live through it. For me, this book did the latter.
July 2, 2026
Review of Dear Zahira, With Love by Sachin NG
Dear Zahira, With Love is a heartfelt historical fiction novel that beautifully combines love, loss, and resilience against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition of India. Inspired by true events, the story follows Ghulam Ali and Zahira, whose dreams of a life together are shattered when Partition separates them across newly drawn borders. What follows is an emotional journey of hope, longing, and unwavering devotion.
The greatest strength of the novel lies in its characters. Ghulam Ali's determination to overcome every obstacle and Zahira's quiet strength as she waits with unwavering faith make them both deeply memorable. Their relationship feels genuine, and the heartfelt letters exchanged between them become a powerful reminder that true love can survive even the greatest distances.
Sachin NG's writing is simple yet emotionally effective, allowing the story and its characters to take centre stage. Rather than focusing only on the political aspects of Partition, the novel highlights its human impact—showing how ordinary lives were forever changed by one of history's most devastating events. The historical setting adds depth without overshadowing the emotional core of the story.
What stayed with me most was the message that love, hope, and memories can outlast borders and time. The novel is touching without feeling overly dramatic, making its emotional moments all the more impactful.
Overall, Dear Zahira, With Love is more than just a romance; it is a moving tribute to resilience, sacrifice, and the enduring power of love. If you enjoy historical fiction with emotional depth and meaningful characters, this is definitely a book worth reading.
Follow @pageturner_2025 for more reviews
Dear Zahira, With Love is a heartfelt historical fiction novel that beautifully combines love, loss, and resilience against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition of India. Inspired by true events, the story follows Ghulam Ali and Zahira, whose dreams of a life together are shattered when Partition separates them across newly drawn borders. What follows is an emotional journey of hope, longing, and unwavering devotion.
The greatest strength of the novel lies in its characters. Ghulam Ali's determination to overcome every obstacle and Zahira's quiet strength as she waits with unwavering faith make them both deeply memorable. Their relationship feels genuine, and the heartfelt letters exchanged between them become a powerful reminder that true love can survive even the greatest distances.
Sachin NG's writing is simple yet emotionally effective, allowing the story and its characters to take centre stage. Rather than focusing only on the political aspects of Partition, the novel highlights its human impact—showing how ordinary lives were forever changed by one of history's most devastating events. The historical setting adds depth without overshadowing the emotional core of the story.
What stayed with me most was the message that love, hope, and memories can outlast borders and time. The novel is touching without feeling overly dramatic, making its emotional moments all the more impactful.
Overall, Dear Zahira, With Love is more than just a romance; it is a moving tribute to resilience, sacrifice, and the enduring power of love. If you enjoy historical fiction with emotional depth and meaningful characters, this is definitely a book worth reading.
Follow @pageturner_2025 for more reviews
September 1, 2026
Dear Zahira, With Love: A Tale of Love and Loss
Ghulam Ali and Zahira meet for a very short time in Lucknow before they are separated for 22 long years. Zahira is an officer in the Passport Office, while Ghulam is a limb fitter for the Army who is trying to get his papers in order so that he can stay in India. But their brief encounter results in a lifelong bond.
Ghulam is sent back to Pakistan because of forged documents, while Zahira is left alone in Lucknow. She soon finds out that she is carrying Ghulam’s child.
The novel is not only about these two people. It is the story of lakhs of citizens who lost their loved ones, were separated from their families, and lost their homeland during the cruel Partition of 1947.
The story also mentions the horrors of the Bengal Famine of the 1940s, which caused the deaths of thousands which was accompanied by the outbreak of the dreadful Kala- Azar. We find out that Zahira lived in Calcutta during that period and learn about the lifelong scar she carried from that time.
It is also the story of Rajkumar and Malka. Rajkumar, a man of privilege, decides to stay back in the Hindu refugee camp in Lahore, only for the love of his life, Malka. But fate had a different ending in store for him.
“People use religion as a weapon.”
Throughout the novel, we come across various characters who use religion to justify their cruelty towards others. But which religion has ever taught violence, revenge, and hatred?
It is people,their greed, jealousy, and vices that make them act cruelly, and they use religion to justify their actions.
Despite all the hardships, Zahira and Ghulam never cease to be kind and never lose their faith and hope in humanity or in their God.
At the end of the day, humanity is the highest religion one can ever find.
Ghulam Ali and Zahira meet for a very short time in Lucknow before they are separated for 22 long years. Zahira is an officer in the Passport Office, while Ghulam is a limb fitter for the Army who is trying to get his papers in order so that he can stay in India. But their brief encounter results in a lifelong bond.
Ghulam is sent back to Pakistan because of forged documents, while Zahira is left alone in Lucknow. She soon finds out that she is carrying Ghulam’s child.
The novel is not only about these two people. It is the story of lakhs of citizens who lost their loved ones, were separated from their families, and lost their homeland during the cruel Partition of 1947.
The story also mentions the horrors of the Bengal Famine of the 1940s, which caused the deaths of thousands which was accompanied by the outbreak of the dreadful Kala- Azar. We find out that Zahira lived in Calcutta during that period and learn about the lifelong scar she carried from that time.
It is also the story of Rajkumar and Malka. Rajkumar, a man of privilege, decides to stay back in the Hindu refugee camp in Lahore, only for the love of his life, Malka. But fate had a different ending in store for him.
“People use religion as a weapon.”
Throughout the novel, we come across various characters who use religion to justify their cruelty towards others. But which religion has ever taught violence, revenge, and hatred?
It is people,their greed, jealousy, and vices that make them act cruelly, and they use religion to justify their actions.
Despite all the hardships, Zahira and Ghulam never cease to be kind and never lose their faith and hope in humanity or in their God.
At the end of the day, humanity is the highest religion one can ever find.
September 8, 2026
As a rule, I don't pick sad books. As a rule I don't knowingly put myself through emotional damage except when the book covers are this pretty, and the book in question is filled with letters, there is something very touching about letters passing hands and reaching destinations, letters being read, reread and reread because the words are written by someone you love. There is something both tender and devastating about this book that drew me into reading all 280 pages and more of this book.
Now, I have not read partition literature so I don't have a background for what took place eighty years ago, but this book, in places, in its questions and its observations touched something that was previously unearthed. A few months back, I saw a movie that made me question the cost of partition, who it was for, whose interest did that devastation serve? This book made me question it again. Because the two people that were at the forefront of this book, did not want it. They did not have a vote in it, but they were for whatever reason, paying the price for it.
I would like to clarify that this book is not partition literature, it is, at its core, the literature of the aftermath, of the broken pieces that never mended, of people, choosing, despite everything to be good, of people being, in spite of everything, so very cruel.
This is a book about patience, about waiting, about longing, about forming a connection that was sustained by letters across borders, and about stubborn faith and relentless love. It is a story of the unending phenomenon that is the partition of India and Pakistan, because whoever said it has ended, does not know people still living inside those years
Now, I have not read partition literature so I don't have a background for what took place eighty years ago, but this book, in places, in its questions and its observations touched something that was previously unearthed. A few months back, I saw a movie that made me question the cost of partition, who it was for, whose interest did that devastation serve? This book made me question it again. Because the two people that were at the forefront of this book, did not want it. They did not have a vote in it, but they were for whatever reason, paying the price for it.
I would like to clarify that this book is not partition literature, it is, at its core, the literature of the aftermath, of the broken pieces that never mended, of people, choosing, despite everything to be good, of people being, in spite of everything, so very cruel.
This is a book about patience, about waiting, about longing, about forming a connection that was sustained by letters across borders, and about stubborn faith and relentless love. It is a story of the unending phenomenon that is the partition of India and Pakistan, because whoever said it has ended, does not know people still living inside those years
August 17, 2026
Dear Zahira, With Love is a beautifully emotional story that explores love, longing, separation, hope, and the power of letters.
What i really loved was the way the story is built around letters.
In a time when everything is just a message or a call away, reading a love story through letters feels surprisingly personal and nostalgic. 💌
What I loved most was the feeling behind those letters. Every letter seems to carry more than just words,it carries memories, emotions, questions, and the longing to be close to someone who is far away.
The distance between the two people makes their love feel even more meaningful because they cannot simply meet whenever they want.
The idea of love across borders also gives the story an emotional depth. It made me think about how circumstances, boundaries, and situations can come between two people, but they cannot always erase what they feel for each other. Sometimes, waiting itself becomes a part of love.
For me, this book is not only about romance. It is also about patience, hope, separation, and holding on to someone when circumstances make it difficult. It reminded me that some relationships are built not only through the moments spent together but also through the moments when we patiently wait for each other.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Dear Zahira, With Love. It is a heartfelt and emotional love story with a beautiful old-school charm, and the letter-writing format makes it stand out. If you enjoy emotional romances, stories based on real experiences, and love stories that involve distance and longing, I think this book is worth reading. ❤️📖💌
What i really loved was the way the story is built around letters.
In a time when everything is just a message or a call away, reading a love story through letters feels surprisingly personal and nostalgic. 💌
What I loved most was the feeling behind those letters. Every letter seems to carry more than just words,it carries memories, emotions, questions, and the longing to be close to someone who is far away.
The distance between the two people makes their love feel even more meaningful because they cannot simply meet whenever they want.
The idea of love across borders also gives the story an emotional depth. It made me think about how circumstances, boundaries, and situations can come between two people, but they cannot always erase what they feel for each other. Sometimes, waiting itself becomes a part of love.
For me, this book is not only about romance. It is also about patience, hope, separation, and holding on to someone when circumstances make it difficult. It reminded me that some relationships are built not only through the moments spent together but also through the moments when we patiently wait for each other.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Dear Zahira, With Love. It is a heartfelt and emotional love story with a beautiful old-school charm, and the letter-writing format makes it stand out. If you enjoy emotional romances, stories based on real experiences, and love stories that involve distance and longing, I think this book is worth reading. ❤️📖💌
October 24, 2026
Dear Zahira, With Love is one of those books that leaves you emotionally overwhelmed long after you’ve turned the last page. The aftermath of the Partition of India and Pakistan resonated deeply with me. It’s not just a story about two lovers separated by borders, but also about countless individuals who were forced to leave behind their homes, property, rights, and lives in a country they had always called their own.
What I loved most about this book was the depth given to each character. Ghulam, Zahira, Fatto, Naani, Rajkumar, Pandit Ji, and so many others have their own stories, struggles, and emotions. Each character is given the space to be understood, making their experiences feel personal and real. Reading their stories was heartbreaking, especially knowing that behind every historical event were ordinary people whose lives were changed forever.
The book beautifully captures the pain of displacement, the helplessness of losing everything familiar, and the longing for a life that can never be the same again. It makes you realise that Partition was not merely about dividing a country into two; it was about dividing families, separating loved ones, uprooting communities, and leaving behind wounds that generations would carry.
What makes this story so moving is how it brings history closer to the heart. It reminds us that beyond dates, borders, and political decisions, there were human beings who paid the heaviest price.
Dear Zahira, With Love is an emotional and thought-provoking read that stays with you long after you finish it. A reminder that history is not just what happened to a nation, but also what happened to the people who called it home.
What I loved most about this book was the depth given to each character. Ghulam, Zahira, Fatto, Naani, Rajkumar, Pandit Ji, and so many others have their own stories, struggles, and emotions. Each character is given the space to be understood, making their experiences feel personal and real. Reading their stories was heartbreaking, especially knowing that behind every historical event were ordinary people whose lives were changed forever.
The book beautifully captures the pain of displacement, the helplessness of losing everything familiar, and the longing for a life that can never be the same again. It makes you realise that Partition was not merely about dividing a country into two; it was about dividing families, separating loved ones, uprooting communities, and leaving behind wounds that generations would carry.
What makes this story so moving is how it brings history closer to the heart. It reminds us that beyond dates, borders, and political decisions, there were human beings who paid the heaviest price.
Dear Zahira, With Love is an emotional and thought-provoking read that stays with you long after you finish it. A reminder that history is not just what happened to a nation, but also what happened to the people who called it home.
September 2, 2026
Some books are simply stories; others leave you carrying their emotions long after you turn the last page. Dear Zahira, With Love by Sachin Ng is one such story.
This book carries love, pain, struggle, religion, separation, motherhood, and hope all at once. It is a deeply emotional and heart-touching love story that also shows how people can sometimes control the lives and choices of others in the name of religion and societal beliefs.
I felt especially sorry for Zahira. She spends much of her childhood struggling, and when she finally finds love, even that relationship remains incomplete. Choosing to have and raise a child on her own, despite the circumstances, takes immense courage, strength and sacrifice. What touched me most was that Zahira chose her child and continued to hold on to the dignity of her love, even when she and Ali were separated and there seemed to be very little hope of being together.
On the other side, Ali’s journey is equally painful. Living in another country, surrounded by people of a different faith, he experiences both physical and emotional loneliness. Yet, despite everything he goes through, he never completely loses hope of being reunited with his family.
And then comes the ending! 😳
I honestly didn’t see it coming. The author keeps the final twist beautifully hidden, and that made the ending even more impactful.
A story about love that survives distance, pain and circumstances—and about the courage it takes to keep choosing love and family when life gives you every reason to give up.
❤️ A very emotional and memorable read.
This book carries love, pain, struggle, religion, separation, motherhood, and hope all at once. It is a deeply emotional and heart-touching love story that also shows how people can sometimes control the lives and choices of others in the name of religion and societal beliefs.
I felt especially sorry for Zahira. She spends much of her childhood struggling, and when she finally finds love, even that relationship remains incomplete. Choosing to have and raise a child on her own, despite the circumstances, takes immense courage, strength and sacrifice. What touched me most was that Zahira chose her child and continued to hold on to the dignity of her love, even when she and Ali were separated and there seemed to be very little hope of being together.
On the other side, Ali’s journey is equally painful. Living in another country, surrounded by people of a different faith, he experiences both physical and emotional loneliness. Yet, despite everything he goes through, he never completely loses hope of being reunited with his family.
And then comes the ending! 😳
I honestly didn’t see it coming. The author keeps the final twist beautifully hidden, and that made the ending even more impactful.
A story about love that survives distance, pain and circumstances—and about the courage it takes to keep choosing love and family when life gives you every reason to give up.
❤️ A very emotional and memorable read.
September 10, 2026
Book Review📚
📚Book Synopsis
Book Title: Dear Zahira, With Love
Author: Sachin NG
Genre: Historical Fiction | Epistolary
Pages: 255
Publisher: Grapevine Books
Publication Year: 2026
📚Overview
Set against the aftermath of the Partition, Dear Zahira, With Love is a poignant story of love, separation, identity and belonging.
Ghulam Ali, a skilled limb fitter from Lucknow, finds himself stranded in Pakistan after Partition, unable to return to the country he considers home. For years, he fights bureaucracy, borders and circumstances, holding on to one thing; his love for Zahira.
What touched me most was how the novel shows that Partition wasn't just about borders, it was about people being torn away from their homes, identities and loved ones. The scenes of kindness across religious divides, Ghulam's resilience and year'sof him tryingto legally return to India, Zahira's hope, struggles, and fears, and the emotional letters exchanged between them stayed with me.
A reminder that borders may divide countries, but they cannot always divide hearts. ❤️
📚My Rating
Sachin NG's writing is simple, accessible and emotionally direct. The letter format works particularly well because it makes the separation feel personal. The book is a poignant, emotional and thought-provoking read about love, partition, identity, resilience and the human cost of borders, recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction inspired by real lives.
The book was originally published under the title "Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore".
📚Book Synopsis
Book Title: Dear Zahira, With Love
Author: Sachin NG
Genre: Historical Fiction | Epistolary
Pages: 255
Publisher: Grapevine Books
Publication Year: 2026
📚Overview
Set against the aftermath of the Partition, Dear Zahira, With Love is a poignant story of love, separation, identity and belonging.
Ghulam Ali, a skilled limb fitter from Lucknow, finds himself stranded in Pakistan after Partition, unable to return to the country he considers home. For years, he fights bureaucracy, borders and circumstances, holding on to one thing; his love for Zahira.
What touched me most was how the novel shows that Partition wasn't just about borders, it was about people being torn away from their homes, identities and loved ones. The scenes of kindness across religious divides, Ghulam's resilience and year'sof him tryingto legally return to India, Zahira's hope, struggles, and fears, and the emotional letters exchanged between them stayed with me.
A reminder that borders may divide countries, but they cannot always divide hearts. ❤️
📚My Rating
Sachin NG's writing is simple, accessible and emotionally direct. The letter format works particularly well because it makes the separation feel personal. The book is a poignant, emotional and thought-provoking read about love, partition, identity, resilience and the human cost of borders, recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction inspired by real lives.
The book was originally published under the title "Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2026
Some books tell you a story, while others leave you carrying a feeling long after you’ve turned the last page. Dear Zahira, With Love was the latter for me.
Set against the painful aftermath of Partition, this is a story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza, whose love finds itself separated by a border they never chose. But the distance between them is more than geographical—it is shaped by history, identity, politics, family and circumstances beyond their control.
What stayed with me most was the letters. There was something incredibly intimate about watching two people try to remain connected through words when everything around them was pulling them apart. The waiting, uncertainty and helplessness made their love feel all the more poignant.
I also appreciated how Zahira's story brings another dimension to the novel. Her struggles as a woman, the expectations placed upon her, and the choices she has to make make this more than a love story. It becomes a story about belonging, dignity, family and the consequences of a society that often decides what a person's life should look like.
What I loved most was how the book makes Partition feel personal. Instead of seeing it only through history, dates and political events, we experience its consequences through two people who simply wanted to love and live their lives.
I closed the book feeling like I’d just said goodbye to a love that never deserved to end.
A moving read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, epistolary stories and emotional romances that stay with you after the final page.
Set against the painful aftermath of Partition, this is a story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza, whose love finds itself separated by a border they never chose. But the distance between them is more than geographical—it is shaped by history, identity, politics, family and circumstances beyond their control.
What stayed with me most was the letters. There was something incredibly intimate about watching two people try to remain connected through words when everything around them was pulling them apart. The waiting, uncertainty and helplessness made their love feel all the more poignant.
I also appreciated how Zahira's story brings another dimension to the novel. Her struggles as a woman, the expectations placed upon her, and the choices she has to make make this more than a love story. It becomes a story about belonging, dignity, family and the consequences of a society that often decides what a person's life should look like.
What I loved most was how the book makes Partition feel personal. Instead of seeing it only through history, dates and political events, we experience its consequences through two people who simply wanted to love and live their lives.
I closed the book feeling like I’d just said goodbye to a love that never deserved to end.
A moving read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, epistolary stories and emotional romances that stay with you after the final page.
July 18, 2026
The story was about Zahira and Ghulam Ali.
This was the story of 1957, when Zahira and Ghulam Ali met in Lucknow. Zahira was the Deputy Director at the Passport Department, and Ghulam Ali was a skilled limb fitter who had worked for the ex-British Army. He wanted an Indian passport, for which he met Zahira.
Gradually, they fell in love with each other, but the circumstances were not in their favour, and they got separated. Ghulam Ali became suspected as a spy, and he was trapped in a Hindu refugee camp in Lahore. The only way they stayed in contact was through their letters. They started writing letters to each other, but till when?
Will they reunite again?
Will their love last forever?
Or will they forget each other?
The book was about the time of Partition and how people suffered immensely, especially those who were rejected by both the Indian and Pakistani governments. The author researched the topic well and tried to explain it in a wonderful manner.
I especially loved the characters of Malka, Naani Jaan, Pandit Ji, and Rajkumar, along with the protagonists. Each one played a significant role in making the story truly unforgettable.
The writing style was simple and attractive at the same time. The book cover also attracts readers to pick up this book.
If you like love stories and want to experience the true incidents of the Partition era, you should pick up this book
This was the story of 1957, when Zahira and Ghulam Ali met in Lucknow. Zahira was the Deputy Director at the Passport Department, and Ghulam Ali was a skilled limb fitter who had worked for the ex-British Army. He wanted an Indian passport, for which he met Zahira.
Gradually, they fell in love with each other, but the circumstances were not in their favour, and they got separated. Ghulam Ali became suspected as a spy, and he was trapped in a Hindu refugee camp in Lahore. The only way they stayed in contact was through their letters. They started writing letters to each other, but till when?
Will they reunite again?
Will their love last forever?
Or will they forget each other?
The book was about the time of Partition and how people suffered immensely, especially those who were rejected by both the Indian and Pakistani governments. The author researched the topic well and tried to explain it in a wonderful manner.
I especially loved the characters of Malka, Naani Jaan, Pandit Ji, and Rajkumar, along with the protagonists. Each one played a significant role in making the story truly unforgettable.
The writing style was simple and attractive at the same time. The book cover also attracts readers to pick up this book.
If you like love stories and want to experience the true incidents of the Partition era, you should pick up this book
September 28, 2026
Some love stories are written in letters, some in sacrifices and some in the silence of two hearts separated by borders.
Dear Zahira, With Love is an emotional tale of Zahira and Ghulam Ali, whose lives are torn apart by the Partition. Stranded in Lahore, Ghulam Ali finds himself separated from the woman he loves, with letters becoming his only connection to her.
What touched me most was how beautifully the letters captured the emotions that distance could never erase. Every word carried a little longing, a little hope, and a love that refused to surrender.
I grew attached to the characters, especially Ghulam Ali and Zahira. Their struggles made me reflect on how history can change lives in ways no one is prepared for, and how love sometimes means making the hardest sacrifices.
The simplicity of the writing makes the emotions feel even more real. And the ending? It left me with a heart full of feelings and thoughts that stayed long after I finished reading.
✨ “I am too Muslim for India and too Indian for Pakistan.”
✨ “The world may have moved on, but I’ll never let it forget him.”
These lines capture the heartbreak of a story where belonging becomes complicated, but love remains.
❤️ A reminder that borders may divide countries, but they cannot always divide hearts.
If you love emotional historical fiction, stories of love and separation and narratives that linger long after the last page, add this one to your TBR. 📚
Dear Zahira, With Love is an emotional tale of Zahira and Ghulam Ali, whose lives are torn apart by the Partition. Stranded in Lahore, Ghulam Ali finds himself separated from the woman he loves, with letters becoming his only connection to her.
What touched me most was how beautifully the letters captured the emotions that distance could never erase. Every word carried a little longing, a little hope, and a love that refused to surrender.
I grew attached to the characters, especially Ghulam Ali and Zahira. Their struggles made me reflect on how history can change lives in ways no one is prepared for, and how love sometimes means making the hardest sacrifices.
The simplicity of the writing makes the emotions feel even more real. And the ending? It left me with a heart full of feelings and thoughts that stayed long after I finished reading.
✨ “I am too Muslim for India and too Indian for Pakistan.”
✨ “The world may have moved on, but I’ll never let it forget him.”
These lines capture the heartbreak of a story where belonging becomes complicated, but love remains.
❤️ A reminder that borders may divide countries, but they cannot always divide hearts.
If you love emotional historical fiction, stories of love and separation and narratives that linger long after the last page, add this one to your TBR. 📚
October 6, 2026
"The truth is that the partition is an event that is still taking place every single day today."
Dear Zahira, With Love is such a deeply emotional story following two people in love, Zahira and Ghulam, whose lives were irrevocably impacted by the India–Pakistan partition. The book portrays so beautifully how a single line drawn on a map didn't just shatter the lives of millions back then—it impacted families for generations to come.
Told in the form of letters exchanged between Zahira and Ghulam, you can truly feel the depth of their love through every word. Beyond their bond, I was so moved by Naani’s character. Irrespective of the time she was born in, she was surprisingly modern and made sure Zahira became independent and stood on her own feet. Even though Zahira mentions in her letters how sarcastic Naani could be, I loved her—she is the exact reason Zahira became who she is.
My heart went out to Zahira throughout her life. Raising her daughter Zubeida alone through so much hardship broke me, just as it broke my heart reading about what Ghulam, Rajkumar, and the refugees in the Lahore camps had to endure. It is devastating to see how politics and a line on a map made two religions hate each other so much. Even now in 2026, 79 years later, that hate still persists.
I still have a few questions lingering in my mind about the story—I won't share them here to keep this spoiler-free, but I know I’ll be pondering over them for days. 🤍
Dear Zahira, With Love is such a deeply emotional story following two people in love, Zahira and Ghulam, whose lives were irrevocably impacted by the India–Pakistan partition. The book portrays so beautifully how a single line drawn on a map didn't just shatter the lives of millions back then—it impacted families for generations to come.
Told in the form of letters exchanged between Zahira and Ghulam, you can truly feel the depth of their love through every word. Beyond their bond, I was so moved by Naani’s character. Irrespective of the time she was born in, she was surprisingly modern and made sure Zahira became independent and stood on her own feet. Even though Zahira mentions in her letters how sarcastic Naani could be, I loved her—she is the exact reason Zahira became who she is.
My heart went out to Zahira throughout her life. Raising her daughter Zubeida alone through so much hardship broke me, just as it broke my heart reading about what Ghulam, Rajkumar, and the refugees in the Lahore camps had to endure. It is devastating to see how politics and a line on a map made two religions hate each other so much. Even now in 2026, 79 years later, that hate still persists.
I still have a few questions lingering in my mind about the story—I won't share them here to keep this spoiler-free, but I know I’ll be pondering over them for days. 🤍
August 11, 2026
I went into Dear Zahira thinking it would be a simple Partition-era love story…
But I was SO wrong. ❤️🩹
I actually had to post a mid-read review because I couldn’t stop myself from talking about this book. Every time I told myself, “Just one more page and then I’ll sleep,” I somehow ended up reading another. 😭📖
And now that I’ve finished it, I can honestly say—this story stayed with me.
Ghulam Ali and Zahira’s journey is not just about love. It’s about faith, patience, separation, sacrifice, and devotion.
What touched me most was how their love survives circumstances that seem almost impossible. The story takes you through so many emotions, and there were moments where I genuinely had to pause and just take everything in.
And the way the story explores the impact of Partition on people’s lives makes it even more emotional. It reminds you that borders can separate people physically, but they cannot always erase what people feel for each other.
Without giving anything away, I’ll just say this
Ghulam Ali and Zahira didn’t simply love each other. Their love felt like devotion. ❤️
This book surprised me, emotionally wrecked me, and ultimately left me with a story I know I’ll remember for a long time.
Definitely one of those books that makes you close the last page but keeps the story in your heart. 🥹
But I was SO wrong. ❤️🩹
I actually had to post a mid-read review because I couldn’t stop myself from talking about this book. Every time I told myself, “Just one more page and then I’ll sleep,” I somehow ended up reading another. 😭📖
And now that I’ve finished it, I can honestly say—this story stayed with me.
Ghulam Ali and Zahira’s journey is not just about love. It’s about faith, patience, separation, sacrifice, and devotion.
What touched me most was how their love survives circumstances that seem almost impossible. The story takes you through so many emotions, and there were moments where I genuinely had to pause and just take everything in.
And the way the story explores the impact of Partition on people’s lives makes it even more emotional. It reminds you that borders can separate people physically, but they cannot always erase what people feel for each other.
Without giving anything away, I’ll just say this
Ghulam Ali and Zahira didn’t simply love each other. Their love felt like devotion. ❤️
This book surprised me, emotionally wrecked me, and ultimately left me with a story I know I’ll remember for a long time.
Definitely one of those books that makes you close the last page but keeps the story in your heart. 🥹
August 18, 2026
Imagine serving your country, only to be accused of betraying it, then sent to a refugee camp in Pakistan, separated from the love of your life.
This is what happened to Ghulam Ali, the protagonist of Dear Zahira, With Love.
Set in Lucknow in 1958, the story follows Ghulam Ali and Zahira, two people who fall deeply in love, only to be torn apart by circumstances beyond their control. Ghulam Ali is imprisoned and sent to a Hindu refugee camp in Lahore, while Zahira is left heartbroken back in India.
What follows is the painful battle of a man trying to return to his motherland and to the love of his life.
This is a spellbinding tale of love, hope, faith, trust, sacrifice and resilience.
The book captures the pain and suffering people had to endure during the Partition, the unimaginable things people went through simply to be able to call their homeland theirs on either side of the border and the importance of educating girl children.
The writing kept me turning page after page, desperate to know what would happen next.
Imagining what people had endured during that time moved me to tears. And knowing that this story is based on a true story made it all the more heartbreaking.
I'm at a loss for words to explain what I felt when I turned the last image and i know that this book is going to stay with me for a long time ❣️
September 7, 2026
"Dear Zahira, With Love" by Sachin NG is a heartfelt love story about Zahira and Ghulam Ali, and how Partition affected their love even after several decades.
The author has done a wonderful job with the narration. Once you start reading, it becomes difficult to put the book down. What I particularly loved were the letters. They felt like beautiful literature or poetry unfolding before my eyes. The emotions carried through those letters were beautifully portrayed and made the story even more touching.
The characters around Zahira and Ghulam Ali were also beautifully written. Each of them seemed to have a story of their own, with something to teach us. Their experiences and emotions added more depth to the story.
The whole story stayed in my mind for a long time after I finished the book. Some stories simply end when you reach the last page, while some stay with you deeply. This is definitely one of those stories for me. Perhaps I should say it is a unique one.
I generally don't read many love stories, but this book made me fall in love with both the main characters. The twist towards the ending made me cry, and the emotions throughout the story are something that I believe many readers will connect with.
Zahira and Ghulam Ali beautifully define what pure and enduring love can look like.
Highly recommended to anyone who loves heartfelt love stories.
The author has done a wonderful job with the narration. Once you start reading, it becomes difficult to put the book down. What I particularly loved were the letters. They felt like beautiful literature or poetry unfolding before my eyes. The emotions carried through those letters were beautifully portrayed and made the story even more touching.
The characters around Zahira and Ghulam Ali were also beautifully written. Each of them seemed to have a story of their own, with something to teach us. Their experiences and emotions added more depth to the story.
The whole story stayed in my mind for a long time after I finished the book. Some stories simply end when you reach the last page, while some stay with you deeply. This is definitely one of those stories for me. Perhaps I should say it is a unique one.
I generally don't read many love stories, but this book made me fall in love with both the main characters. The twist towards the ending made me cry, and the emotions throughout the story are something that I believe many readers will connect with.
Zahira and Ghulam Ali beautifully define what pure and enduring love can look like.
Highly recommended to anyone who loves heartfelt love stories.
September 11, 2026
I'm very fond of letter writing and reading, and when I got to know about this book , i was like i have to buy it ASAP.
The novel is based on the true story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza, and much of the narrative is built around the letters exchanged between them. Ghulam Ali finds himself stranded in Pakistan after Partition, while Zahira remains in Lucknow. Ghulam desperately wants to return to India and to the woman he loves, but the political circumstances surrounding Partition make that almost impossible.
And this is where the book becomes particularly painful: the distance between Ghulam and Zahira isn't created by a lack of love. It is created by a border.
The epistolary format is probably the most effective artistic choice in the novel.
A normal historical romance might tell us that two people are separated. Here, we experience that separation through communication itself.
A letter takes time.
You write it.
You wait.
You wonder whether it arrived.
You wonder whether the other person still feels the same. That makes the waiting feel much more intimate.
Another thing I appreciate about the story is that it doesn't appear to treat love as some magical solution to political problems.
Love can give Ghulam hope.
It can give him something to hold onto.
But it cannot simply erase a border.
That makes the romance more believable and, honestly, more heartbreaking.
The novel is based on the true story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza, and much of the narrative is built around the letters exchanged between them. Ghulam Ali finds himself stranded in Pakistan after Partition, while Zahira remains in Lucknow. Ghulam desperately wants to return to India and to the woman he loves, but the political circumstances surrounding Partition make that almost impossible.
And this is where the book becomes particularly painful: the distance between Ghulam and Zahira isn't created by a lack of love. It is created by a border.
The epistolary format is probably the most effective artistic choice in the novel.
A normal historical romance might tell us that two people are separated. Here, we experience that separation through communication itself.
A letter takes time.
You write it.
You wait.
You wonder whether it arrived.
You wonder whether the other person still feels the same. That makes the waiting feel much more intimate.
Another thing I appreciate about the story is that it doesn't appear to treat love as some magical solution to political problems.
Love can give Ghulam hope.
It can give him something to hold onto.
But it cannot simply erase a border.
That makes the romance more believable and, honestly, more heartbreaking.
September 6, 2026
What it’s about:
The book is composed of letters shared between Ali and Zahira. It is based on the true story of Ghulam Ali, a man who suffered because of the Partition of India.
Ali finds the love of his life, Zahira Raza, in Lucknow. But he is sent back to Pakistan because he came to India without a proper passport. The story shows his life in a Hindu refugee camp, the struggles he goes through, and everything he does to come back to India.
Will he finally return to India and meet his love, Zahira, and his daughter?
My Thoughts:
I would recommend everyone to read this book at least once.
I’m not usually a big fan of books being adapted into movies, but I genuinely want this book to be adapted into a movie. The story makes us realise how grateful we should be for the things we have in our lives. Sometimes, the small things we ignore can mean everything to someone else.
The book is easy to read, and while reading it, I felt like I got to know Ghulam Ali really well. The author conveys a strong social message through a simple and emotional story.
While turning each page, I kept hoping that Ali would return to India soon.
This book made me think about love, separation, hope, and the things we often take for granted.
The book is composed of letters shared between Ali and Zahira. It is based on the true story of Ghulam Ali, a man who suffered because of the Partition of India.
Ali finds the love of his life, Zahira Raza, in Lucknow. But he is sent back to Pakistan because he came to India without a proper passport. The story shows his life in a Hindu refugee camp, the struggles he goes through, and everything he does to come back to India.
Will he finally return to India and meet his love, Zahira, and his daughter?
My Thoughts:
I would recommend everyone to read this book at least once.
I’m not usually a big fan of books being adapted into movies, but I genuinely want this book to be adapted into a movie. The story makes us realise how grateful we should be for the things we have in our lives. Sometimes, the small things we ignore can mean everything to someone else.
The book is easy to read, and while reading it, I felt like I got to know Ghulam Ali really well. The author conveys a strong social message through a simple and emotional story.
While turning each page, I kept hoping that Ali would return to India soon.
This book made me think about love, separation, hope, and the things we often take for granted.
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