What do you think?
Rate this book
Sikhs: The Untold Agony Of 1984
‘I want sukh (peace)—Won’t you give me sukh?’ asked a middle-aged Shanti who witnessed the death of her three sons, one of them an infant, and her husband in a house lit with kerosene by marauding mobs; Dr Swaranpreet heard the woman in silence. She claimed the police had inserted a stick inside her… Swaranpreet realised that she had been cruelly violated; He spoke a single sentence but repeated it twice in chaste Punjabi: ‘Please give me a turban? I want nothing else…’ These are voices begging for deliverance in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination in October-November 1984 in which 2,733 Sikhs were killed, burnt and exterminated by lumpens in the country. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay walks us through one of the most shameful episodes of sectarian violence in post Independent India and highlights the apathy of subsequent governments towards Sikhs who paid a price for what was clearly a state-sponsored riot. Poignant, raw and most importantly, macabre, the personal histories in the book reveal how even after three decades, a community continues to battle for its identity in its own country.
- GenresIndia
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2015
41 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 25, 2017
In my endeavor to understand the socio-political scenario of India post Independence this book came up as a suggestion on Amazon.
The book chronicles stories, anecdotes, interviews of people and person involved in the carnage one way or another. And it does take tremendous effort, thanks to the author for that. There are certain certain very interesting anecdotes about people who know today, and I bet that will be a revelation when you encounter.
The only negative I felt was the narrative, which didn't gel well as a good fabric. Anyway, that shouldn't stop someone who's interested in knowing the story.
The book chronicles stories, anecdotes, interviews of people and person involved in the carnage one way or another. And it does take tremendous effort, thanks to the author for that. There are certain certain very interesting anecdotes about people who know today, and I bet that will be a revelation when you encounter.
The only negative I felt was the narrative, which didn't gel well as a good fabric. Anyway, that shouldn't stop someone who's interested in knowing the story.
January 5, 2019
The book speaks about the countless tragedies borne by Sikhs, the horror stories witnessed by several families. It's good to read and remember our past.The author gets into the details of the political situation of November 1984 and the criminal history of a political party that ruled the nation for decades . A genuinely good read.
April 24, 2019
A real story on Punjab and How the Congress (Indira Gandhi & Co) could not fathom the idea of a Non-Congress government at the state level stooped to conquer by creating Bhindranwale.This led to Operation Blue Star,Indira Gandhi's Assassination and how the Anti-Sikh riots in Delhi & Elsewhere led by Congressmen led to an alienation of an entire Community. Presented through the Victim's eyes.... A tiny bit of extra info-Sikhs now constitute 15% of India's Defence forces in spite of Indira Gandhi's diktat to stop hiring Sikhs in the Army !! Good Job by the Author Nilanjan !!!
Sat Sri Akal !!!
Sat Sri Akal !!!
February 28, 2019
A chilling read
Had heard a lot about the 1984 riots, this book bought some more apects to light. Felt more of a political book. Seeing Delhi in a new light from now on, got to know tha history behind the old places of Delhi like Trilokpuri and Karol Bagh.
Had heard a lot about the 1984 riots, this book bought some more apects to light. Felt more of a political book. Seeing Delhi in a new light from now on, got to know tha history behind the old places of Delhi like Trilokpuri and Karol Bagh.
August 8, 2018
A good snapshot of the pogrom.
It gives the reader a acquaintance of the happening of the horrendous pogrom in 1984. A good read. A short book but informative .
It gives the reader a acquaintance of the happening of the horrendous pogrom in 1984. A good read. A short book but informative .
August 7, 2018
A difficult read.
Read Mr. Nilanjan's work for the first time. I liked the way he described events with and without much horror if that makes any sense.
Read Mr. Nilanjan's work for the first time. I liked the way he described events with and without much horror if that makes any sense.
May 18, 2019
Liked the way the author narrated the incidents . Gripping and a difficult read ....
November 16, 2020
Today we live in a state of hypernationalism rhetoric filled with thoroughly disturbing partisan political beliefs leading to a very polarized nation. Indians need to study history and understand in depth the tragic chapters of our country such as the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots. This book is an eye opener if nothing else to the horrors of the victims. In the book there is a powerful and incredible comparison of the 1947 and 1984 riots where the victims and refugees reject having sweets as they say they have nothing to celebrate on the occassion of Independence and Diwali respectively.
April 5, 2019
Well written
Well written. Was length at certain places. This also gives a political overview of the scenario. Best describes the events that shook the whole nation.
Well written. Was length at certain places. This also gives a political overview of the scenario. Best describes the events that shook the whole nation.
December 13, 2017
In the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination in October 1984, more than 3,000 Sikhs were killed, burnt and exterminated by lumpens in Delhi. This has been one of the most shameful episodes of sectarian violence in post-Independence India and highlights the cruel apathy of subsequent governments towards Sikhs who paid a price for what was clearly a State-sponsored riot.
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay has done a tremendous job with this book- the narration is cohesive, the book is divided into proper chapters, each highlighting a different aspect of the gory incident and have networked extensively to get the book in its present form.
Some of the incidents are spine chilling are a ghastly reminder of the vulnerable society that we live in and how easy it can be for people to massacre others with slight provocation.
For more reviews, follow my blog on- www.thebooktrack.wordpress.com
Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay has done a tremendous job with this book- the narration is cohesive, the book is divided into proper chapters, each highlighting a different aspect of the gory incident and have networked extensively to get the book in its present form.
Some of the incidents are spine chilling are a ghastly reminder of the vulnerable society that we live in and how easy it can be for people to massacre others with slight provocation.
For more reviews, follow my blog on- www.thebooktrack.wordpress.com
April 11, 2021
As someone who's extremely interested to know first-person accounts of the major events of the history of our country, this proved to be a great read. Mukhopadhyay has written a well researched book that brings together numerous tales of sorrow and courage. It also provided me insights into Operation Blue Star and the events preceding the assassination of Indira Gandhi and allowed me to learn a bit about Sikhs in India, which I'm grateful for.
I understand why the author chose the style of narration that he did but it was less effective as a book. Too many stories are started at the beginning and just as you're about to get interested in one, another one starts making it hard to keep track of everyone. And while I understand the inclusion of the last two chapters, I just skimmed past them as I was bored by that time. A healthy mixture of both narratives and data would have made this a more fascinating read.
This also made me think, yet again about easily we are divided by arbitrary things such as religion, caste and gods. Mob mentality takes over so easily that we lose our humanity altogether. If such horrendous times were to come, who will be choose to be? Will primitive thinking win or will be choose humanity? Who is inside all of us?
I understand why the author chose the style of narration that he did but it was less effective as a book. Too many stories are started at the beginning and just as you're about to get interested in one, another one starts making it hard to keep track of everyone. And while I understand the inclusion of the last two chapters, I just skimmed past them as I was bored by that time. A healthy mixture of both narratives and data would have made this a more fascinating read.
This also made me think, yet again about easily we are divided by arbitrary things such as religion, caste and gods. Mob mentality takes over so easily that we lose our humanity altogether. If such horrendous times were to come, who will be choose to be? Will primitive thinking win or will be choose humanity? Who is inside all of us?
December 15, 2021
A primer to understand 1984 pogroms against Sikhs
Ethnic violence has always been the scourge of human society. A must read book to understand the anatomy of ethnic violence in genera and violence against Sikhs in particular.
Based on extensive qualitative research and ethnographic interviews.
Ethnic violence has always been the scourge of human society. A must read book to understand the anatomy of ethnic violence in genera and violence against Sikhs in particular.
Based on extensive qualitative research and ethnographic interviews.
Read
September 13, 2020Good book
February 25, 2020
Good insights and good coverage of incidents across India. Good effort to view causes from widely different angles. But at times I felt reasoning given may not be correct.
November 30, 2020
A little muddled detailing of the riots in Delhi and other places in India where Sikhs were killed in hundreds after the two Sikh guards of Indira Gandhi assassinated her in 1984.
The author has taken pains to collect a lot of information, meet quite a few people and so that material is fairly comprehensive.
Where the book fails is in the presentation. The presentation is completely non-linear and it reads like some embellished random notes jotted down by someone gathering information from various sources.
It is a history that India would like to forget, but it should not. Just like the Godhra affair and the riots after the Godhra incident this is another event that should be written as part of the black history of India.
Read with the above non-linear expectation.
The author has taken pains to collect a lot of information, meet quite a few people and so that material is fairly comprehensive.
Where the book fails is in the presentation. The presentation is completely non-linear and it reads like some embellished random notes jotted down by someone gathering information from various sources.
It is a history that India would like to forget, but it should not. Just like the Godhra affair and the riots after the Godhra incident this is another event that should be written as part of the black history of India.
Read with the above non-linear expectation.
April 13, 2018
Sikhs - The Untold Agony of 1984 is a fantastic collection of individual storylines. Each story links to the other, separated by themes that bring those storylines together. I was expecting it to dive deeper than it did, though. A lot of the stories are left at a very surface-level note and don't do justice to the characters. It does a pretty good job at making the episode very real.
May 10, 2016
Viktig historie, men dessverre mangler fremstillingen en klar overordnet ramme, som gjør dette til en samling av nokså løsrevne skjebner.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews