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Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore
The partition of India just keeps on happening
History records that the partition of India happened on 15th August, 1947. But for people like Havaldaar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter, it's an event stretched on for years and years.
The year is 1958. The only thing Ghulam Ali wants is to come back to his motherland, his hometown of Lucknow, where his beloved Zahira and his life, wait for him. Instead, he finds himself in a Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore, injured, starving, where everyone believes he is a jasoos.
Ghulam has tried everything in his power to come back to India. But having served in Pakistani Army against his will, India would not accept him. Trapped across the border with no hope in sight, he begins writing letters to ministers, bureaucrats, journalists, whoever he can. And also, to the love of his life, Zahira Raza, who is his only motivation to continue living.
Zahira Raza had always dreamt of dancing to her heart’s content. But her desire is obstructed by something, to which only Ghulam Ali holds the key. As she waits for him, living with her Naani and her sister, she battles with the challenges of being a working Muslim woman in the Lucknow of the 1950s.
Written as an exchange of letters, 'Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore' is the true story of Havaldaar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter, as relevant today as it was when it happened.
History records that the partition of India happened on 15th August, 1947. But for people like Havaldaar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter, it's an event stretched on for years and years.
The year is 1958. The only thing Ghulam Ali wants is to come back to his motherland, his hometown of Lucknow, where his beloved Zahira and his life, wait for him. Instead, he finds himself in a Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore, injured, starving, where everyone believes he is a jasoos.
Ghulam has tried everything in his power to come back to India. But having served in Pakistani Army against his will, India would not accept him. Trapped across the border with no hope in sight, he begins writing letters to ministers, bureaucrats, journalists, whoever he can. And also, to the love of his life, Zahira Raza, who is his only motivation to continue living.
Zahira Raza had always dreamt of dancing to her heart’s content. But her desire is obstructed by something, to which only Ghulam Ali holds the key. As she waits for him, living with her Naani and her sister, she battles with the challenges of being a working Muslim woman in the Lucknow of the 1950s.
Written as an exchange of letters, 'Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore' is the true story of Havaldaar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter, as relevant today as it was when it happened.
280 pages, Paperback
Published July 20, 2021
6 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Sachin Garg
11 books186 followersSachin Garg is known for writing stories which not only ring a chord with the reader but also leaves him with a long lasting thought.
Described as an author worth checking out (MTV), A must read (Red FM) and a writer who will be enjoyed by all (Times of India), he continues to write stories which redefine numbers in the India Publishing Industry.
In his novel 'I'm Not Twenty Four', released in 2010, he has written an unusual story of a Delhi girl who landed in a small village in the middle of nowhere. The book received widespread commercial and critical acclaim and enjoyed prolonged stay on Bestseller lists.
Sachin is an Engineer from Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) and did his MBA from MDI, Gurgaon. Apart from books, he has a keen interest in strength training activities and travelling.
In 2011, he quit his day job to start his own venture in print media.
Described as an author worth checking out (MTV), A must read (Red FM) and a writer who will be enjoyed by all (Times of India), he continues to write stories which redefine numbers in the India Publishing Industry.
In his novel 'I'm Not Twenty Four', released in 2010, he has written an unusual story of a Delhi girl who landed in a small village in the middle of nowhere. The book received widespread commercial and critical acclaim and enjoyed prolonged stay on Bestseller lists.
Sachin is an Engineer from Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) and did his MBA from MDI, Gurgaon. Apart from books, he has a keen interest in strength training activities and travelling.
In 2011, he quit his day job to start his own venture in print media.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
November 23, 2025
"Jab tak Zindagi hai tab tak Mashakkat hai." ( Till there is life, there's struggle.")
Every Indian grew up listening to stories about British rule, the India-Pakistan partition, and how the lives of people were impacted. We cannot fathom what people went through during those times but every time I listen or read about it, I am stupefied beyond any bounds. There are plenty of unheard tales of partition and this is one such.
This is the story of Ghulam Ali who was trapped in such a way that he was neither allowed to come back to his motherland India nor was accepted as a Pakistani citizen. The whole book is written in the form of letters between the protagonist and his beloved Zahira. There are a number of other characters too each having their own struggles, hope, helplessness, patience, and sacrifices.
I found the writing style very genuine, well-balanced and realistic. The character development of each character is done very well and in detail. Due to this, you will have the luxury of having multiple perspectives through just one narrative. The story is definitely emotional, heart touching but important. Kudos to the author for doing such a fantastic job. This book genuinely deserves recognition.
You might like to wander through a few artistic journals — they’re full of sparks and surprises.
Every Indian grew up listening to stories about British rule, the India-Pakistan partition, and how the lives of people were impacted. We cannot fathom what people went through during those times but every time I listen or read about it, I am stupefied beyond any bounds. There are plenty of unheard tales of partition and this is one such.
This is the story of Ghulam Ali who was trapped in such a way that he was neither allowed to come back to his motherland India nor was accepted as a Pakistani citizen. The whole book is written in the form of letters between the protagonist and his beloved Zahira. There are a number of other characters too each having their own struggles, hope, helplessness, patience, and sacrifices.
I found the writing style very genuine, well-balanced and realistic. The character development of each character is done very well and in detail. Due to this, you will have the luxury of having multiple perspectives through just one narrative. The story is definitely emotional, heart touching but important. Kudos to the author for doing such a fantastic job. This book genuinely deserves recognition.
You might like to wander through a few artistic journals — they’re full of sparks and surprises.
November 1, 2021
History, one of my favourite subjects in school and one of my favourite topics to discuss even today. I never considered history as history but a way of storytelling, the difference is that, the stories are real and sometimes facts are more horrifying than fiction. Being a curious person that's probably why I always seek to know more about our past and from a different perspective. This book provided me that new perspective I didn't know I was searching for. This book let me see the history through different lenses and I was taken aback by the gravity of the situation during the partition and decades that followed.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆. 𝑰𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆.”
The partition of India just keeps on happening. The monsters are real, it's amongst us and sometimes within us and no one knows when it's gonna strike. The partition happened in 15th August 1947 but for people like Havaldar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter, it's an event stretched on for years, cramped in a dingy Hindu refugee camp in Lahore, he wants to come back to India, to his beloved's arms, will he? Hindu Refugee Camp Lahore is a true story based on the records of Havaldar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter and bit of author's own imagination.
This is an epistolary book written as an exchange of letters between Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza. With the lack of information on Ghulam Ali the author had to use fictional settings but the settings are more than real and true during that era. The true horror of our history which is masked from us is laid bare here. The writing form is what makes this book more appealing and close to heart. The emotional ups and downs of the characters along with religious and societal disturbances are profound in the letters. Even though this book is a work of fiction, it's believable and conveys the challenges faced and battles of the people stuck in both sides. I recommend this book to everyone.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆. 𝑰𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆.”
The partition of India just keeps on happening. The monsters are real, it's amongst us and sometimes within us and no one knows when it's gonna strike. The partition happened in 15th August 1947 but for people like Havaldar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter, it's an event stretched on for years, cramped in a dingy Hindu refugee camp in Lahore, he wants to come back to India, to his beloved's arms, will he? Hindu Refugee Camp Lahore is a true story based on the records of Havaldar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter and bit of author's own imagination.
This is an epistolary book written as an exchange of letters between Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza. With the lack of information on Ghulam Ali the author had to use fictional settings but the settings are more than real and true during that era. The true horror of our history which is masked from us is laid bare here. The writing form is what makes this book more appealing and close to heart. The emotional ups and downs of the characters along with religious and societal disturbances are profound in the letters. Even though this book is a work of fiction, it's believable and conveys the challenges faced and battles of the people stuck in both sides. I recommend this book to everyone.
October 15, 2021
Synopsis: After the partition of 1947, lives had been uprooted and torn apart. One such person was Ghulam Ali. Having served in the Indian army as a lamb-fitter, he accidentally remained on the Pakistani side of the border, serving their army. Desperate to come back to his motherland, he forges his passport and meets his love, Zahira Raza, in the passport office. When they were about to get married, police captures Ghulam Ali under case of forgery and take him back to Pakistan. Both of the countries refused to accept him as theirs and he gets the UNKNOWN stamp under his nationality.
Tortured, starved and forlorn, Ghulam Ali is sent to the Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore. Thus begins the saga of writing letters between Zahira and Ghulam Ali, a very real story, where we see their lives on two sides of the border.
“But the truth is that the partition is an event that is still taking place every single day even today. Every time a brother misses a sister, a father misses a daughter, a Zahira missed a Ghulam Ali, it is the partition of India coming to life. The truth is that the partition of India only had a starting date. It has no end date.”
My opinion: The story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza had me in awe. From the beginning of the 1st of 31 letters, I was hooked to their lives as they unfolded. The author did a wonderful job in bringing these characters to life with all the struggles they faced, their hopelessness, their small victories and the love they shared. The characters, all of them, had their flaws which made them all the more unique. There were instances where I found myself not agreeing with their thoughts and ideologies but I respected it. That's the brilliancy of writing. The side characters like Nani Jaan, Surraiyya, Fatto, Rajkumar, Malka, Pundit ji - all of them had their stories and journey which made them compelling. The feminism in the story made me feel proud.
The horrors of the partition, the cruelty of the Britishers and the cunning people propelling one religion against another had been portrayed so well that I'm at loss of words.
Last but not the least, the book is filled with powerful lines and quotes that shook me to my bones, that made me realize, on a deeper level, what pain and suffering our people and ancestors have been through all those years.
“The more the things change, the more they remain the same.”
Highly recommended!
Tortured, starved and forlorn, Ghulam Ali is sent to the Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore. Thus begins the saga of writing letters between Zahira and Ghulam Ali, a very real story, where we see their lives on two sides of the border.
“But the truth is that the partition is an event that is still taking place every single day even today. Every time a brother misses a sister, a father misses a daughter, a Zahira missed a Ghulam Ali, it is the partition of India coming to life. The truth is that the partition of India only had a starting date. It has no end date.”
My opinion: The story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza had me in awe. From the beginning of the 1st of 31 letters, I was hooked to their lives as they unfolded. The author did a wonderful job in bringing these characters to life with all the struggles they faced, their hopelessness, their small victories and the love they shared. The characters, all of them, had their flaws which made them all the more unique. There were instances where I found myself not agreeing with their thoughts and ideologies but I respected it. That's the brilliancy of writing. The side characters like Nani Jaan, Surraiyya, Fatto, Rajkumar, Malka, Pundit ji - all of them had their stories and journey which made them compelling. The feminism in the story made me feel proud.
The horrors of the partition, the cruelty of the Britishers and the cunning people propelling one religion against another had been portrayed so well that I'm at loss of words.
Last but not the least, the book is filled with powerful lines and quotes that shook me to my bones, that made me realize, on a deeper level, what pain and suffering our people and ancestors have been through all those years.
“The more the things change, the more they remain the same.”
Highly recommended!
August 9, 2021
This was such an amazing read. There are many people who lost their life during India-Pakistan partition and we all remember them at different interval of times. What about those who were stuck and were not accepted by any country?
What about those who lost were trying to touch the soil of their motherland. What about those who were dying everyday in search of hope.
This book is about one such character Ghulam who worked in Army before partition but post it he was not accepted by none of the nation. The country column in his passport was marked as Unknown. His heart was dying to meet his beloved.
This was a good book and I will say it was completely new prospective. The language was simple and the story was written in the form of letters between leads which made book more interesting.
I really liked that Indian Authors are moving towards more meaningful books other that those typical romance (nothing against them and those writers have their own audience obviously but I am not one of them).
I will recommend people to read it for sure.
What about those who lost were trying to touch the soil of their motherland. What about those who were dying everyday in search of hope.
This book is about one such character Ghulam who worked in Army before partition but post it he was not accepted by none of the nation. The country column in his passport was marked as Unknown. His heart was dying to meet his beloved.
This was a good book and I will say it was completely new prospective. The language was simple and the story was written in the form of letters between leads which made book more interesting.
I really liked that Indian Authors are moving towards more meaningful books other that those typical romance (nothing against them and those writers have their own audience obviously but I am not one of them).
I will recommend people to read it for sure.
August 12, 2021
India Pakistan partition 1947.
This was the time when everything went wrong.
People lost their lives, their beloved, their land. Basically everything! But did the suffering end in 1947?
No!
It didn’t end in 1947 or in 1948 or for that matter till today!
I was born a lot late to even understand what pain the partition must have caused to people. It won’t be appropriate to say but I’m grateful.
All I know about the partition is through my grandparents or movies or books.
But every time I hear or read something about that time, I get goosebumps.
This book holds one such story but all the stories didn’t have such an ending.
The book is In the form of letters, exchanged between Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza and this made it a lot more interesting to read. The urge to know what will be the reply of the other person, kept me hooked to the book.
The thing I liked most about this book is that no religion is portrayed flawless or superior, after all everything has ugly side.
The least we can do to pay tribute to all those people who suffered during and after 1947, is read about them!
This was the time when everything went wrong.
People lost their lives, their beloved, their land. Basically everything! But did the suffering end in 1947?
No!
It didn’t end in 1947 or in 1948 or for that matter till today!
I was born a lot late to even understand what pain the partition must have caused to people. It won’t be appropriate to say but I’m grateful.
All I know about the partition is through my grandparents or movies or books.
But every time I hear or read something about that time, I get goosebumps.
This book holds one such story but all the stories didn’t have such an ending.
The book is In the form of letters, exchanged between Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza and this made it a lot more interesting to read. The urge to know what will be the reply of the other person, kept me hooked to the book.
The thing I liked most about this book is that no religion is portrayed flawless or superior, after all everything has ugly side.
The least we can do to pay tribute to all those people who suffered during and after 1947, is read about them!
August 29, 2021
Hope, a word which lives within you and me and an emotion that is bigger than anything else in the world, a feeling of strength a feeling of confidence a feeling that keeps people connected to their dreams. Isn’t this small word the most strongest feeling humans can feel?
Havildar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter, was one such person living in the hope of a better tomorrow, struggling to get closer to his dreams each day of his life since November 1958.
We all know that India got freedom in the year 1947, what we do not know is how many people were actually free! What we have never even made to understand is how these people lived their lives and what they went through during and after this transformation. The real victims of the partition, the people who continued to die long after the partition took place.
Ghulam Ali was caught in between the partition of India and its after effects too. His only dream and goal in life now was to reach Lucknow where the love if his life Zahira Raza who was his only connection to sanity and the person who he actually was, waited for his return while he remained stuck in the Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore. But this simple ask was too much for the authorities to consider and the couple had no other option than to converse in the most traditional way i.e through letters.
Will Ghulam Ali meet Zahira after all? I will leave it for you to read their letters and find out.
This story, dear readers, is a collection of lifestories that we have long forgotten. It is the depiction of the world which we absolutely aren’t aware of, with every page you will know more about what life looked like back then and you will find yourself comparing your present life with it. The simple language and the use of hindi words have made the story seem even more realistic than it actually is. The strong setbacks of the religious norms and how it affected the society right since that time has been very sharply put. It made me smile, it made me angry and it gave me tears. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions.And it was just a story of one man, I cannot bring myself to imagine the rest.
I would request you all to read this one and get to know Ghulam Ali’s story as I feel this is a book every Indian should read.
Havildar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter, was one such person living in the hope of a better tomorrow, struggling to get closer to his dreams each day of his life since November 1958.
We all know that India got freedom in the year 1947, what we do not know is how many people were actually free! What we have never even made to understand is how these people lived their lives and what they went through during and after this transformation. The real victims of the partition, the people who continued to die long after the partition took place.
Ghulam Ali was caught in between the partition of India and its after effects too. His only dream and goal in life now was to reach Lucknow where the love if his life Zahira Raza who was his only connection to sanity and the person who he actually was, waited for his return while he remained stuck in the Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore. But this simple ask was too much for the authorities to consider and the couple had no other option than to converse in the most traditional way i.e through letters.
Will Ghulam Ali meet Zahira after all? I will leave it for you to read their letters and find out.
This story, dear readers, is a collection of lifestories that we have long forgotten. It is the depiction of the world which we absolutely aren’t aware of, with every page you will know more about what life looked like back then and you will find yourself comparing your present life with it. The simple language and the use of hindi words have made the story seem even more realistic than it actually is. The strong setbacks of the religious norms and how it affected the society right since that time has been very sharply put. It made me smile, it made me angry and it gave me tears. It was a roller coaster ride of emotions.And it was just a story of one man, I cannot bring myself to imagine the rest.
I would request you all to read this one and get to know Ghulam Ali’s story as I feel this is a book every Indian should read.
August 18, 2021
Some books are hard to review not because they aren’t well written but because they are so
beautifully depicted that you can’t find words to express your emotions. One such book was Sachin
Garg’s Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore.
The book highlights the period of India-Pakistan partition, but with a completely different aspect. It does not mention the tales of the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom, but instead shows us the grim and painful reality the partition caused. We have studied how partition resulted in millions getting displaced and killed, but just as mere facts. In his book Sachin through his protagonists, has conveyed the emotions of the people who got separated with no fault of their own.
The fact that it is based on the true story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira , makes it a more emotional ride.
Ghulam Ali and Zahira was a couple who can be classified as the epitome of love. To be loyal and as
well as almost sacrificing their lives for each other without even getting married is not a common
sight. Their love blossomed and survived through the letters they wrote to each other.
The book brings into light sub themes like betrayal, corruption, indifference by authorities, riots, and blatant use of religion in making one’s deal.
My favourite part of the book were the letters written by Zahira, as simple as they could get without
reflecting the trying times she was in. For me she was the main protagonist of the book. A woman so brave that she didn’t let her bodily shortcomings come in the way of making a mark in her career.She raised her child alone in those times when it was a challenge for a woman to even receiveeducation properly. Most importantly without batting an eyelid, she took a bullet for her love toreturn to India.
Recommending this book to everyone not just because it is aptly penned down but because it brings
to light topics that everyone should have an understanding about.
beautifully depicted that you can’t find words to express your emotions. One such book was Sachin
Garg’s Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore.
The book highlights the period of India-Pakistan partition, but with a completely different aspect. It does not mention the tales of the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom, but instead shows us the grim and painful reality the partition caused. We have studied how partition resulted in millions getting displaced and killed, but just as mere facts. In his book Sachin through his protagonists, has conveyed the emotions of the people who got separated with no fault of their own.
The fact that it is based on the true story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira , makes it a more emotional ride.
Ghulam Ali and Zahira was a couple who can be classified as the epitome of love. To be loyal and as
well as almost sacrificing their lives for each other without even getting married is not a common
sight. Their love blossomed and survived through the letters they wrote to each other.
The book brings into light sub themes like betrayal, corruption, indifference by authorities, riots, and blatant use of religion in making one’s deal.
My favourite part of the book were the letters written by Zahira, as simple as they could get without
reflecting the trying times she was in. For me she was the main protagonist of the book. A woman so brave that she didn’t let her bodily shortcomings come in the way of making a mark in her career.She raised her child alone in those times when it was a challenge for a woman to even receiveeducation properly. Most importantly without batting an eyelid, she took a bullet for her love toreturn to India.
Recommending this book to everyone not just because it is aptly penned down but because it brings
to light topics that everyone should have an understanding about.
September 8, 2021
First of all, I want to say that this book is something that everyone should read.
An extremely emotional and pure story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza. The story was written in the form of letters between leads which made the book more interesting.
Havildar Ghulam Ali, who was a famous lamb-filler from Burma to Britannia. Ghulam Ali was highly respected in the British Indian Army because of his lamb-fitting talent. Ghulam Ali was caught in between the partition of India and its after-effects too. His only dream and goal in life now were to reach Lucknow where the love of his life Zahira Raza waited for his return while he remained stuck in the Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore. There are a total of 31 letters in the entire book which have been exchanged between Ghulam Ali from Lahore, Pakistan, and Zahira Raza from Lucknow, India.
Apart from the lead characters, this book has supporting characters too, like Rajkumar, Naani Jaan, Zubeida, Fatto, Suraiyya Bai, and Malika. Why I have mentioned all these names is because without these characters the story is incomplete. Every character played an important role in making this story emotional and captivating. All these characters add sprinkles to this emotional writing. Every character is very well portrayed.
This was my first reading from the historical fiction genre, initially, I wasn't even sure I would be able to read it completely, but when I started reading I started to enjoy it. And what I love the most is the writing style of the author, it's amazing. I think the way he wrote is something that attracted readers. The language was simple even beginners can enjoy reading the book. This is the story of love, hope, friendship, and wait.
I would recommend this book to everyone!!
An extremely emotional and pure story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza. The story was written in the form of letters between leads which made the book more interesting.
Havildar Ghulam Ali, who was a famous lamb-filler from Burma to Britannia. Ghulam Ali was highly respected in the British Indian Army because of his lamb-fitting talent. Ghulam Ali was caught in between the partition of India and its after-effects too. His only dream and goal in life now were to reach Lucknow where the love of his life Zahira Raza waited for his return while he remained stuck in the Hindu Refugee Camp in Lahore. There are a total of 31 letters in the entire book which have been exchanged between Ghulam Ali from Lahore, Pakistan, and Zahira Raza from Lucknow, India.
Apart from the lead characters, this book has supporting characters too, like Rajkumar, Naani Jaan, Zubeida, Fatto, Suraiyya Bai, and Malika. Why I have mentioned all these names is because without these characters the story is incomplete. Every character played an important role in making this story emotional and captivating. All these characters add sprinkles to this emotional writing. Every character is very well portrayed.
This was my first reading from the historical fiction genre, initially, I wasn't even sure I would be able to read it completely, but when I started reading I started to enjoy it. And what I love the most is the writing style of the author, it's amazing. I think the way he wrote is something that attracted readers. The language was simple even beginners can enjoy reading the book. This is the story of love, hope, friendship, and wait.
I would recommend this book to everyone!!
August 30, 2021
"All I ever wanted was a life with you and and Zubeida, having two square meals a day in a simple house and job I love. Was it too much to ask for?"
When I read this sentence, my heart literally sank , like what a simple man needs in his life, to get to live a life peacefully and happily and to get the kindness and love that he deserves. But it was not possible in Ghulam Ali's life. He was born in Lucknow but his early life was spent in Pakistan, working for the Army and fitting their Limbs as he was famously known as best Limb-fitter.
But he was considered as a jasoos in India as he served in Pakistani Army and as well as in Pakistan as he was from Lucknow, India. Imagine the situation of this man, where his nationality was at stake and was sent to the jail in Lahore and was beaten upto death. But he survived as he was thrown in a Hindu Refugee Camp In Lahore, Pakistan. Where he wrote the letters to the authorities to get his visa and a passport. He exchanged the letters with his love of his life, Zahira Raza living in Lucknow itself. He told her about his hardships and the strength he was left with, everything that was going on there and was about to give up. But Zahira always supported him and made sure he won't give up and made him believe that one day sun will shine brighter in his case. He always hoped a better tomorrow so that he could come back to his country.
Would he able to come to India and meet his love of his life again and peacefully live in his own country? I leave it to you to read the book and find out what happened.
There was a quote in this book "Partition is an event that is still taking place every single day even today", which I felt was true. Till date there are heated moments between the two nations in the name of religion. When the partition happened we only knew that the nations are independent and free but many people were not actually became free back then. Many people couldn't meet their respective families whether they are living in India or Pakistan.
I think the true religion of a man must be the love and respect for other religions.
Language of the book is very simple and highly recommended.
Ratings- 5⭐/5
When I read this sentence, my heart literally sank , like what a simple man needs in his life, to get to live a life peacefully and happily and to get the kindness and love that he deserves. But it was not possible in Ghulam Ali's life. He was born in Lucknow but his early life was spent in Pakistan, working for the Army and fitting their Limbs as he was famously known as best Limb-fitter.
But he was considered as a jasoos in India as he served in Pakistani Army and as well as in Pakistan as he was from Lucknow, India. Imagine the situation of this man, where his nationality was at stake and was sent to the jail in Lahore and was beaten upto death. But he survived as he was thrown in a Hindu Refugee Camp In Lahore, Pakistan. Where he wrote the letters to the authorities to get his visa and a passport. He exchanged the letters with his love of his life, Zahira Raza living in Lucknow itself. He told her about his hardships and the strength he was left with, everything that was going on there and was about to give up. But Zahira always supported him and made sure he won't give up and made him believe that one day sun will shine brighter in his case. He always hoped a better tomorrow so that he could come back to his country.
Would he able to come to India and meet his love of his life again and peacefully live in his own country? I leave it to you to read the book and find out what happened.
There was a quote in this book "Partition is an event that is still taking place every single day even today", which I felt was true. Till date there are heated moments between the two nations in the name of religion. When the partition happened we only knew that the nations are independent and free but many people were not actually became free back then. Many people couldn't meet their respective families whether they are living in India or Pakistan.
I think the true religion of a man must be the love and respect for other religions.
Language of the book is very simple and highly recommended.
Ratings- 5⭐/5
August 14, 2021
"It is the madness of religion, which makes a man do things for invisible beings he can never dream of doing even for his family."
- Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore by Sachin Garg
The partition of the Indian subcontinent did not begin or end in the year 1947. The spark had been ignited a few decades earlier, and the flames of hatred have consumed many lives, even to this day. The current riots in Delhi, the everyday lynchings on the grounds of religious extremism, or the Delhi pogrom of 2020-21 are just a few examples in the macrocosm of this spiteful reality. The present state of India, where political leaders roam around freely after inciting violence through hate speech, is a reflection of how the world is still run by the likes of Hitler and Mussolini. "The more things change, the more they remain the same," is an extremely relevant line from this book which highly resonated with me and also captures the essence of contemporary India.
The story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza is a fictitious reality, and such a brilliant one at that. Written in the form of an epistolary novel, the exchange of letters between the lovers perfectly depict their longing for each other and the purity of their love. Along with heartfelt confessions of love, the letters also reveal the Muslim protagonist's experiences at a Hindu refugee camp, and his beloved's struggles as a single, handicapped, Muslim woman in the city of Lucknow.
This is a story that was lost, along with much of partition literature, but has been recovered by the author by putting his own creative genius and imaginative faculty to use. The author's agony while recollecting the remnants of Ghulam Ali's story in his note at the end of the book, took me back to Manto's question: "Will Pakistan's literature be separate from that of India's? If so, how? Who owns all that was written in undivided India? Will that be partitioned too?"
- Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore by Sachin Garg
The partition of the Indian subcontinent did not begin or end in the year 1947. The spark had been ignited a few decades earlier, and the flames of hatred have consumed many lives, even to this day. The current riots in Delhi, the everyday lynchings on the grounds of religious extremism, or the Delhi pogrom of 2020-21 are just a few examples in the macrocosm of this spiteful reality. The present state of India, where political leaders roam around freely after inciting violence through hate speech, is a reflection of how the world is still run by the likes of Hitler and Mussolini. "The more things change, the more they remain the same," is an extremely relevant line from this book which highly resonated with me and also captures the essence of contemporary India.
The story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza is a fictitious reality, and such a brilliant one at that. Written in the form of an epistolary novel, the exchange of letters between the lovers perfectly depict their longing for each other and the purity of their love. Along with heartfelt confessions of love, the letters also reveal the Muslim protagonist's experiences at a Hindu refugee camp, and his beloved's struggles as a single, handicapped, Muslim woman in the city of Lucknow.
This is a story that was lost, along with much of partition literature, but has been recovered by the author by putting his own creative genius and imaginative faculty to use. The author's agony while recollecting the remnants of Ghulam Ali's story in his note at the end of the book, took me back to Manto's question: "Will Pakistan's literature be separate from that of India's? If so, how? Who owns all that was written in undivided India? Will that be partitioned too?"
February 7, 2022
Set more than a decade after the India-Pakistan Partition, Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore chronicles the stories of people whose lives have been permanently altered by the devastation that swarmed over the lands.
One of my favourite aspects of this book is that the events in the lives of the two main characters, Ghulam Ali and Zahira, are narrated through a series of letters that they write to each other – with the former being trapped in the refugee camp in Lahore and the latter living in Lucknow.
While there is a distinct plot that shapes the developments occurring throughout the chapters, the narrative frequently branches out in different directions, giving us a glimpse of Ali’s acquaintances, their struggles, Zahira’s family story, how Ali came to be a limb-fitter, etc.
So it’s not just flashbacks that you get to read but also parallel storylines that ultimately affect the conclusion of Ali and Zahira’s stories.
This being my first Sachin Garg book, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of writing. While I appreciated the depth with which the author has covered the significance of the Partition, I felt that the language used was, at times, quite crude. This made the reading experience off-putting for me.
Moreover, I noticed that there were lapses in the editing.
Some of the themes that are interspersed in the story are... Read the rest of the review on my blog
One of my favourite aspects of this book is that the events in the lives of the two main characters, Ghulam Ali and Zahira, are narrated through a series of letters that they write to each other – with the former being trapped in the refugee camp in Lahore and the latter living in Lucknow.
While there is a distinct plot that shapes the developments occurring throughout the chapters, the narrative frequently branches out in different directions, giving us a glimpse of Ali’s acquaintances, their struggles, Zahira’s family story, how Ali came to be a limb-fitter, etc.
So it’s not just flashbacks that you get to read but also parallel storylines that ultimately affect the conclusion of Ali and Zahira’s stories.
This being my first Sachin Garg book, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of writing. While I appreciated the depth with which the author has covered the significance of the Partition, I felt that the language used was, at times, quite crude. This made the reading experience off-putting for me.
Moreover, I noticed that there were lapses in the editing.
Some of the themes that are interspersed in the story are... Read the rest of the review on my blog
October 14, 2021
The story is inspired from a true character but the author has given it’s own fictional twist to it.
Set up in the era after India-Pakistan partition, the story revolves around 2 characters- Ghulaam Ali & Zahira.
Separated by borders, their only mode of communication were letters.
Their love for each other was what keeping them going in life. Even though, Ghulam Ali tried every possible way to go back to his love, he just couldn’t return to India.
Will Ghulam Ali & Zahira ever Unite?
A heartwarming story, that will definitely take you back to the days when people from both sides of the border were struggling with life.
Written in the form of letters, this book will definitely melt your heart.
The emotions were so raw and the characters felt so real.
Definitely recommended.
Set up in the era after India-Pakistan partition, the story revolves around 2 characters- Ghulaam Ali & Zahira.
Separated by borders, their only mode of communication were letters.
Their love for each other was what keeping them going in life. Even though, Ghulam Ali tried every possible way to go back to his love, he just couldn’t return to India.
Will Ghulam Ali & Zahira ever Unite?
A heartwarming story, that will definitely take you back to the days when people from both sides of the border were struggling with life.
Written in the form of letters, this book will definitely melt your heart.
The emotions were so raw and the characters felt so real.
Definitely recommended.
November 3, 2021
34th Book of 2021
Well, today I am talking about the new book written by Sachin Garg named “Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore” which is garnering great praises by everyone in the reading fraternity. I have known Sachin as an author since a decade and seeing him grow as a love story writer to slightly spiritual stuff and finally to this is quite inspiring and praiseworthy. Even as an individual, I have seen him grow from an author to publisher to stand-up comedian to a man who tries to be funny through his memes on social media yet write a book which is on such a serious topic. This book is themed around the partition of India that happened in 1947 and the after-effects of it which can be felt till today – and choosing such a deep topic in these times when millennials are least interested in going through past stuffs is quite a daring task.
Author has chosen to retell us the story of the real-life characters – Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza who got separated due to partition and the only mode of their communication was the conventional system of writing letters to each other. I liked how author has also managed to make us understand about the tough times in that era when even letter didn’t get deliver immediately and one had to wait for weeks and months to get the response from the other side whereas few times, it didn’t get deliver at all due to some problem in the route through which the letter travelled to the other region. If you’ll concentrate upon the dates that are mentioned at the start of each letter/chapter in this book, it tells you its own story about patience and conviction of being connected with someone without getting judgmental or loving conditional.
Author had very little information on these real characters hence author has very wittingly and cleverly fictionalized most part of it and tried to be as relevant as possible. Like it happens in the Travel and Lifestyle vlogging in Youtube that a person who is recording himself and sharing the video with his audiences can’t have only himself in his digital communications hence they share their friends in the videos too, author, here, also doesn’t restrict this story to be about the two protagonists only and adds many other characters even in the letter format which I believe is a very smart attempt which keeps the book interesting and engaging.
The story speaks about love, hope, loyalty, pain, loneliness, separation, isolation, violence, depression, tough decisions, patriotism etc. hence as a reader, you will go through various emotions and the moment you’ll think that maybe the ending will give me smile, it does but it makes you cry a little more. I liked how author has tried to communicate with us about the kind of power people have to hold on to one person for so long even when they are unable to meet, hear, see, or connect with the other person whereas these days, we just move on from relationship if the person is unable to attend our calls when we want to talk with them. This book teaches a lot about patience and unconditional love and loving the differences of each other in a positive manner. Also, reading about how a person has been rejected by both the nations makes you just shriek inside thinking about his condition and mental state. How scary it must be for someone who knows that no country is accepting him!
Personally, I also found the depiction of the father-daughter relationship very beautiful. A man who has never seen his daughter is still in love with her. He still feels that his daughter is most beautiful. He wants to live in the worst conditions just for a hope that he wants to meet her someday. He ends up loving her more than the person he fell in love with without even seeing her. It was an emotional ride to read the emotion of a father for his daughter and I just felt every piece of it within me while going through it. Incredible stuff!
Lastly, talking about the drawbacks, I must say that because the book is on a very dark topic, author should have kept it shorter – I believe at least 40-50 pages as it might become boring for some to continue. It really became hard in between to continue reading it in long sitting due to the slowness in the pace of the movement of the stories in the letter format. To be frank, you would want to skip few paragraphs in between which is not a good thing from narration point of view. Other than this, I believe this book is one of the best attempts by Sachin even though I haven’t read all his works. I give this book 4.25*out of 5. I hope to read more distinct topics from him in future.
Thanks.
WRITING BUDDHA
Well, today I am talking about the new book written by Sachin Garg named “Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore” which is garnering great praises by everyone in the reading fraternity. I have known Sachin as an author since a decade and seeing him grow as a love story writer to slightly spiritual stuff and finally to this is quite inspiring and praiseworthy. Even as an individual, I have seen him grow from an author to publisher to stand-up comedian to a man who tries to be funny through his memes on social media yet write a book which is on such a serious topic. This book is themed around the partition of India that happened in 1947 and the after-effects of it which can be felt till today – and choosing such a deep topic in these times when millennials are least interested in going through past stuffs is quite a daring task.
Author has chosen to retell us the story of the real-life characters – Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza who got separated due to partition and the only mode of their communication was the conventional system of writing letters to each other. I liked how author has also managed to make us understand about the tough times in that era when even letter didn’t get deliver immediately and one had to wait for weeks and months to get the response from the other side whereas few times, it didn’t get deliver at all due to some problem in the route through which the letter travelled to the other region. If you’ll concentrate upon the dates that are mentioned at the start of each letter/chapter in this book, it tells you its own story about patience and conviction of being connected with someone without getting judgmental or loving conditional.
Author had very little information on these real characters hence author has very wittingly and cleverly fictionalized most part of it and tried to be as relevant as possible. Like it happens in the Travel and Lifestyle vlogging in Youtube that a person who is recording himself and sharing the video with his audiences can’t have only himself in his digital communications hence they share their friends in the videos too, author, here, also doesn’t restrict this story to be about the two protagonists only and adds many other characters even in the letter format which I believe is a very smart attempt which keeps the book interesting and engaging.
The story speaks about love, hope, loyalty, pain, loneliness, separation, isolation, violence, depression, tough decisions, patriotism etc. hence as a reader, you will go through various emotions and the moment you’ll think that maybe the ending will give me smile, it does but it makes you cry a little more. I liked how author has tried to communicate with us about the kind of power people have to hold on to one person for so long even when they are unable to meet, hear, see, or connect with the other person whereas these days, we just move on from relationship if the person is unable to attend our calls when we want to talk with them. This book teaches a lot about patience and unconditional love and loving the differences of each other in a positive manner. Also, reading about how a person has been rejected by both the nations makes you just shriek inside thinking about his condition and mental state. How scary it must be for someone who knows that no country is accepting him!
Personally, I also found the depiction of the father-daughter relationship very beautiful. A man who has never seen his daughter is still in love with her. He still feels that his daughter is most beautiful. He wants to live in the worst conditions just for a hope that he wants to meet her someday. He ends up loving her more than the person he fell in love with without even seeing her. It was an emotional ride to read the emotion of a father for his daughter and I just felt every piece of it within me while going through it. Incredible stuff!
Lastly, talking about the drawbacks, I must say that because the book is on a very dark topic, author should have kept it shorter – I believe at least 40-50 pages as it might become boring for some to continue. It really became hard in between to continue reading it in long sitting due to the slowness in the pace of the movement of the stories in the letter format. To be frank, you would want to skip few paragraphs in between which is not a good thing from narration point of view. Other than this, I believe this book is one of the best attempts by Sachin even though I haven’t read all his works. I give this book 4.25*out of 5. I hope to read more distinct topics from him in future.
Thanks.
WRITING BUDDHA
March 16, 2024
"Everyone is in a competition to prove how religious they are. And it seems the only way to achieve it is by denigrating other religions."
The book revolves around Ghulam Ali & Zahira who are trapped in a loop of struggles and difficulties caused by the partition. Ghulam Ali is pushed to become a refugee in Lahore where his nationality is considered "Unknown", whilst Zahira lives in India hoping for Ali to return someday. The story goes about with the exchange of their letters.
Initially, the pace of the story was quite slow and dragging until it picked up and never disappointed. Every now and then there's an adrenaline to what's going to happen and there are lots of emotions and truth bombs that still apply to us today. The characters align so well with the story, and the style of the writing is quite captivating. It was an emotional ride and definitely one of my favourite reads.
The book revolves around Ghulam Ali & Zahira who are trapped in a loop of struggles and difficulties caused by the partition. Ghulam Ali is pushed to become a refugee in Lahore where his nationality is considered "Unknown", whilst Zahira lives in India hoping for Ali to return someday. The story goes about with the exchange of their letters.
Initially, the pace of the story was quite slow and dragging until it picked up and never disappointed. Every now and then there's an adrenaline to what's going to happen and there are lots of emotions and truth bombs that still apply to us today. The characters align so well with the story, and the style of the writing is quite captivating. It was an emotional ride and definitely one of my favourite reads.
September 27, 2021
HINDU REFUGEE CAMP LAHORE
//The history books would remember the partition of India as something that began on 3rd June, 1947 and ended by September of the same year. They would not realize how people like you (and hence me) have been stuck in this line drawn on a map for more than a decade. But the truth is that the partition is an event that is still taking place every single day even today. Every time a brother misses a sister, a father misses a daughter, a Zahira misses a Ghulam Ali, it is the partition of India coming to life. The truth is the partition of India only has a starting date. It has no end date. //
-Sachin Garg (THE HINDU REFUGEE CAMP)
The Hindu Refugee Camp Lahore is the story of the never-ending Partition of India. Havildar Ghulam Ali limb fitter a military serviceman of the British-Indian army who has returned to India from Pakistan after a lot of struggles and Zahira Raza a government official in India responsible for processing Ali’s paperwork for Indian citizenship after the partition fall in love and decide to get married. Their souls unite and they accept each other in every way possible but just before they could socially and legally initiate their relationship by getting married, something unexpected and unusual happens.
They get separated and amidst them comes the border of two different nation states. Ghulam Ali gets locked up in a jail in Pakistan and then thrown into a refugee camp in Lahore, a “Hindu” refugee camp. These two lovers dwell on each other’s letters for months and years and Ali tries his best to return into his lover’s arms. During this period of separation they get to know that Allah had blessed them with a daughter and this gives Ali a new hope to live and fight for his love, and then he leaves no stone unturned in his quest to reach India. While his stay in the refugee camp he makes few friends for life, Rajkumar and Pundit ji teaches him the meaning of humanity and show him that the common identity that we share is that we all are the creation of God; religion, nationality, race, cast, creed are just man made ways of spreading hatred.
Ali struggles and lives on with the hope to see Zahira again and his daughter. Will Ali be able to return to his motherland? And after such a long period of separation will Zahira and his love remain undaunted?
This book shows the dreadful side of the Indian partition. It tells us that not only the lands got divided during this process but also many families lost their members and got divided during the partition and only a few could reunite. The emotions are very strongly depicted and the simplicity of the writing makes it easier and even more obvious for the readers to feel every situation described by the author. Overall I found it a very informative and engrossing read.
//The history books would remember the partition of India as something that began on 3rd June, 1947 and ended by September of the same year. They would not realize how people like you (and hence me) have been stuck in this line drawn on a map for more than a decade. But the truth is that the partition is an event that is still taking place every single day even today. Every time a brother misses a sister, a father misses a daughter, a Zahira misses a Ghulam Ali, it is the partition of India coming to life. The truth is the partition of India only has a starting date. It has no end date. //
-Sachin Garg (THE HINDU REFUGEE CAMP)
The Hindu Refugee Camp Lahore is the story of the never-ending Partition of India. Havildar Ghulam Ali limb fitter a military serviceman of the British-Indian army who has returned to India from Pakistan after a lot of struggles and Zahira Raza a government official in India responsible for processing Ali’s paperwork for Indian citizenship after the partition fall in love and decide to get married. Their souls unite and they accept each other in every way possible but just before they could socially and legally initiate their relationship by getting married, something unexpected and unusual happens.
They get separated and amidst them comes the border of two different nation states. Ghulam Ali gets locked up in a jail in Pakistan and then thrown into a refugee camp in Lahore, a “Hindu” refugee camp. These two lovers dwell on each other’s letters for months and years and Ali tries his best to return into his lover’s arms. During this period of separation they get to know that Allah had blessed them with a daughter and this gives Ali a new hope to live and fight for his love, and then he leaves no stone unturned in his quest to reach India. While his stay in the refugee camp he makes few friends for life, Rajkumar and Pundit ji teaches him the meaning of humanity and show him that the common identity that we share is that we all are the creation of God; religion, nationality, race, cast, creed are just man made ways of spreading hatred.
Ali struggles and lives on with the hope to see Zahira again and his daughter. Will Ali be able to return to his motherland? And after such a long period of separation will Zahira and his love remain undaunted?
This book shows the dreadful side of the Indian partition. It tells us that not only the lands got divided during this process but also many families lost their members and got divided during the partition and only a few could reunite. The emotions are very strongly depicted and the simplicity of the writing makes it easier and even more obvious for the readers to feel every situation described by the author. Overall I found it a very informative and engrossing read.
September 27, 2021
The book is based on the true story of a limb fitter, Ghulam Ali who wants to come back to his motherland, India to get reunited with his lover, Zahira Raza. During the time of partition, Ghulam Ali finds himself at Hindu Refugee Camp Lahore after being badly beaten by the Pakistani police. The story describes his struggles as he tries everything within his capabilities like writing letters to ministers, jornalists, etc and talking to everyone he feels could help him come back to India, but fails again and again as having served in the Pakistani Army goes against him and makes everyone feel that he is a jasoos. It is the story of the struggles, frustration, pain and much more that both of them go through due to the partition.
The chapters are written in the form of letters that both of them send to each other.
The story is well-researched, well-plotted and well-written with good character development and is a mix of a lot of emotions which have been expressed very well by the author. Also, the way social issues of that time like gender discrimination, usage of religion as a tool by politicians, etc have been touched upon in the book is fabulous. With all this, the smooth flow of story throughout the book adds to the reading experience.
The writing style is simple and lucid with easy and beginner friendly language.
Overall, it is a great book and left me with a heavy heart at the end wondering how much struggle did people like Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza went through just to get united with their loved ones. I would highly recommend everyone to pick this book at least once and for non-readers, it would be the best book to start your reading journey with as the way the book is written will make you fall in love with reading and you would soon pick your second book too.
Thanks to the author for sending a signed review copy of the book!!
The chapters are written in the form of letters that both of them send to each other.
The story is well-researched, well-plotted and well-written with good character development and is a mix of a lot of emotions which have been expressed very well by the author. Also, the way social issues of that time like gender discrimination, usage of religion as a tool by politicians, etc have been touched upon in the book is fabulous. With all this, the smooth flow of story throughout the book adds to the reading experience.
The writing style is simple and lucid with easy and beginner friendly language.
Overall, it is a great book and left me with a heavy heart at the end wondering how much struggle did people like Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza went through just to get united with their loved ones. I would highly recommend everyone to pick this book at least once and for non-readers, it would be the best book to start your reading journey with as the way the book is written will make you fall in love with reading and you would soon pick your second book too.
Thanks to the author for sending a signed review copy of the book!!
August 11, 2021
This Book isn't like any ordinary book that would tell story of partition but it's a book which let's as realise how partition effects life's of so many people till this day.
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It's story about Ghulam Ali who is in Pakistan who wants to return to his mother land but it wasn't a easy task and he faces lots and lots of struggles.
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Talking about the book it does give us idea how people's life had changed when one country was divided on the basis of religion which turned into horrifying site for lakhs of people.
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It's story about Ghulam Ali who is in Pakistan who wants to return to his mother land but it wasn't a easy task and he faces lots and lots of struggles.
.
Talking about the book it does give us idea how people's life had changed when one country was divided on the basis of religion which turned into horrifying site for lakhs of people.
September 19, 2021
ⒷⓄⓄⓀ ⓇⒺⓋⒾⒺⓌ
Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore
Author: Sachin Garg
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is an amagamation of letters from an Indian man Havaldaar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter and his beloved Zahira. Ghulam Ali, after serving the East India Company as an Indian soldier in the WW2 (1939- 1945), by his misfortune finds himself posted in Lahore during the time of partition in 1947. He tries his best to come back to his hometown Lucknow, but by then Indian Government recognized him as a Pakistani soldier, and Pakistan recognized him as an Indian spy. He somehow manages to come back to Lucknow for a few days, when he meets Zahira and falls in love, but gets dragged away to Pakistan soon enough. Since he had no Pakistani documents, he gets thrown into the Hindu Refugee Camp of Lahore, where the letters begin their story.
The story is inspired from true events, and what I loved is the strong bond of love between Ghulam Ali and Zahira, even though they met only for a month or less. The author's choices of words were easy flowing for everyone to understand, and the story was built in a fast paced yet a little mysterious way. There is nothing I disliked in the book honestly. If you are a historical fiction lover, and a fan of the age old correspondence using letters, I will urge you to go and read this book. It's an absolute 5* from my end.
Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore
Author: Sachin Garg
Genre: Historical Fiction
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book is an amagamation of letters from an Indian man Havaldaar Ghulam Ali Limb-Fitter and his beloved Zahira. Ghulam Ali, after serving the East India Company as an Indian soldier in the WW2 (1939- 1945), by his misfortune finds himself posted in Lahore during the time of partition in 1947. He tries his best to come back to his hometown Lucknow, but by then Indian Government recognized him as a Pakistani soldier, and Pakistan recognized him as an Indian spy. He somehow manages to come back to Lucknow for a few days, when he meets Zahira and falls in love, but gets dragged away to Pakistan soon enough. Since he had no Pakistani documents, he gets thrown into the Hindu Refugee Camp of Lahore, where the letters begin their story.
The story is inspired from true events, and what I loved is the strong bond of love between Ghulam Ali and Zahira, even though they met only for a month or less. The author's choices of words were easy flowing for everyone to understand, and the story was built in a fast paced yet a little mysterious way. There is nothing I disliked in the book honestly. If you are a historical fiction lover, and a fan of the age old correspondence using letters, I will urge you to go and read this book. It's an absolute 5* from my end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2021
(Review in the form of an open letter)
Dear Ghulam Ali ji,
Asalam Walekum. Just cottoned on your life story & I am moved, grief-stricken to realize the sufferings you were forced to go through.
Life at the time of partition was indeed difficult. It was not just the partition of two countries but also the partition of some lost souls, communities and much more. At that phase of life, people were enraged, trust was the major issue and the communal riots which took place was the worst; separating some pure souls like you and your beloved Zahira Raza. Ghulam Ali ji, you won't believe that even after so many years to independence, such communal riots, injustices and mishaps still take place and situations haven't cooled down yet.
Coming back to your life, even after India got its independence- the question remains that- did people like you enjoyed the essence of Independence? No, when the country was celebrating the independence, people like you on the other side of the border were struggling hard to get back to the 'mitti' you were born into.
It was the year 1958, and you were still making effort to get back to India. I am sorry to hear, how brutally you were thrown into Pakistan and were said that you're azad now. But, I know Ghulam Ali ji, you didn't wish for this azadi. All you wanted to get back to your hometown Lucknow, getting embraced in the arms of your beloved Zahira and support her through the motherhood.
But, it's all about kismat Ghulam Ali ji. Maybe Allah has penned your bhagya in that way. I felt awful when I got to know that the government officials of India didn't pay attention to the letters you have sent or did the letters actually reach them? But, at the same time I felt secured that rather than getting into wrong hands, you got a shelter at the 'Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore'. I am indeed grateful to Pandit ji and glad that you got a companion like Rajkumar(yes, he was a bit weird though).
Ghulam Ali ji, you were indeed right when you wrote these lines to Zahira- “Every time a brother misses a sister, a father misses a daughter, a Zahira misses a Ghulam Ali, it is partition of India coming to life”. Your love for Zahira is indeed pure. Even after so many years of separation, the only thing that first came into your mind was Zahira! I hope you have forgiven Zahira for her sudden disappearance. It was just that, she was afraid to face you; a sense of guilt was going through her mind. She feared if you could ever treat her with utmost izzat or not. She never wanted to separate you from your child.
I hope when both of you united, you accepted and understood her to the core. I hope you didn't question her for anything. Ghulam Ali ji, being a woman, I understood the pain Zahira must have gone through. Even she equally suffered like you.
Ghulam Ali ji, I am happy to say that people aren't considering you a jaasoos anymore. You have simply stole our hearts. You have actually taught us, what sincerity and love for watan is, what is perseverance is & at last what love and longing is. I solely pray to Inshallah that may your story reaches every corner of this world. I wish every Zahira gets a lover like you and every Zubeida gets a father like you. With this, I remain.
Yours well-wisher,
Aditi
Dear Ghulam Ali ji,
Asalam Walekum. Just cottoned on your life story & I am moved, grief-stricken to realize the sufferings you were forced to go through.
Life at the time of partition was indeed difficult. It was not just the partition of two countries but also the partition of some lost souls, communities and much more. At that phase of life, people were enraged, trust was the major issue and the communal riots which took place was the worst; separating some pure souls like you and your beloved Zahira Raza. Ghulam Ali ji, you won't believe that even after so many years to independence, such communal riots, injustices and mishaps still take place and situations haven't cooled down yet.
Coming back to your life, even after India got its independence- the question remains that- did people like you enjoyed the essence of Independence? No, when the country was celebrating the independence, people like you on the other side of the border were struggling hard to get back to the 'mitti' you were born into.
It was the year 1958, and you were still making effort to get back to India. I am sorry to hear, how brutally you were thrown into Pakistan and were said that you're azad now. But, I know Ghulam Ali ji, you didn't wish for this azadi. All you wanted to get back to your hometown Lucknow, getting embraced in the arms of your beloved Zahira and support her through the motherhood.
But, it's all about kismat Ghulam Ali ji. Maybe Allah has penned your bhagya in that way. I felt awful when I got to know that the government officials of India didn't pay attention to the letters you have sent or did the letters actually reach them? But, at the same time I felt secured that rather than getting into wrong hands, you got a shelter at the 'Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore'. I am indeed grateful to Pandit ji and glad that you got a companion like Rajkumar(yes, he was a bit weird though).
Ghulam Ali ji, you were indeed right when you wrote these lines to Zahira- “Every time a brother misses a sister, a father misses a daughter, a Zahira misses a Ghulam Ali, it is partition of India coming to life”. Your love for Zahira is indeed pure. Even after so many years of separation, the only thing that first came into your mind was Zahira! I hope you have forgiven Zahira for her sudden disappearance. It was just that, she was afraid to face you; a sense of guilt was going through her mind. She feared if you could ever treat her with utmost izzat or not. She never wanted to separate you from your child.
I hope when both of you united, you accepted and understood her to the core. I hope you didn't question her for anything. Ghulam Ali ji, being a woman, I understood the pain Zahira must have gone through. Even she equally suffered like you.
Ghulam Ali ji, I am happy to say that people aren't considering you a jaasoos anymore. You have simply stole our hearts. You have actually taught us, what sincerity and love for watan is, what is perseverance is & at last what love and longing is. I solely pray to Inshallah that may your story reaches every corner of this world. I wish every Zahira gets a lover like you and every Zubeida gets a father like you. With this, I remain.
Yours well-wisher,
Aditi
November 25, 2021
This is a story about a couple, trying to survive the partition. It is about a man stuck in a neighbouring country and about a woman trying to survive in her own home and the patriarchal society surrounding her. Due to an unfortunate event, Ghulam Ali was sent to Pakistan against his will and had to live in a hindu refugee camp. The characters were separated before they could get married and as they write to each other, we get to see their enduring love story blossom more and more with every letter. This book tells us the truth about the partition, that it only had a starting date, and there's no end to it. The event has been shaping and will continue to shape our lives ahead.
This story is so real and so amazing, it almost felt like I was witnessing it all- the streets, the smells, the home, everything. It also deals with very important themes and throws unexpected twists at you, soaked into the ink of love and neatly folded into letters that travelled through the two countries. I also loved how a few words can caress you, make you feel at ease, and give you hope. The dedication of the two lovers, their struggles, and being content with just reading the letters while imagining the voice of your significant other in your head, it just made my heart heavy with emotions. The way the story turns from one situation to another is something you cannot miss. Every character has a voice of their own even if they aren't the ones writing the letters. The development of every character is amazingly put forward.
I only found a few things a bit strange, firstly, when the characters were writing letters to each other initially, they go in extreme details about the past, which i understand is done so that the readers know the flashback properly, but in reality, i think we never write everything in a very detailed way explaining every little thing. The usage of some words in some places could've been better but that doesn't matter much because it's all very understandable and perfect too. The story really compensates for these tiny things which aren't really errors.
The little gestures shown in this book are everything! For example, I loved the fact that he respected her so much that he always started his letter with "Respected Zahira ji" whereas, she loved him so much that she she always used to start her letter with "Dear Ghulam Ali ji". I loved Nani's character and how she always had a story to make people realise things. This story doesn't feel like its written by an english writer. It's an Indian, a South Asian work, and it feels that way throughout! In all, it's a bittersweet book and i absolutely love such books. This book was one of my most interesting reads of 2021. I'd definitely recommend this book to each and every one of you.
This story is so real and so amazing, it almost felt like I was witnessing it all- the streets, the smells, the home, everything. It also deals with very important themes and throws unexpected twists at you, soaked into the ink of love and neatly folded into letters that travelled through the two countries. I also loved how a few words can caress you, make you feel at ease, and give you hope. The dedication of the two lovers, their struggles, and being content with just reading the letters while imagining the voice of your significant other in your head, it just made my heart heavy with emotions. The way the story turns from one situation to another is something you cannot miss. Every character has a voice of their own even if they aren't the ones writing the letters. The development of every character is amazingly put forward.
I only found a few things a bit strange, firstly, when the characters were writing letters to each other initially, they go in extreme details about the past, which i understand is done so that the readers know the flashback properly, but in reality, i think we never write everything in a very detailed way explaining every little thing. The usage of some words in some places could've been better but that doesn't matter much because it's all very understandable and perfect too. The story really compensates for these tiny things which aren't really errors.
The little gestures shown in this book are everything! For example, I loved the fact that he respected her so much that he always started his letter with "Respected Zahira ji" whereas, she loved him so much that she she always used to start her letter with "Dear Ghulam Ali ji". I loved Nani's character and how she always had a story to make people realise things. This story doesn't feel like its written by an english writer. It's an Indian, a South Asian work, and it feels that way throughout! In all, it's a bittersweet book and i absolutely love such books. This book was one of my most interesting reads of 2021. I'd definitely recommend this book to each and every one of you.
August 14, 2021
An extremely powerful story of Ghulam Ali and Zahira from their young, haired days to the grays of time, in a beautiful exchange of letters over the course of the book.
Ghulam Ali's early days prepared and marked him as the best limb fitter across continents but absorbed into Pakistani amry through injustices. After tireless efforts he ends up returning to his homeland India.
Zahira is all Indian women ever are, brave, intelligent, tenacious, courageous amd honest but people as usual only saw the limp in her walk not the story she talked and dreamt of
Being the best limb fitter and the ability to atleast walk on her feet made sparks fly between the two under 'No ordinary circumstances'.
The story revolves around his dismissal from India everytime he reaches here, his reaction to the harshness of Pakistan, coldness of India and his stay at the Hindu refugee camp, set in Lahore.
It also goes topsy turvy for her dealing with the cruelty of the rotten egg who's behind her body amd dismissal of her lover from India, the tantrums of her family increasing and the birth of their only love.
Initially he decides to write to every authority and reach back to India as soon as possible until met upon by unforeseen events denying his return. His brotherhood grows with a hitchhiker Rajkumar who's his roommate, an acquaintance Panditji, the leader of the camp. Rooting for his safe return to India.
She on the other hand is dealt upon woth a choice to give in to the unjust world and live as she's told to live or do it all alone without her lover on her side even if it meant fighting everyone to let their child breathe into this world, with the support of her only family Naaniji
Their nightmare experiences throughout will manage to keep you on the edge all along biting ur nails n screaming at the book. (Occasionally throwing the book and pulling your hair included)
There are some character's that you cannot hate no matter what Naani ji and Malka jaan they deserve understanding amd the World. Then there's Fatto and Suraiyaa and Omprakash depicting the cruelest aspect of this unjust world, the cunningest of family and the backstabbers groping humanity senselessly
When i first read the title of the book I was unsure if this was it but it seems silly now because of how mesmerizing Ghulam Ali and Zahira's story is in the most heartbreaking realistic way. With the relevancy of its events, even today in regards to the unjust partition and separation of the nation the after effects are still faced by people across borders. I knew this was a must read so i was ready to put my doubt aside and dive in head over heels. That said i also had a more personal motive to read it (to find my peace and to believe love happens and it makes us stronger)
Ghulam Ali's early days prepared and marked him as the best limb fitter across continents but absorbed into Pakistani amry through injustices. After tireless efforts he ends up returning to his homeland India.
Zahira is all Indian women ever are, brave, intelligent, tenacious, courageous amd honest but people as usual only saw the limp in her walk not the story she talked and dreamt of
Being the best limb fitter and the ability to atleast walk on her feet made sparks fly between the two under 'No ordinary circumstances'.
The story revolves around his dismissal from India everytime he reaches here, his reaction to the harshness of Pakistan, coldness of India and his stay at the Hindu refugee camp, set in Lahore.
It also goes topsy turvy for her dealing with the cruelty of the rotten egg who's behind her body amd dismissal of her lover from India, the tantrums of her family increasing and the birth of their only love.
Initially he decides to write to every authority and reach back to India as soon as possible until met upon by unforeseen events denying his return. His brotherhood grows with a hitchhiker Rajkumar who's his roommate, an acquaintance Panditji, the leader of the camp. Rooting for his safe return to India.
She on the other hand is dealt upon woth a choice to give in to the unjust world and live as she's told to live or do it all alone without her lover on her side even if it meant fighting everyone to let their child breathe into this world, with the support of her only family Naaniji
Their nightmare experiences throughout will manage to keep you on the edge all along biting ur nails n screaming at the book. (Occasionally throwing the book and pulling your hair included)
There are some character's that you cannot hate no matter what Naani ji and Malka jaan they deserve understanding amd the World. Then there's Fatto and Suraiyaa and Omprakash depicting the cruelest aspect of this unjust world, the cunningest of family and the backstabbers groping humanity senselessly
When i first read the title of the book I was unsure if this was it but it seems silly now because of how mesmerizing Ghulam Ali and Zahira's story is in the most heartbreaking realistic way. With the relevancy of its events, even today in regards to the unjust partition and separation of the nation the after effects are still faced by people across borders. I knew this was a must read so i was ready to put my doubt aside and dive in head over heels. That said i also had a more personal motive to read it (to find my peace and to believe love happens and it makes us stronger)
August 15, 2021
The story is a very powerful telling of the impacts that the partition of India had on the people living in the erstwhile India. Through Ghulam Ali, the author manages to convey the pain that the people felt on both sides of the border and how religion was used as a tool to push people into doing something they wouldn’t usually do. Using letters, the condition of both the countries is told, as Ghulam narrates the events from Lahore and Zahira presents the events from the Indian side. The letters are very emotive and using a mix of Hindi, English and Urdu, the author manages to maintain the authenticity of the story. The descriptions of scenes are extremely vivid, and it helps the imagination of the reader. Another thing that stands out is the way the letters are structured and how, while narrating the present, he sets the foundation by telling the stories of the past. The end of the story was something I would not have expected in the way it happens. While fearing for the worst, I loved the way Sachin used the moment to plunge the reader into the depths of despair and then pulling them up sharply. That, for me, was the poetic way to end the story of Ghulam Ali.
Based on true events, Sachin has created wonderful characters in Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza. Their character arcs are beautifully sketched, and the climax adds a shine to the buildup through the letters. Another striking aspect is that Sachin uses his secondary characters to enforce the idea that no matter what the situation, people have a tendency to look at optics and through various characters such as Pundit Ji, he manages to do that in an excellent manner. I loved the way Zahira’s character unfolds in the end, and I was truly impressed by the revelations in the last chapter.
Overall, a book worth reading, not just for the story and the plot, but to understand the emotions that people felt, and still feel post the events that night in 1947.
Based on true events, Sachin has created wonderful characters in Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza. Their character arcs are beautifully sketched, and the climax adds a shine to the buildup through the letters. Another striking aspect is that Sachin uses his secondary characters to enforce the idea that no matter what the situation, people have a tendency to look at optics and through various characters such as Pundit Ji, he manages to do that in an excellent manner. I loved the way Zahira’s character unfolds in the end, and I was truly impressed by the revelations in the last chapter.
Overall, a book worth reading, not just for the story and the plot, but to understand the emotions that people felt, and still feel post the events that night in 1947.
October 3, 2021
Book: Hindu Refugee Camp, Lahore.
Author: Sachin Garg.
.
'The history books would remember the partition of India as something that began on 3rd June, 1947 and ended by September of the same year. They would not realise how people like you (and hence me) have been stuck in this line drawn on a map for more than a decade. But the truth is that the partition is an event that is still taking place every single day even today.'
.
The year is 1958. Ghulam Ali, a limb fitter, who has served in the Pakistani Army, wants to come back to his motherland, India. He has been taken to a 'Hindu Refugee Camp' in Lahore.
.
Zahira Raza, a working woman in post-partition India. She meets Ghulam Ali on his visit to India, where they connect over a limb, Zahira lacks one and Ali is a limb fitter. That's how their love blossoms, until Ali is sent back to Pakistan.
.
The story is the form of letters exchanged between Ghulam Ali and Zahira. The book is based on a true story that Garg happen to hear during his trip to Lucknow.
.
It's true that partition didn't kill some people but are they still alive? Living far away from their motherland, would you consider them to be happy?
.
It's filled with cultures from both the sides of the border. Music and Art has always been a representative to our cultures and this book has taken great care of that. Rajkumar, Suraiyya and Malka have made their contribution to the story through arts and music.
.
The best part of the story is that even though Ghulam Ali might look like the protagonist of the story, it's not true. Every character in the book is equally important and it would have been impossible to imagine the plot without them.
.
Every page of this book is emotionally overwhelming. You'll absolutely cry while reading it, so keep some tissues handy.
About the recommendation part, why wouldn't I recommend it to everyone? Why?
It's for everyone who wants to feel pain and happiness in the worst and the best possible way.
If you haven't read it, you are missing on something.
Post Scriptum: Every time I was reading it, Veer Zara was in the background. The stories are not similiar, I know, but hello, do listen to 'Do pal' after reading this book. :)
Author: Sachin Garg.
.
'The history books would remember the partition of India as something that began on 3rd June, 1947 and ended by September of the same year. They would not realise how people like you (and hence me) have been stuck in this line drawn on a map for more than a decade. But the truth is that the partition is an event that is still taking place every single day even today.'
.
The year is 1958. Ghulam Ali, a limb fitter, who has served in the Pakistani Army, wants to come back to his motherland, India. He has been taken to a 'Hindu Refugee Camp' in Lahore.
.
Zahira Raza, a working woman in post-partition India. She meets Ghulam Ali on his visit to India, where they connect over a limb, Zahira lacks one and Ali is a limb fitter. That's how their love blossoms, until Ali is sent back to Pakistan.
.
The story is the form of letters exchanged between Ghulam Ali and Zahira. The book is based on a true story that Garg happen to hear during his trip to Lucknow.
.
It's true that partition didn't kill some people but are they still alive? Living far away from their motherland, would you consider them to be happy?
.
It's filled with cultures from both the sides of the border. Music and Art has always been a representative to our cultures and this book has taken great care of that. Rajkumar, Suraiyya and Malka have made their contribution to the story through arts and music.
.
The best part of the story is that even though Ghulam Ali might look like the protagonist of the story, it's not true. Every character in the book is equally important and it would have been impossible to imagine the plot without them.
.
Every page of this book is emotionally overwhelming. You'll absolutely cry while reading it, so keep some tissues handy.
About the recommendation part, why wouldn't I recommend it to everyone? Why?
It's for everyone who wants to feel pain and happiness in the worst and the best possible way.
If you haven't read it, you are missing on something.
Post Scriptum: Every time I was reading it, Veer Zara was in the background. The stories are not similiar, I know, but hello, do listen to 'Do pal' after reading this book. :)
December 30, 2021
Partition of India in 1947 wasn't only a mere division of a nation but a mindless and deliberate mishandling of the lives , identities, and nationalities of millions of people, which continues to situate it's terrors till date. What was introduced as a solution for co-existence of conflicting communities, did nothing but further escalated the tension. Generations of families lived through the trauma that we get to read in form of literature- living legacies of a dark era.
We come across one such story here. Ghulam Ali- a renowned limb fitter who served the British Indian Army and Zahira Raza, a employee at the passport office fell in love only to be separated at the very onset of it. Ghulam Ali was forced to leave India, mercilessly tortured, and thrown into a Hindu refugee camp in Lahore. Helpless and away from their beloved, they kept their connection alive through letters and Ali moved heaven and earth to return ro his own motherland, only to see his every effort going in vain.
We awaite Zahira and Ali's reunion, as they withstand the constant hardships life decided to throw at them in the coming years. At times it seems impossible, but the hope never dies. Will Ali ever make it to India? Leaving up to you people to find it.
Epistolary books are quite hard to write, in my opinion, but the author pulled it off very masterfully. I felt the pain, the trauma, through the letters. I anticipated for the next ones with them . There were some amazing characters introduced- Nani, Suraiiya , Rajkumar etc, who added the much needed dimensions to the story. Yes the language was too simplistic for my taste but I longed to know the final verdict of their life, and the beauty of it surpassed my expectations.
Who knows how many Alis and Zahiras were denied of their basic rights and forced to sacrifice their lives in the disastrous repurcussions of 1947 Partition of India.
We come across one such story here. Ghulam Ali- a renowned limb fitter who served the British Indian Army and Zahira Raza, a employee at the passport office fell in love only to be separated at the very onset of it. Ghulam Ali was forced to leave India, mercilessly tortured, and thrown into a Hindu refugee camp in Lahore. Helpless and away from their beloved, they kept their connection alive through letters and Ali moved heaven and earth to return ro his own motherland, only to see his every effort going in vain.
We awaite Zahira and Ali's reunion, as they withstand the constant hardships life decided to throw at them in the coming years. At times it seems impossible, but the hope never dies. Will Ali ever make it to India? Leaving up to you people to find it.
Epistolary books are quite hard to write, in my opinion, but the author pulled it off very masterfully. I felt the pain, the trauma, through the letters. I anticipated for the next ones with them . There were some amazing characters introduced- Nani, Suraiiya , Rajkumar etc, who added the much needed dimensions to the story. Yes the language was too simplistic for my taste but I longed to know the final verdict of their life, and the beauty of it surpassed my expectations.
Who knows how many Alis and Zahiras were denied of their basic rights and forced to sacrifice their lives in the disastrous repurcussions of 1947 Partition of India.
September 6, 2021
This book,𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗴𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽, 𝗟𝗮𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗲 is a reflection of the sufferings of people after the partition.and as the book states and so is the fact "The truth is that the partition of India only had a starting date. It has no end date."Although this book dates back to 1958 and here after.it gives us vivid description of the post partition era.
Ghulam Ali had a livelihood in Lahore and had his family in India.Once he returned India after so much of struggle he found love of his life,Zahira Raza.but could enjoy his love just for few hours.The fate was harsh on them and so were people around them.Even though the partition was based on religion but people didn't remain religious.Both suffered in their respective places, mentally and emotionally,on either sides of the border.The conversation across the borders is conveyed through the letters.It has been written beautifully,some random incidents in their respective countries,some incidents in their family and society and some of them which doesn't affect them at all.But the author has made every incident and every part look so important.It indeed turns out to be important once you complete the book.
The author has done commendable job in bringing together the different pieces of partition.Although there isn't much comparison with recent times in the book,i firmly believe that the leaders and their priorities still remains the same.My praise for this book shall always be less than what it actually deserves.
As i read pages after the novel,i knew something about author's life and from where he got his inspiration to write the fiction cum facts book.I am just blown away with the creative power with which he created most of the book but i wish the author knew Islam and muslims bit more,so that it wouldn't have had something which is irrelevant to Islam.
Ghulam Ali had a livelihood in Lahore and had his family in India.Once he returned India after so much of struggle he found love of his life,Zahira Raza.but could enjoy his love just for few hours.The fate was harsh on them and so were people around them.Even though the partition was based on religion but people didn't remain religious.Both suffered in their respective places, mentally and emotionally,on either sides of the border.The conversation across the borders is conveyed through the letters.It has been written beautifully,some random incidents in their respective countries,some incidents in their family and society and some of them which doesn't affect them at all.But the author has made every incident and every part look so important.It indeed turns out to be important once you complete the book.
The author has done commendable job in bringing together the different pieces of partition.Although there isn't much comparison with recent times in the book,i firmly believe that the leaders and their priorities still remains the same.My praise for this book shall always be less than what it actually deserves.
As i read pages after the novel,i knew something about author's life and from where he got his inspiration to write the fiction cum facts book.I am just blown away with the creative power with which he created most of the book but i wish the author knew Islam and muslims bit more,so that it wouldn't have had something which is irrelevant to Islam.
August 24, 2021
The partition of India into two countries; India and Pakistan, caused one of the most massive human tremors in history and present.
“Hindu Refugee Camp Lahore” by “Sachin Garg” is a reflection of “What was partition meant to achieve and what it actually achieves?”
The book is based on the true story of “Gula Ali limb fitter”, who was a renowned officer in the British Indian Army. When the partition took place military personnel were asked to choose which country they would serve India or Pakistan? Gulam Ali choose India and paid dearly. But the massive displacement during 1947 shook Gulam Ali’s life. Pakistan branded him a traitor and India denied the Muslim soldier citizenship. He lost his identity in a jiff. After 10 years he was dumped in a Hindu Refugee camp in Lahore. And then starts a struggle of an ordinary man to fight for his identity, love, and family.
This book gave me emotional turmoil and shook my beliefs. We read in our history books that the partition took place in 1947 and ended in the same year. But this book reflects the truth that the event continues to shape thousands of life even today. Through the characters of this book, I feel the pain of ordinary people at the center of this crucial event.
Coming to writing and narration style Sachin narrates the whole book in the form of letters of Gulam Ali and Zahira Raza (love of her life). The conversation and detailed narration made me feel like I am next to them and reading the letters. the author thoughtfully wrote a plot that shows the real picture of our society: full of deception, injustice, hypocrisy, religious enmity, and cruelty. But at the same time through strongly crafted characters I witnessed the positive vibes: the resilience of the human spirit, true love, friendship, humanity, and power of individual courage.
I like Nani’s character in the story, she was bitter when needed and supportive in unexpected situations. Her storytelling style just took my heart away.
Overall, this is a book that reflects the underside of partition history through the story of an ordinary man. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
August 23, 2021
Reading books about partition is never easy. The first wave of trauma falls on the one who went through it, the second on the author who wrote it, and then comes the reader. If it still hurts this much, its impossible to understand the pain of the ones who suffered through this in the first place.
This book was not easy to read, especially when you know the reality, here fictionalised for the reader, is so much more gruesome. This book talks about how forces of religious hatred and associated inhumanity ruined lives on both sides of the border. This book is set in 1958, and while both countries, over the course of decades have tried to ease the problems faced by the ones initially displaced, the PTSD of what happened and in a way, still happening, is brought out clearly in the text.
The writing style is simple and the overall story is not something we as readers aren’t already familiar with. But what we’ve read in objectifiable terms already, this book brings it to us again with the added element of humanity and attachment.
To say that I loved or enjoyed this book, given it’s a sensitive topic, feels wrong somehow. But is this a story that will stay with me and be a reminder every time I read or hear someone talk about partition? Yes.
This book was not easy to read, especially when you know the reality, here fictionalised for the reader, is so much more gruesome. This book talks about how forces of religious hatred and associated inhumanity ruined lives on both sides of the border. This book is set in 1958, and while both countries, over the course of decades have tried to ease the problems faced by the ones initially displaced, the PTSD of what happened and in a way, still happening, is brought out clearly in the text.
The writing style is simple and the overall story is not something we as readers aren’t already familiar with. But what we’ve read in objectifiable terms already, this book brings it to us again with the added element of humanity and attachment.
To say that I loved or enjoyed this book, given it’s a sensitive topic, feels wrong somehow. But is this a story that will stay with me and be a reminder every time I read or hear someone talk about partition? Yes.
September 5, 2021
"The wounds will take decades to heal, centuries to overcome the trauma: Gulzar"
Partition tore India into three pieces. Disaster struck. There was East Pakistan, there was West Pakistan, and there was the rest of India. Millions of people were uprooted from their houses, tens of thousands massacred on both sides. It was one of the greatest mass migrations and killings in human history.
Ghulam Ali and Zahira are protagonists of this emotional story. Both are sailing in the boat of "true love" which is hardly seen in this materialistic world. Ghulam Ali was working in British Indian Army, he was earning name and fame due to his lamb-fitting skills. After the partition, India won its battle against the British but Ghulam lost his fame. Pakistan declared him a traitor. A tsunami of bad luck struck him when he was dumped in a Hindu Refugee Camp based in Lahore.
The story involves 31 letters that are exchanged between Ghulam Ali from Lahore and Zahira Raza from India. As the story moves forward, tears will surely kiss your eyes and cheeks to pay tribute to these heartbreaking letters.
"I exist in two places, here and where you are: M Atwood"
Sachin Garg is a bestselling author, popular speaker, and serial entrepreneur based out of Mumbai. He has also spoken at numerous Indian and international forums.
If writing true & emotional events in an utmost simplicity is art then Sachin is an artist. I am impressed with his writing. Looking forward to discover more of his amazing work.
Partition tore India into three pieces. Disaster struck. There was East Pakistan, there was West Pakistan, and there was the rest of India. Millions of people were uprooted from their houses, tens of thousands massacred on both sides. It was one of the greatest mass migrations and killings in human history.
Ghulam Ali and Zahira are protagonists of this emotional story. Both are sailing in the boat of "true love" which is hardly seen in this materialistic world. Ghulam Ali was working in British Indian Army, he was earning name and fame due to his lamb-fitting skills. After the partition, India won its battle against the British but Ghulam lost his fame. Pakistan declared him a traitor. A tsunami of bad luck struck him when he was dumped in a Hindu Refugee Camp based in Lahore.
The story involves 31 letters that are exchanged between Ghulam Ali from Lahore and Zahira Raza from India. As the story moves forward, tears will surely kiss your eyes and cheeks to pay tribute to these heartbreaking letters.
"I exist in two places, here and where you are: M Atwood"
Sachin Garg is a bestselling author, popular speaker, and serial entrepreneur based out of Mumbai. He has also spoken at numerous Indian and international forums.
If writing true & emotional events in an utmost simplicity is art then Sachin is an artist. I am impressed with his writing. Looking forward to discover more of his amazing work.
October 20, 2021
🌻𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚🌻
Historical fiction (based on true events)
🌻𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚🌻
This story is based on a true events and scenarios....about the people who was miserably trapped across the border after the Indo-Pak partition.
The main protagonists are Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza. Gulam Ali was a generous gentleman who was trapped in a refugee camp in Pakistan (and can do anything to go back to his motherland) and Zahira was opinionated ,kind women who was waiting for Ghulam Ali in India. The story is told through the letters that they both exchanged between each other.
Would Ghulam Ali will be able to go back to India??
Would Zahira will wait for Ghulam Ali??
Find out yourself!!!
🌻𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬🌻
I love that not only the protagonist's story but the side character's stories was narrated really well and each story has its own unique essence.(that's what makes it beautiful) Mr Grag have tried to make it more informative by the side character's stories.
I liked how the thousands miles of distance was incapable to fade away the love they have for each other...how they used care about each other's lives even at those unpleasing environments (just pure, unfeigned love)
I adored the fact that Mr Garg had choosen "letter format" to tell the story 🌸(its seems more real that way)
The depressing settings/scenes of the Refugee Camp and the struggles of a working Muslim woman (in 19050s) is depicted very realistically.
Overall the story is beautiful and even writing about such delicate issue no gender,religion or Country has been idealised or shunned but I think that some chapters have been dragged-out and that was making it a less gripping read.
🌻𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙛🌻
You love to read stories about Partition
You are a historical fiction lover
You are a beginner (simple easy language)
Historical fiction (based on true events)
🌻𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚🌻
This story is based on a true events and scenarios....about the people who was miserably trapped across the border after the Indo-Pak partition.
The main protagonists are Ghulam Ali and Zahira Raza. Gulam Ali was a generous gentleman who was trapped in a refugee camp in Pakistan (and can do anything to go back to his motherland) and Zahira was opinionated ,kind women who was waiting for Ghulam Ali in India. The story is told through the letters that they both exchanged between each other.
Would Ghulam Ali will be able to go back to India??
Would Zahira will wait for Ghulam Ali??
Find out yourself!!!
🌻𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬🌻
I love that not only the protagonist's story but the side character's stories was narrated really well and each story has its own unique essence.(that's what makes it beautiful) Mr Grag have tried to make it more informative by the side character's stories.
I liked how the thousands miles of distance was incapable to fade away the love they have for each other...how they used care about each other's lives even at those unpleasing environments (just pure, unfeigned love)
I adored the fact that Mr Garg had choosen "letter format" to tell the story 🌸(its seems more real that way)
The depressing settings/scenes of the Refugee Camp and the struggles of a working Muslim woman (in 19050s) is depicted very realistically.
Overall the story is beautiful and even writing about such delicate issue no gender,religion or Country has been idealised or shunned but I think that some chapters have been dragged-out and that was making it a less gripping read.
🌻𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙛🌻
You love to read stories about Partition
You are a historical fiction lover
You are a beginner (simple easy language)
October 27, 2021
🖤 This is a mesmerizing and heartbreaking story of two lovers named Zahira and Ghulam Ali who were separated due to the partition. One was left in Lahore and other in Lucknow.
🖤 The book is written beautifully and unique, where we see them as they are writing letters to each other.
🖤 We all think that the partition ended in 1947 but it still impacts the life of thousands of people who lost there loved ones.
🖤 Ghulam Ali was a limb fitter. When he was making a limb for Zahira. They got attacked and soon, he found himself in Hindu Refugee Camp from where he used to write letters to Zahira.
🖤 The character's were built very well and the plot twist at the end was really unexpected and unbelievable.
🖤 Books usually don't make me cry, but this was really heartbreaking.
At last, I would say that this is the one of the best book I have read. This is a definite recommendation for all the readers out there.
Email: richareads62@gmail.com
Bookstagram: @richalovestoread
🖤 The book is written beautifully and unique, where we see them as they are writing letters to each other.
🖤 We all think that the partition ended in 1947 but it still impacts the life of thousands of people who lost there loved ones.
🖤 Ghulam Ali was a limb fitter. When he was making a limb for Zahira. They got attacked and soon, he found himself in Hindu Refugee Camp from where he used to write letters to Zahira.
🖤 The character's were built very well and the plot twist at the end was really unexpected and unbelievable.
🖤 Books usually don't make me cry, but this was really heartbreaking.
At last, I would say that this is the one of the best book I have read. This is a definite recommendation for all the readers out there.
Email: richareads62@gmail.com
Bookstagram: @richalovestoread
Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews