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The Muslim Vanishes
The great poet Ghalib, part of a long tradition of eclectic liberalism, found Benaras so compelling that he wrote his longest poem on the holy city. If we take Ghalib and his myriads of followers out of the equation, will Hindustan be left with a gaping hole or become something quite new? The Muslim Vanishes, a play by Saeed Naqvi, attempts to answer that question.
A Muslim-free India, as a character speculates naively in the play, would be good for socialism, since what the 200 million Muslims leave behind would be equitably shared by the general population. Meanwhile, another character, a political leader, is traumatized by the sudden disappearance of the Muslim voter base and the prospect of a direct electoral confrontation with the numerically stronger Dalits and other backward classes.
Caste, the Hindu-Muslim divide, Pakistan and Kashmir—the decibel levels on these subjects are too high for a conversation to take place, with each side fiercely defending their own narrative. What is the way out of this trap? How to douse the social and political flames?
In this razor-sharp, gentle and funny play, Saeed Naqvi draws on a mix of influences—from grandma’s bedtime stories to Aesop’s fables and Mullah Nasruddin’s satirical tales—to spring an inspired surprise on us, taking us on a journey into the realms of both history and fantasy.
A Muslim-free India, as a character speculates naively in the play, would be good for socialism, since what the 200 million Muslims leave behind would be equitably shared by the general population. Meanwhile, another character, a political leader, is traumatized by the sudden disappearance of the Muslim voter base and the prospect of a direct electoral confrontation with the numerically stronger Dalits and other backward classes.
Caste, the Hindu-Muslim divide, Pakistan and Kashmir—the decibel levels on these subjects are too high for a conversation to take place, with each side fiercely defending their own narrative. What is the way out of this trap? How to douse the social and political flames?
In this razor-sharp, gentle and funny play, Saeed Naqvi draws on a mix of influences—from grandma’s bedtime stories to Aesop’s fables and Mullah Nasruddin’s satirical tales—to spring an inspired surprise on us, taking us on a journey into the realms of both history and fantasy.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published January 29, 2022
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245 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 16, 2022
Caustic, irreverent, uproariously funny.
But coterminous with the laughter, an incubus-like sadness. Like something truly nasty has wormed its way into the soul of the nation and refuses to be exorcised.
The premise? India's 200 million muslims - the second largest population of muslims by country - suddenly disappear. Just like that - whoosh! - they are gone.
You can't imagine the aftermath. I have lived the time period in scope of this literary work and wasn't even close to anticipating Naqvi's moves. Absolutely brilliant!
But coterminous with the laughter, an incubus-like sadness. Like something truly nasty has wormed its way into the soul of the nation and refuses to be exorcised.
The premise? India's 200 million muslims - the second largest population of muslims by country - suddenly disappear. Just like that - whoosh! - they are gone.
You can't imagine the aftermath. I have lived the time period in scope of this literary work and wasn't even close to anticipating Naqvi's moves. Absolutely brilliant!
March 4, 2023
A brilliantly executed satirical short-play on a Muslim free India. It’s snarky, caustic, uproarious and thought provoking, the sense of irony pinches hard.
India wakes up to the news of the sudden disappearance of its 200 million Muslims without a trace. Poof!! Gone!! And they’ve taken their language, architecture, and all things allegedly Muslim with them. Mirth and mayhem ensue.
The clarion call of the Hindu right-wing now stands exposed, at least fictionally. On the political front, with the upcoming elections , it’s a direct battle between the upper castes and lower castes, the latter enjoy numerical supremacy, the outcome is calculable. On the cultural front, the language, art, architecture, literature are soo deeply interwoven that it is impossible to extricate Islamic influences. It is a stark reminder of our Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, our pluralistic identity.
Saeed Naqvi, at the start, explains how this theme came to him and the many inconsistencies and misconceptions we carry about the partition of India. His writing is simple and provocative. This short-play is a sharp-edged masterpiece. It’s a cautionary parable on India’s syncretic future. It does seem to follow the current political discourse that Muslims are the new Dalits. A must read for all Indians.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpXj-IFyN...
India wakes up to the news of the sudden disappearance of its 200 million Muslims without a trace. Poof!! Gone!! And they’ve taken their language, architecture, and all things allegedly Muslim with them. Mirth and mayhem ensue.
The clarion call of the Hindu right-wing now stands exposed, at least fictionally. On the political front, with the upcoming elections , it’s a direct battle between the upper castes and lower castes, the latter enjoy numerical supremacy, the outcome is calculable. On the cultural front, the language, art, architecture, literature are soo deeply interwoven that it is impossible to extricate Islamic influences. It is a stark reminder of our Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, our pluralistic identity.
Saeed Naqvi, at the start, explains how this theme came to him and the many inconsistencies and misconceptions we carry about the partition of India. His writing is simple and provocative. This short-play is a sharp-edged masterpiece. It’s a cautionary parable on India’s syncretic future. It does seem to follow the current political discourse that Muslims are the new Dalits. A must read for all Indians.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CpXj-IFyN...
June 16, 2022
The book starts off with a promising premise but wavers a lot as it moves along and is unable to keep up a satirical tone. Its weakness is that it's unable to resist pontificating, especially during the courtroom scenes, which might as well have been written by Rajkumar Hirani.
February 12, 2022
A bold book for the times that we are in. Satirical, sarcastic and thought-provoking.
February 12, 2023
Mr. Naqvi, apologetically Muslim, and for what?
While the premise of Mr. Naqvi's play is indeed sharp, relevant, and worthy of our imaginations, we cannot ignore two glaring theoretical misconceptions that he hinges the play one-
1.That Muslims matter because of their achievements and their balancing role in Hindustan. What happens when a marginalized and under-resourced community is respected for achievements they may no longer have the resources and motivation to produce or carry on as their collective legacy? What will you respect them then for? Which is why Amir Khusro's intervention felt so unworthy for its own sake.
2. That the presence of Muslims keeps Hindus united and more importantly, keeps Dalit Ambition in check. The clear distinction between Dalit ambition and Hindu distinction itself is misleading to the extent that the role of numbers is incredibly exaggerated in Mr. Naqvi's imagination. One finds it hard to imagine that 'backward' caste numbers only have potency in the absence of Muslims.
So much of what he theorizes is true and hard-hitting, but much more is flawed, and flattened into binaries and simple explanations.
While the premise of Mr. Naqvi's play is indeed sharp, relevant, and worthy of our imaginations, we cannot ignore two glaring theoretical misconceptions that he hinges the play one-
1.That Muslims matter because of their achievements and their balancing role in Hindustan. What happens when a marginalized and under-resourced community is respected for achievements they may no longer have the resources and motivation to produce or carry on as their collective legacy? What will you respect them then for? Which is why Amir Khusro's intervention felt so unworthy for its own sake.
2. That the presence of Muslims keeps Hindus united and more importantly, keeps Dalit Ambition in check. The clear distinction between Dalit ambition and Hindu distinction itself is misleading to the extent that the role of numbers is incredibly exaggerated in Mr. Naqvi's imagination. One finds it hard to imagine that 'backward' caste numbers only have potency in the absence of Muslims.
So much of what he theorizes is true and hard-hitting, but much more is flawed, and flattened into binaries and simple explanations.
December 8, 2024
The point of the book is that the way out for India lies in a revolution leading to a new constituent assembly with proportional representation of some kind. I agree but the play and the premise do not really help with making that point.
August 30, 2022
This book raises some important questions about the project of Hindu nation and highlights the syncretic nature of our civilisation. However we don’t possess the collective IQ to ponder over, debate and discuss intellectual questions. And there is always the same black sheep behind every problem in the society: politician. We need better people in politics and bad sheep should be sheared as a matter of principle.
April 16, 2022
Interesting book
This is an imaginative drama analysing the hypothetical situation "what will happen if all the muslims disappear suddenly from India"
This is an imaginative drama analysing the hypothetical situation "what will happen if all the muslims disappear suddenly from India"
June 13, 2022
This is such a refreshing debate on the age old Hindu-Muslim .chasm in India. There are so many things that each side quotes from the days of partition and much before that as well. In this fantastical play, accomplished journalist Naqvi has posed a hypothetical conundrum before us: What happens if all the Muslims disappeared from India suddenly? (and not just the ones closest to the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders, but from every small village and town across the nation).
The characters in this delightful political-satire wake up to this very news one morning. The Qutub Minar is gone, so is the Gol Gombaz and other monuments; all the artists, businessmen, religious men etc. anybody of the Islamic faith, so much so that comically those who were undergoing conversion are also stranded in limbo with their souls at peril. There is the question of the distribution of equal wealth, a socialist 'all Hindu' nation, but then the class divides rear up their ugly heads. There is a daring challenge to the intellect on every page. Is conversion always forceful? Why do the Hindu elite varnas keep the shudras at bay? How does the presence of minority communities like Muslims keep the Hindu elite balance of power intact within their own religion?
This simple question of one whole community disappearing brings into focus past mistakes, present hypocrisies and future anarchy. This is not a play to be read in a hurry. It is to be savored and debated and discussed, all of its funny and all of its provocative angles explored and examined until we begin to appreciate the 'secular' spirit that was intended for this country.
The characters in this delightful political-satire wake up to this very news one morning. The Qutub Minar is gone, so is the Gol Gombaz and other monuments; all the artists, businessmen, religious men etc. anybody of the Islamic faith, so much so that comically those who were undergoing conversion are also stranded in limbo with their souls at peril. There is the question of the distribution of equal wealth, a socialist 'all Hindu' nation, but then the class divides rear up their ugly heads. There is a daring challenge to the intellect on every page. Is conversion always forceful? Why do the Hindu elite varnas keep the shudras at bay? How does the presence of minority communities like Muslims keep the Hindu elite balance of power intact within their own religion?
This simple question of one whole community disappearing brings into focus past mistakes, present hypocrisies and future anarchy. This is not a play to be read in a hurry. It is to be savored and debated and discussed, all of its funny and all of its provocative angles explored and examined until we begin to appreciate the 'secular' spirit that was intended for this country.
April 21, 2024
Okay, so I did not enjoy this one as much as I was expecting. I picked up this book, thinking it would be a transformational reading experience where the author would unlock some new line of thought in my brain with his moral clarity. That did not happen.
The book is written in the form of a play and describes a frantic few days as India comes to grips with the disappearance of its Muslim population. The population simply disappears, and then the monuments that were built by Islamic rulers, such as the Qutub Minar, also start vanishing. A hint of the disappearance of other vestiges of Islam in India, such as language and food follows this. Amidst all this, influential Hindus (mostly upper caste) try to make sense of these developments and how they would shape a radically changed nation. That is when I realized that the book would adopt a more surrealist tone than was needed.
For starters, I was expecting a more thorough look at what Indian society would look like without Muslims since they occupy a lot of working-class jobs in this country. I wanted to see how the elite and the middle class would deal with that. That never happened. Instead, we got a cursory glance at Dalits taking over Muslim properties and businesses and asserting themselves in this new reality. The primary lens through which this unique situation was looked at was the media and electoral politics. These were the only facets that were covered, and that felt like a very narrow way of looking at the entire thing.
The dialogue in the book was what the book was resting on, and it was not all that great. It was too theatrical and too dramatic. People don’t talk the way characters were talking in this book. UCs (especially politicians) are not as openly bigoted as Shuklaji was in this book. They do it subtly to maintain their vote-bank. That nuance was missing. A lot in this book about Muslim contributions to our Indian culture felt very romantic without being grounded in any reality. People within the Hindu Right don’t get swayed by these arguments. It would not have mattered if Amir Khusrao raised them in open court. The book, it seemed, was glossing over many harsh realities of the Muslim experience to absolve Hindus of their guilt and convince them just to go back to the pre-2014 order of affairs. Amir Khusrao’s long address about the history of Muslims in India was too conciliatory in tone. It lacked the assertiveness of the marginalized, that is, the need of the hour.
There was another reality that was missed in this book, and I found that a little surprising since the book was published in 2022, so it has been a fair while since that became the norm in Indian electoral politics. There was an assumption that the non-UC vote would get clubbed together en masse. That has not been the case for a while. The BJP has regularly captured vast chunks of the OBC vote in the Hindi heartland and has courted the vote further by appointing many OBC chief ministers and MPs. In addition, OBCs have been able to achieve a fair bit of social and financial mobility in comparison to their Dalit or Adivasi counterparts. Hence, the thesis that the OBC vote, Dalit vote, and the Adivasi vote would join hands in a purely Muslim-less India and vote out the status quo is an untested theory. Additionally, Dalits were reduced to playing the role of usurpers who were challenging the existing social order in one way or another. There would be complexity and diversity of opinion in the community in a situation like this, but it was not explored.
There’s still a fair bit that this book manages to achieve. It brings into sharp focus the diabolical role that Muslims are forced to play in India, where they are either painted as villains by the Hindu Right so that the Hindu vote can be united against them, or their vote is taken for granted, and then other vote banks are especially courted to achieve an electoral majority. It also reiterates with great flourish how critical Muslims have been to the creation of this syncretic civilization over a thousand years, and wishing them away just undermines our own national project.
Final verdict: This book starts out with a very intriguing premise but fails to deliver, partly due to the play format and partly due to its short length. It raises some exciting questions and levels some sharp critiques at the status quo. However, it still feels like a lost opportunity because it refuses to be more honest and stinging in its attacks, emphasizing the glories of the distant past instead of focusing on the regular horrors of the present.
The book is written in the form of a play and describes a frantic few days as India comes to grips with the disappearance of its Muslim population. The population simply disappears, and then the monuments that were built by Islamic rulers, such as the Qutub Minar, also start vanishing. A hint of the disappearance of other vestiges of Islam in India, such as language and food follows this. Amidst all this, influential Hindus (mostly upper caste) try to make sense of these developments and how they would shape a radically changed nation. That is when I realized that the book would adopt a more surrealist tone than was needed.
For starters, I was expecting a more thorough look at what Indian society would look like without Muslims since they occupy a lot of working-class jobs in this country. I wanted to see how the elite and the middle class would deal with that. That never happened. Instead, we got a cursory glance at Dalits taking over Muslim properties and businesses and asserting themselves in this new reality. The primary lens through which this unique situation was looked at was the media and electoral politics. These were the only facets that were covered, and that felt like a very narrow way of looking at the entire thing.
The dialogue in the book was what the book was resting on, and it was not all that great. It was too theatrical and too dramatic. People don’t talk the way characters were talking in this book. UCs (especially politicians) are not as openly bigoted as Shuklaji was in this book. They do it subtly to maintain their vote-bank. That nuance was missing. A lot in this book about Muslim contributions to our Indian culture felt very romantic without being grounded in any reality. People within the Hindu Right don’t get swayed by these arguments. It would not have mattered if Amir Khusrao raised them in open court. The book, it seemed, was glossing over many harsh realities of the Muslim experience to absolve Hindus of their guilt and convince them just to go back to the pre-2014 order of affairs. Amir Khusrao’s long address about the history of Muslims in India was too conciliatory in tone. It lacked the assertiveness of the marginalized, that is, the need of the hour.
There was another reality that was missed in this book, and I found that a little surprising since the book was published in 2022, so it has been a fair while since that became the norm in Indian electoral politics. There was an assumption that the non-UC vote would get clubbed together en masse. That has not been the case for a while. The BJP has regularly captured vast chunks of the OBC vote in the Hindi heartland and has courted the vote further by appointing many OBC chief ministers and MPs. In addition, OBCs have been able to achieve a fair bit of social and financial mobility in comparison to their Dalit or Adivasi counterparts. Hence, the thesis that the OBC vote, Dalit vote, and the Adivasi vote would join hands in a purely Muslim-less India and vote out the status quo is an untested theory. Additionally, Dalits were reduced to playing the role of usurpers who were challenging the existing social order in one way or another. There would be complexity and diversity of opinion in the community in a situation like this, but it was not explored.
There’s still a fair bit that this book manages to achieve. It brings into sharp focus the diabolical role that Muslims are forced to play in India, where they are either painted as villains by the Hindu Right so that the Hindu vote can be united against them, or their vote is taken for granted, and then other vote banks are especially courted to achieve an electoral majority. It also reiterates with great flourish how critical Muslims have been to the creation of this syncretic civilization over a thousand years, and wishing them away just undermines our own national project.
Final verdict: This book starts out with a very intriguing premise but fails to deliver, partly due to the play format and partly due to its short length. It raises some exciting questions and levels some sharp critiques at the status quo. However, it still feels like a lost opportunity because it refuses to be more honest and stinging in its attacks, emphasizing the glories of the distant past instead of focusing on the regular horrors of the present.
December 27, 2022
"I don't know how to explain... It's just...so unbelievable. Sir, there is no one left! I mean the Muslims. Muslims have gone. Some say they have taken the Qutub Minar with them."
The title 'The Muslim Vanishes' directly sums up the premise of this farcical play by journalist Saeed Naqvi.
The play begins with a sudden disappearance of all the Muslims in India. While this initially appears to be an ideal scenario for many, chaos soon begins to ensue as the reality of the situation sets in.
On the political front, the upper caste Hindus suddenly face changing socio-political dynamics, with an uprising of the Dalits (lower caste Hindus) - who greatly outnumber the former - without the Muslim vote.
On the cultural side, the characters in the play soon begin to realize how intertwined Indian culture is with it's Muslim history. This happens as they discover that not only have the Muslims mysteriously vanished, but so has their architecture, cuisine, art, music, poetry, etc.
This political fiction is a response to the current state of affairs in India. While the play is over the top and dramatic in typical farcical fashion, there are serious themes and notes weaved throughout the narrative, such as mentioning the recurring incidents of lynching and flogging of lower class Muslims and Dalits, as well as recalling the pluralistic and multicultural past of the subcontinent.
The title 'The Muslim Vanishes' directly sums up the premise of this farcical play by journalist Saeed Naqvi.
The play begins with a sudden disappearance of all the Muslims in India. While this initially appears to be an ideal scenario for many, chaos soon begins to ensue as the reality of the situation sets in.
On the political front, the upper caste Hindus suddenly face changing socio-political dynamics, with an uprising of the Dalits (lower caste Hindus) - who greatly outnumber the former - without the Muslim vote.
On the cultural side, the characters in the play soon begin to realize how intertwined Indian culture is with it's Muslim history. This happens as they discover that not only have the Muslims mysteriously vanished, but so has their architecture, cuisine, art, music, poetry, etc.
This political fiction is a response to the current state of affairs in India. While the play is over the top and dramatic in typical farcical fashion, there are serious themes and notes weaved throughout the narrative, such as mentioning the recurring incidents of lynching and flogging of lower class Muslims and Dalits, as well as recalling the pluralistic and multicultural past of the subcontinent.
May 18, 2022
This is the first time I've read a play. As I am conscious and invested in the political scenario, this book was a must-read for me.
The author touched upon a lot of subjects plaguing our country right now, and most of them are pinned on Muslims. I've seen many people say daily that "Muslims should be vanished", then we'll progress. Well, their wish has come true, at least in the fictional world.
I know nobody can predict what would happen if Muslims in India vanished overnight, but at least I have a picture in mind now. It is biased, but nevertheless a perspective.
The best part of the book lies in the sentences and speeches talking about unity in diversity which is the Indian ethos.
A great read.
The author touched upon a lot of subjects plaguing our country right now, and most of them are pinned on Muslims. I've seen many people say daily that "Muslims should be vanished", then we'll progress. Well, their wish has come true, at least in the fictional world.
I know nobody can predict what would happen if Muslims in India vanished overnight, but at least I have a picture in mind now. It is biased, but nevertheless a perspective.
The best part of the book lies in the sentences and speeches talking about unity in diversity which is the Indian ethos.
A great read.
August 5, 2022
Really enjoyed the concept and the premise of this book - What if India’s 200 million Muslims vanished? And what happens to the carefully crafted regressive social structure of Hindu society when Muslims disappear? Who are Hindus more scared of - Muslims or lower caste Indians? I simply loved how relevant this book is for all Indians. It evoked Ghalib and so many well known Muslim and Hindu writers and artists who have drawn from each other extensively to make this beautiful nation so rich culturally and strengthened its social fabric over centuries. But I felt the ending was a let down, which I guess was going to happen in such books like this. I am not also sure if a play form was necessary.
October 14, 2022
A quick and "fun" read for a topic so disturbing. Creative. Creatively set up. Creatively funny. And obnoxious not just with the premise, but characters and exchanges between them. And so, it's even better!
Very relevant to the times we live in - India 2022. And so bold, just the fact that this book has been published! Makes some really important and urgent arguments.
Loved how the structure of a stage-play is used to convey heightened emotions with over-the-top drama. Which otherwise would have only felt caricaturish.
Look out for the "basic but pleasing" rhyme-poetry towards the end!
Very relevant to the times we live in - India 2022. And so bold, just the fact that this book has been published! Makes some really important and urgent arguments.
Loved how the structure of a stage-play is used to convey heightened emotions with over-the-top drama. Which otherwise would have only felt caricaturish.
Look out for the "basic but pleasing" rhyme-poetry towards the end!
December 20, 2022
I read this book in 8 hours, over a span of 1 month.
What I got from this book?
An Idea which tells you about the place Muslim community holds in our electoral politics.
This books travels to History ( Ganga-Jamumi Tehjeeb), how both communities are not that different from each other, and why the political leaders always want a divide between Hindu and Muslim for their votebank (Hindu right consolidation) against a so called common enemy - The Muslims.
All this is described in great details in the book.
What I got from this book?
An Idea which tells you about the place Muslim community holds in our electoral politics.
This books travels to History ( Ganga-Jamumi Tehjeeb), how both communities are not that different from each other, and why the political leaders always want a divide between Hindu and Muslim for their votebank (Hindu right consolidation) against a so called common enemy - The Muslims.
All this is described in great details in the book.
February 4, 2023
Must Read
The premise of this book is the winner. In the current political landscape, nationalism has become synonymous with communalism with no thought to the shared history of the various cultures in India.
Alas, neither are the so called nationalist defenders of Hinduism nor Islamic fundamentalists intelligent enough to understand the message in this book.
The premise of this book is the winner. In the current political landscape, nationalism has become synonymous with communalism with no thought to the shared history of the various cultures in India.
Alas, neither are the so called nationalist defenders of Hinduism nor Islamic fundamentalists intelligent enough to understand the message in this book.
April 24, 2022
excellent and eye opening read
This was a book I read with no particular expectations but it turned out to be extremely interesting and eye opening. The humour, underlying subtle messaging and it’s smooth flow was impeccable.
Highly recommend.
This was a book I read with no particular expectations but it turned out to be extremely interesting and eye opening. The humour, underlying subtle messaging and it’s smooth flow was impeccable.
Highly recommend.
October 6, 2022
Very Blinkered perspective
I am really not clear where he was going with this. Keeps talking about things from periods in
Bits and pieces...that suit his narrative . Muslims are victims, misunderstood and they react...never at fault themselves.
I am really not clear where he was going with this. Keeps talking about things from periods in
Bits and pieces...that suit his narrative . Muslims are victims, misunderstood and they react...never at fault themselves.
November 19, 2022
It is a very short read but a thought provoking one. Through a satirical play, it touches upon the issues plaguing our political discourse in current times. Though it could have elaborated on some more issues, but still managed to be an interesting read.
January 31, 2024
Heavy stuff. A fantasy that every individual of Indian Majoritarian politics would love to read. But the pleasure won't last for 10 pages, as the book shows an imaginative perspective of India without Muslims, which definitely won't help their politics.
April 13, 2022
Brilliant!!!
A must-read for every Indian.
A must-read for every Indian.
May 19, 2022
Outstanding ! The book of and for the times we live in .. Humorous , imaginative , satirical yet deep ! Now waiting to watch this being staged
May 20, 2022
The book points fingers to the main issue the country is facing currently. Hope this book may make people think !
April 1, 2023
fast-paced brilliantly articulated dialogue. The comedic nature of the play adds to the essence of the dialogue. A thought-provoking well crafted play. A must-read for sure.
April 27, 2023
Not a new topic. But it remains pertinent. The treatment of the issue is new.
June 27, 2023
Forces you to think and thats all we need as a country...to THINK!!
September 10, 2023
This started on a good note but then flounders mid way. Didn't work for me after that. The premise is good but it required better handling
June 16, 2024
With the goal of shedding awareness on a very important topic in a play format, the book started off to a strong start. What would happen to India if all Muslims were abruptly exterminated from the country was an intriguing and significant assumption. However, it felt a little bland, and the progression of it showed how poorly it was executed. The author occasionally exhibited bias, emphasizing the significance of Muslims solely in the context of art and culture. Additionally, the dialogue grew increasingly bizarre, ultimately detracting from the core plot of the novel. This would have been more engaging and powerful, in my opinion, if it had been written as a story rather than a play.
However, I truly value the author's contribution to this concept and want to read more from him in the future
However, I truly value the author's contribution to this concept and want to read more from him in the future
January 24, 2024
This book begins with a grim impossibility: what if we were to wake up one day and all the Muslims in India now, and ever to have existed, were to vanish? How would that shift the existing power dynamic of caste and class, what is the chaos that would ensue? Naqvi's writing is sharp, acerbic, witty and terribly straightforward. It has been fodder for many discussions in the few months that I've spent reading it. Is it a flaw in the design that it may be inaccessible because of the language? Limited to only to those readers who are already primed to raise the issues it raises?
I have been thinking about this book increasingly in the past few days and using it as a conversation starter. My impressions and reflections are still ongoing and evolving.
I have been thinking about this book increasingly in the past few days and using it as a conversation starter. My impressions and reflections are still ongoing and evolving.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews