What do you think?
Rate this book
Hymns in Blood
1947, Chakri. An idyllic village on the banks of the Soan near Rawalpindi, surrounded by stalks of golden wheat and festive songs. Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs eagerly await the end of winter and get together to prepare for Lohri.
Amidst this joyous bustle, Baba Bhana, the erudite village elder, worries about the future of his foster daughter, Naseem. Life comes to a halt when news of a possible partition of India reaches the village.
Amid a frenzy of communal violence, Baba Bhana and his family must reluctantly leave their beloved village. They embark on a long and dangerous journey, slowly coming to terms with the fact that their lives may be changing forever.
Khoon de Sohile, first published in February 1948, and now translated for the first time into English, provides a timely reminder of the grief and trauma that a religious divide brings in its wake.
Amidst this joyous bustle, Baba Bhana, the erudite village elder, worries about the future of his foster daughter, Naseem. Life comes to a halt when news of a possible partition of India reaches the village.
Amid a frenzy of communal violence, Baba Bhana and his family must reluctantly leave their beloved village. They embark on a long and dangerous journey, slowly coming to terms with the fact that their lives may be changing forever.
Khoon de Sohile, first published in February 1948, and now translated for the first time into English, provides a timely reminder of the grief and trauma that a religious divide brings in its wake.
264 pages, Paperback
Published April 28, 2022
6 people are currently reading
144 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 1, 2022
In this translated tale of partition, the author has kept true to his words the unfolding of events during the catastrophic phase of Indian partition and this tale is that of the tragedy that befell the families and communities in Chakri, a hamlet in pre-partition Punjab. Ripe with rumors of partition, how communal hatred caught fire in the hearts of the local peace-loving simpletons of the village and burnt all alike leaving behind a scarred past for those who survive their long-lost families. The easy and lucid translation brings to life the story of Bana Bhana, a local man of repute, his son and adopted family, and how they were forced to leave behind everything dear to save life precious.
The wildfire that spread through the region fueled by petty politics, cast in the molds of religion, spared no one, and children, women, men, all were drenched in the bloodbath from mass massacres, and equally heinous atrocities are described in such sharp details that one can only imagine. The diction is so powerfully graphic in nature that the events leading up to the partition and genocide will remain etched in your mind, forever.
The characters struggle to do right in the face of turmoil and are constantly faced by villains of humanity in this story, that show no mercy and leave them bloodied. Baba Bhana, Bhatta, Naseem, Yusuf are all formidable characters and you do feel sorry for their fate the way it unfolds when it does. The settings are sublime and ambiance pristine and equally dark and gritty toward the end. The festivals and culture of the Punjabi community in India is very well depicted and despite all the horrifying developments nearing partition, they tend to warm your heart.
Man, becomes a maniac, and loses all sense of sanity and humanity and is willing to commit crimes of indelible natures upon the slightest provocation, and this remains applicable even today, and this fact is very well illustrated through the writer’s narration.
Written by Nanak Singh and translated by Navdeep Suri, this is a must-read saga of a village wrecked by the catastrophe called Indian Partition, and how!
The wildfire that spread through the region fueled by petty politics, cast in the molds of religion, spared no one, and children, women, men, all were drenched in the bloodbath from mass massacres, and equally heinous atrocities are described in such sharp details that one can only imagine. The diction is so powerfully graphic in nature that the events leading up to the partition and genocide will remain etched in your mind, forever.
The characters struggle to do right in the face of turmoil and are constantly faced by villains of humanity in this story, that show no mercy and leave them bloodied. Baba Bhana, Bhatta, Naseem, Yusuf are all formidable characters and you do feel sorry for their fate the way it unfolds when it does. The settings are sublime and ambiance pristine and equally dark and gritty toward the end. The festivals and culture of the Punjabi community in India is very well depicted and despite all the horrifying developments nearing partition, they tend to warm your heart.
Man, becomes a maniac, and loses all sense of sanity and humanity and is willing to commit crimes of indelible natures upon the slightest provocation, and this remains applicable even today, and this fact is very well illustrated through the writer’s narration.
Written by Nanak Singh and translated by Navdeep Suri, this is a must-read saga of a village wrecked by the catastrophe called Indian Partition, and how!
January 11, 2023
Hymns In Blood by Nanak Singh, translated from Punjabi to English by Navdeep Suri, is set in the timeline of around partition, the book through the journey of various characters digs deeper into how the life of people from different communities and religions living with love and harmony, not only changed but were devastated. Set in the village of Chakri, near river Soan, Baba Bhana is one of the most respected and senior citizens of the village, which everyone regarded, respected, and looked out for. When his dear friend passed away, he took the responsibility for his family having his wife, and children – Naseem and Aziz. And thus comes the beautiful representation of harmony, trust, and faith in each other. It’s not that it’s all happy, sweet, and beautiful, there are problems, difficulties, and adversities, but there is hope, and for me “this is the story of faith and trust”, how it is built, taken care of, and how it tackles the storms, whether gets destroyed or stands firm in it, especially of a strong storm like of partition, which has communal violence, life-threatening events, and heartbreaking visuals.
The situation of Punjab at that time was shown in the book in great detail. The forward of the book itself, written by Nanak Singh in February 1948, just a few months after the partition shooks the readers to the core.
I’ll remember this book for the way it showed the situation at the time of partition, for how slowly it starts and makes us connect with the characters, and then for how it shows the brutality of that time! I’ll remember this book for how impactful it is in the way it conveyed the message that the author witnessed to the readers.
I’ll recommend this book to everyone who wants to read a book on the partition, no matter if it’s your first book about it or you have already read a few.
Read the full detailed review on Blog.
https://jainandgurjar.home.blog/2023/...
Thank you to the publisher for the book in exchange for an honest review.
The situation of Punjab at that time was shown in the book in great detail. The forward of the book itself, written by Nanak Singh in February 1948, just a few months after the partition shooks the readers to the core.
I’ll remember this book for the way it showed the situation at the time of partition, for how slowly it starts and makes us connect with the characters, and then for how it shows the brutality of that time! I’ll remember this book for how impactful it is in the way it conveyed the message that the author witnessed to the readers.
I’ll recommend this book to everyone who wants to read a book on the partition, no matter if it’s your first book about it or you have already read a few.
Read the full detailed review on Blog.
https://jainandgurjar.home.blog/2023/...
Thank you to the publisher for the book in exchange for an honest review.
October 8, 2022
A book on partition-I hate how they slash my heart but I can not ignore them.
Hymn in Blood written by Nanak Singh and translated by Navdeep Singh is a story set in 1947, Punjab.
A small village. People from different religions live a simple life. Without thinking much about the outer world.
This village pays attention to Baba Bhana's words. This old and wise man worries about the other villagers as much as he worries about her foster daughter. There's a twisted story there.
But 1947, as we all knew changed history.
History has a weird habit. It impacts ordinary people the most.
People were forced to leave their motherland. People were forced to leave everything. Hymn in Blood reminds you all of that. The chapter in history we used to read keenly.
That's pretty much the story of this book.
But the complex language of this translated work I think wouldn't be digestible for everyone. That's irony.
Hymn in Blood written by Nanak Singh and translated by Navdeep Singh is a story set in 1947, Punjab.
A small village. People from different religions live a simple life. Without thinking much about the outer world.
This village pays attention to Baba Bhana's words. This old and wise man worries about the other villagers as much as he worries about her foster daughter. There's a twisted story there.
But 1947, as we all knew changed history.
History has a weird habit. It impacts ordinary people the most.
People were forced to leave their motherland. People were forced to leave everything. Hymn in Blood reminds you all of that. The chapter in history we used to read keenly.
That's pretty much the story of this book.
But the complex language of this translated work I think wouldn't be digestible for everyone. That's irony.
February 9, 2025
A story of how the political issues divide people in this Punjabi village, people of various faiths who have been living together and toiling the soil for generations. When news filters in from neighboring towns and young fanatics sentiments are stoked the atmosphere turns tense followed by dreadful violence.
The effects of partition continue to haunt many families in Punjab and this book represents the horrors ordinary people went through. It is well written and captures the emotional state of the characters.
The effects of partition continue to haunt many families in Punjab and this book represents the horrors ordinary people went through. It is well written and captures the emotional state of the characters.
March 24, 2024
This is a great narrative showing how tight knit community, despite any differences, aim to protect themselves. This is a real reminder about the failures of man which sees their brother as a threat and enemy. This tale takes place in Punjab before partition on the present day Pakistan side. As the events of an independent India and Pakistan reach its pinnacle, the reader finds themselves at the advent of terror and destruction due to religious differences that married with politics. Prior the demise, we learn about the rich culture of a Punjab that embraced Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims. Each of the three religious communities saw each other as neighbor at the least, and family in most realities.
This story started in a way that made me weary, as I thought I’d be reading a Bollywood-esque tale that centers around partition, but the tale evolves to a beautiful narrative of community that fosters their fire through their culture, before the winds of partition smother the flame. I highly recommend this story!
This story started in a way that made me weary, as I thought I’d be reading a Bollywood-esque tale that centers around partition, but the tale evolves to a beautiful narrative of community that fosters their fire through their culture, before the winds of partition smother the flame. I highly recommend this story!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews