Anu: The Raj Years

Anu #1

by Shabnam Vasisht

This illustrated story starts at the point of a child's birth during the freedom struggle in India. The book, a true story, describes a woman's extraordinary life to the point of Independence of her country. Anu was born during the British Raj, when the struggle for Indian Independence was well under way.

As an Indian Christian, her upbringing was influenced by both British and Indian values. By the time she joined the prestigious Allahabad University most students were caught up in the freedom movement, led by the city’s famous Nehru family. After graduation she was involved in Mahatma Gandhi’s Basic Education programme, designed to bring literacy to the masses.

This, the first part of Anu’s story, covers her single years, dominated by national events, World War II and the horrors of Partition. Anu’s marriage, after Independence, took her as far away from her roots as she could go. But that’s another story…

188 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 2009

Reviews

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this evocative, exciting true story of a girl growing up in India. While raised a Christian she was surrounded by other religions and expected to live in traditional Indian ways - like marrying young. Anu begged her father to let her remain at school and he agreed, so she even graduated from university.
The extremes of climate and surroundings, the multitude of workers for every job from picking mangoes to varnishing the gate, make this a book full of lively characters, sights and sounds.
The story continues in Anu: the nomad years.