sbcltr recommends this quick list to brush up on your history

The End of India by Khushwant Singh

In this short non-fiction read from 2003, Khushwant Singh laments on increasing communal tensions in the
country caused by religious fundamentalism covering 1984 anti-Sikh riots, burning of Graham Staines, and 2002
Gujarat violence He starts off by saying that the Partition was just the start of the end as our obsession with caste,
religion, and racial identity have caused wounds that still sting.

Madhorubhagan (One Part Woman) by Perumal Murugan

A controversial Tamil novel set in the colonial era, Murugan’s magnum opus deals
with social and religious stigmas. It revolves around a childless couple who are
unable to conceive and the lengths to which their families go to get the wife
impregnated. As the family breaks up the happy marriage, the book talks about the
patriarchal pressures that women face in the name of tradition.

Chitto Jetha Bhayshunyo (Let My Country Awake) by Rabindranath Tagore

Originally written in Bengali and featured in his collection Gitanjali, this is one of
Tagore’s most well-known poems. He dreams of a country ‘where the mind is without
fear’ and ‘where knowledge is free’. The poem goes on to show that as much as
Tagore was a freedom nationalist, he was also a humanist and believed in not just
revolting but also improving society through education, arts, and literature.

Untouchable by Mulk Raj Anand

Untouchable is the bittersweet story of a young sweeper and toilet-cleaner called
Bakha who’s forced to abide by this work for society gives him the status of a lower-
caste ‘untouchable’. Mulk Raj Anand writes the tragic account of one day in his life in
English but still captures the stark realities of caste, urging his readers to build a
better future so that children like Bakha don’t become victims of casteism.

Pinjar by Amrita Pritam

Pinjar is often hailed as Amrita Pritam’s magnum opus. Set during the Partition, its
protagonist Puro is abducted by a Muslim man. When she finally manages to come
back home, her family rejects her as a ‘defiled’ woman. The Punjabi novel reflects
that despite both Hindus and Muslims facing losses, it were the women who suffered
the most, at the hands of men from other community as well as their own.

Sultana’s Dream by Rokeya Hossain

Rokeya Hossain was a Muslim feminist writer and social reformer from Bengal. Her
1905 story Sultana’s Dream is a visionary work often considered as India’s first
feminist work and the first Indian science-fiction story. Written in English, Hossain
conjures up a world with reversed gender roles where women work outside and are
innovative scientists while men are confined with the four walls of their homes,
prohibited from doing anything more than domestic work.

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushide

Salman Rushdie blended magical realism with Indian history in this book of epic
proportions. The protagonist Salim along with other children born at the stroke of
midnight on India’s independence, seem to possess magical powers of various sorts
which they use or misuse. But despite this supernatural arc, the novel spans across
the many societal and historical shifts that the young Salim Sinai witnesses in India
and Pakistan. Rushdie ultimately paints a picture of diversity, culture, war, and
peace.

Lihaaf (The Quilt) by Ismat Chugtai

While her peers like Sadat Hasan Manto were penning their revolutions against
religious extremism, Ismat Chugtai battled social notions around sexuality in her
Urdu short story Lihaaf. The story covers an extramarital same-sex affair between a
royal and her courtesan (as her own husband seems to be sexually interested in the
other gender). Written in 1942, the story was way ahead of its times and today, it’s
widely read even as college curriculum to normalise homosexuality.

Patriots, Poets, and Prisoners by Ramachandra Guha

This anthology edited and annotated by Ramachandra Guha gives a glimpse at
articles and opinion pieces from The Modern Review, a monthly magazine based in
Calcutta. Guha chooses diverse write-ups on nationalism, society, and patriotism of
the Indian Nationalist intelligentsia in the 1900s.

Sab Ton Khatarnak (The Most Dangerous) by Pash

Sab Ton Khatarnak is a poem that’s relevant for all eras. In its endearing lines,
Punjabi revolutionary and poet Pash a reality check to society urging it to speak up
against injustices even if they fill us with fear. He asks us to be as vocal as we can
when injustice surrounds us, saying that the most dangerous thing that we can do as
humans is ‘to stay silent’ in these times. He adds that it’s this silence that might cost
us our peace and privilege with ‘the death of our dreams’.
Remnants Of A Seperation by Aanchal Malhotra
Oral historian Aanchal Malhotra analyses material culture from the Partition era in
great detail, revealing a story behind the various items recovered from this turbulent

era in history. These items involve a string of pearls, a poetry notebook, a refugee
certificate, and many others.

The Truth About Me by A Revathi

India might be independent for decades but those who don’t conform with the binary
gender spectrum have hardly got the taste of complete independence. Tamil activist
and writer Revathi’s memoir describes in great detail the stereotypes, the confusion,
and the familial condemnation that individuals like her face. In a raw and realistic
manner, she describes her rural childhood, her migration from her birth family to a
hijra household and her eventual quest for dignity.

India’s Struggle For Independence by Bipin Chandra

A stalwart in Indian history, Bipin Chandra’s elaborate unbiased book on the
progress of India’s freedom movement makes for essential reading for those who are
interested in knowing more about Indian political and ideological trends from late
18 th -early 19 th century.

Swami and Friends by RK Narayan

This English-language collection of short stories is set in the fictional town of Malgudi
in Karnataka. The titular lead Swami is an ordinary school-going brat who grows in
colonial India. The book brims with all the fun and frolic of a simple childhood along
with subtle depictions of class differences, nationalist feelings, protesting, and an
education divide that Swami bears witness to.

Shatranj Ke Khiladi (The Chess Players) by Munshi Premchand

Set in the early days of East India Company’s campaigns in India, two feudal lords
spend their time playing chess all day ignoring the incoming British threat to their
provinces and the subjects under them. Meanwhile, the beloved and tolerant Nawab
Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh is being unruly dethroned by the British. Premchand’s story
contrasts both cases to show how leaders can either be responsible and
irresponsible if given abundant power.

These Hills Called Home: Stories From A War Zone by Temsula Ao

An underground rebellion ensued in Nagaland after India’s independence between
the Indian army and Naga forces (some of whom wished to create their own nation).
Amidst these struggles, the common people suffered the brunt of violence, sexual
assaults, and collateral damage. Temsula Ao’s collection of stories from those times
makes for a very traumatic yet very essential read as the histories of Northeasterns
states like Nagaland hardly get recognised by the mainstream.
How Many Countries Does The Indus Cross by Akhil Katyal
Delhi-based poet Akhil Katyal dedicates this book to Agha Shahid Ali while
addressing the tumultuous conflict-driven times that Kashmir has been undergoing
since decades. It’s a quick read filled with Katyal’s effortless and easy-to understand
poetry but harks on some really relevant questions around politics and identity.

Gujarat Files: Anatomy Of A Cover Up by Rana Ayyub

Written and self-published by journalist Rana Ayyub, this 2016 book details Ayyub’s
investigations into the 2002 Gujarat riots. Her findings are based on several
conversations with RSS members, bureaucrats, police officials, and even Narendra
Modi on the communal pogrom in Gujarat which she recorded posing as a film
student who subscribed to Hindu extremist ideologies. The book points towards
intentional and biased lawlessness on the part of the state machinery. While the
author’s reliability can be questioned, Gujarat Files is a bold exercise in uncovering
the truth in today’s ties.

Tetwal ka Kutta (The Dog of Tetwal) by Sadat Hasan Manto

Revolutionary author Manto’s short story explores the futility of conflict. The setting is
a war between India and Pakistan just after 1947, offering voices to both sides. Both
sides have many similarities including their love for the stray dog Jhun Jhun who
shifts between the two camps as and when he likes. Eventually, the soldiers of both
countries get possessive over the dog ending up in the creature’s death. The dog
can be seen as a metaphor for common land, the conflict over which can lead to
battle scars.

Cobalt Blue by Sachin Kundalkar

Picture this. You’re a guest at someone’s house. A brother and a sister in the house
both fall in love with you, shocking not just you but also the traditional family of the
house. This is the love triangle that filmmaker and writer Kundalkar’s Marathi novel
present while exposing engrained biases and stigmas that persist in families till
today.

Umrao Jan Ada by Mirza Hadi Ruswa

Aficionados of Urdu literature must read this classic which is often considered as the
first Urdu novel. It deals with the life of Umrao Jan, a courtesan who was abducted at
a young age. As she reaches maturity, she picks up skills like dance, music, and
poetry that attracts wealthy clients. But behind its narrative of her catering to the elite
males is a struggle for Umrao Jan to pursue the arts and free herself from an
exploitative society, her various love affairs, and her own judgemental family.

Chemmeen by TS Pillai

A Malayalam classic, this novel starts off with Karutthamma, a Hindu fisherwoman
falling in love with Pareekkutty, a Muslim man. The relationship that’s condemned by
her society that marries her off to a Hindu fisherman. But the two forbidden lovers
meet again later which lead to an endearingly passionate and tragic love story that
shatters all notions of what the ‘perfect couple’ should look like.