Despite much technological advancement and rapid competition in the AI world, the youth of India doesn’t fail to indulge in classic books. While time goes forward each minute, the young minds of today delve into the past, finding more about their roots, culture, and what was the world like before them. To help satisfy this curiosity, here are some books which you can’t miss reading at least once in your lifetime:
Independence
Written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, this thought-provoking novel exemplifies the perfect combination of love, tragedy, and hope. Set in the immediate pre-independence era, it shows the struggle of three sisters who have varying personalities, different destinations, and an uncertain future. It accurately describes the complex feelings each sister has during perilous times with startling precision. Not only this, but it also shows how the human heart can love and hate one person at the same time beautifully. Nehru, Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu—all are shown as not just important figures making world-changing policies and treaties, but as strangers who call themselves delegates of justice and freedom, seen through the oppressed common people’s eyes. This book gives you an extensive look into the lives of the ordinary people back then, unaware, simple, and often afraid of what will happen next. It shows what a simple slash pulled across the breast of India can change millions of lives. For someone who’s not interested in history or literature, this book can be a headstart to one of the greatest adventures an amateur reader can have.
The Great Indian Novel
Penned by Mr. Shashi Tharoor, an academic extraordinaire, this novel is an intriguing take on the Mahabharata through a modern perspective. Here, characters are shadowed so well that it compels one to think of this book as the real one. If you are a noob at mythology and don’t know much about what took place in the tale, this book is the perfect start for you. Though it is a Tharoor book, there are not many words you may be scared of. An exciting read, it stretches from the ages of Krishna to the times of Kamaraj, giving divinity a relatable blend of life as we know it. Consequently, it also makes you curious about how differently people led their lives during various eras. The mind-boggling fresh perspectives that this book allows you to look through is a feeling unparalleled. Both an enjoyable and consuming read at the same time, a book like this can give you decent vocabulary and a soft spot for history for a lifetime.
The Palace of Illusions
This book being another one by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, and another one based upon the Mahabharata, may pop a question in your mind asking why am I repeating it. Well, unlike what you may think, this is a tale repeated more than a thousand times, through ages and generations, truly, but this time with the perspective of a woman. Half-history and Half-myth, a story narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the five Pandava brothers, will leave you abashed with the dilemma, injustice, and trauma a woman faces in what we call a glorious tale and how she persists through like a blaze of fire, always burning, killing itself to be alive. It traces her life in an intricate manner, from birth to a secluded childhood, through a problematic polyandrous marriage, her friendship with Krishna, till her last breath. An extraordinarily humane tale, it gives life to the overused, repeated narration of the intricately yarned chronicle.
The Last Queen
Another book recommendation of the same author’s work proves that Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is this writer’s absolute favorite, and that is a place where she truly deserves to be. The Last Queen is the story of Rani Jind Kaur, one of the wives of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who was the last queen of the pre-independence Punjab, before it was overtaken by the British. The narrative flows through various series of events through the queen's life, from being one of the richest people in the country to being starved on the streets. Reading this will ground you to unmatchable extents and empower you not only as a woman but also as a human. The surprising but real tale, coated with the writer’s extensive imagination, is a perfect place where fiction and non-fiction become one. Vulnerability, dejection, and transformation—the tides of luck unreliable and insecure—from Calcutta to Nepal to London to home what is Punjab, it races you to each corner of the world so realistically, that after one point of time, It is you who is the Queen and it is your colored destiny printed in black and white. Overall, it is a brilliant novel which everybody will relate to, kids and kin alike.
Amrita Pritam
Saving the last one for the best, this writer is a die-hard fan of the above-mentioned personality. Amrita Pritam, a Punjabi poet and writer, was born in Gujranwala (present-day Pakistan) and chronicled through the tough and traumatic days of the partition, sometimes pregnant on a train, sometimes alone, often abandoned, but still being an inspiration to lakhs. Her exceptional take on the partition leaves many with a tear hanging in their eyes till today. Eloquent in poetry, she leaves an imprint on each one who reads her work. A must for anyone who can read the bare minimum Hindi or Punjabi, she is one of the few artists who did justice in describing the partition and the trauma it hailed. Some of her best works include Rasidi Ticket, Pinjar, Kammi aur Nanda.
Of course, there are innumerable books which highlight the India of the olden days, but these are few of the classics that can be taken as a prerequisite for anyone who wishes to be a connoisseur of Indian History and its authors. Until next time, Happy Reading!
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