Book Review : Remnants of Separation

BOOK DETAILS:

Book Title : Remnants of Separation

Author : Aanchal Malhotra

ISBN : 9789352770120

Publisher : Harper Collins

Genre : Society / Non-fiction 

Publication : 2017

Pages : 400

Format : Hardback

BOOK BLURB:

SEVENTY YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE PARTITION, and a momentous event now recedes in memory. Generations have grown up outside the shadow of the communal killings and mass displacement that shaped the contemporary history of the subcontinent.

Despite being born into a family affected by the Divide, artist and oral historian Aanchal Malhotra too had thought little about the Partition until she encountered objects that had once belonged to her ancestors in an Undivided India. A gaz, a ghara, a maang-tikka, a pocketknife, a peacock-shaped bracelet, and a set of kitchen utensils: these were what accompanied her great-grandparents as they fled their homes, and through them she learnt of their migration and life before the Divide. This led her to search for the belongings of other migrants to discover the stories hidden in them.

Remnants of a Separation is a unique attempt to revisit the Partition through such objects carried across the border. These objects absorbed the memory of a time and place, remaining latent and undisturbed for generations. They now speak of their owners pasts and emerge as testaments to the struggle, sacrifice, pain and belonging at an unparalleled moment in history.

A string of pearls gifted by a maharaja, carried from Dalhousie to Lahore, reveals the grandeur of a life that once was. A notebook of poems, brought from Lahore to Kalyan, shows one woman s determination to pursue the written word despite the turmoil around her. A refugee certificate created in Calcutta evokes in a daughter the feelings of displacement her father had experienced on leaving Mymensingh, now in Bangladesh.

Written as a crossover between history and anthropology, Remnants of a Separation tells stories from both sides of the border and is the product of years of painstaking and passionate research. It pieces together an alternative history of the Partition the first and only one told through material memory that makes the event tangible even seven decades later, lest we forget.

RATING: 5 ☆'s

REVIEW:

Back in 2017, when the book was released and the Bookstagram Community on instagram was abuzz with praises for the book, I too looked it up - a look at the cover and the complete title of the book - Remnants of Separation : A History of the Partition through Material Memory - and I knew I had to read the book.

Thanks to my Booktrovert Girl - Varshitha, I received the book as a Christmas Present and I was overjoyed and this March for the readathon, it was my first choice.

Like the author herself, I too belong to the third generation from the partition - my grandparents too had travelled across the border and I too was unknown to the horrors of the partition and everything that followed. And it (the book) made me ask my parents of what they knew of that time and now I long to meet my naniji and see if she is willing to discuss those days with me...

WHAT I LOVED:

1. The Concept --- a lot has been read about partition, mostly from the political POV - but Aanchal's book traces the partition through material memory and through real people who have no political agenda to swing one way or other - so in my opinion it's more closer and honest to reality
2. Both Sides of Partition Line --- I loved that the book contains the stories of people from both sides of the border giving the book a certain authenticity with a more unbiased point of view
3. The Writing --- the narration is a combination of memories, conversations and explanations which give the stories a more realistic feel and the reader feels more connected to the story
4. Story Endings --- this is a more personal liking than a general one, for I loved how each story ends with the story teller and their families reminiscing about the place they called home and all the memories from that time - I don't know if I make sense saying this but the end gave the feeling of incompleteness yet at the same time of a closure.
5. Chapter Lengths --- this is again a personal opinion, but for me, length of each chapter was perfect - neither short, nor too long - as if the each story teller decided and contributed to the length of the book. Nothing felt amiss from the chapters nor the chapters felt as if they have been stretched unnecessarily

WHAT I DISLIKED:

Another solid 5-star rated book for me, where I disliked N O T H I N G - yes I loved the book from start till end. 

THE VERDICT:

A beautifully written memoir and a must read for everyone for this book would open your eyes and show you the reality of the partition which isn't tempered to suit the politicians. And for people who were more closely affected by partition like my family who were in real sense refugees to begin with, this book will connect with you on multiple levels - at least it did with me. Read on and find for yourself.

READ, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR:

• A Powerful Read
• A Fast Paced Short Read
• A Brief Realistic Look into Partition of India