Amritsar to Lahore: A Journey Across the India-Pakistan Border
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.28 (529 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0812217438 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 224 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2017-04-13 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Stephen Alter is Writer-in-Residence in the Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An accomplished writer in both fiction and nonfiction, he is the author of four novels and the memoir All the Way to Heaven: An American Boyhood in the Himalayas.
In candid conversation, the older generation who lived through the events of 1947 shared their memories and opinions of that pivotal moment of Partition, while youths who have inherited the fragments of that past reflected upon the meaning of national identity. Arbitrary borders that have profoundly affected the recent history of the subcontinent were drawn upon the map of India. The hatreds created by what was one of the largest mass migrations in history only exacerbated the religious tensions that originally led to Partition. "During the course of my journey, many of the people I met in Pakistan and India expressed a curious combination of affection, indifference, and animosity toward their neighbors across the border. He recalls the Muslim taxi driver who recognizes an air of confidence with which men in Pakistan walk the streets dressed in salwar kameez; the brigadier who saved the brass insignia of the British crown from Lord Mountbatten's Rolls Royce; gold merchants, customs officers, fellow travelers, musicians, and many others. A third-generation American in India, where he has spent much of his life, Alter reflects intimately upon India's past and present as a special observer, both insider and outsider. In an engaging account of peoples and places, Alter documents in evocative detail his meetings with varied individuals. His meaningful encounters with people on his journey illustrate the
Amazon Customer said Five Stars. arrive on time and is a good book. Unified India - a mythical homeland! Roman Nies The author, born in the region, travels across the borders of India and Pakistan, following the traces of the partition. New Delhi, Mussoorie, Amritsar, Wagha, Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Muree and Atari, Khyber pass and Grand trunk road are his stages. He teaches a history lesson with no real new recognition, but deplorable irreversible f. Five Stars Amazon Customer well researched and written, clearly knowledge of the language and culture was essential. I went to Woodstock School also.
"Combines evocative detail with compelling reflection."—Times Literary Supplement