Life in Sialkot goes on with a hum, until the fateful news arrives, like smoke it lingers and begins to settle into homes that have sheltered generations. Within days reality dawns, terrible passions are unleashed, and lives are rent asunder. In Chaman Nahal's intense novel one encounters the full force of the great tragedy of Partition.
It was almost 6 years back that I read Azadi. It made such an impact, that I had to order it and make it a prized possession in my library. The author has very well narrated the episode capturing every minor detail with utmost precession. Azadi is a gripping story about partition and how it affected the common man. We all have grown up listening to these stories, however reading a common man’s agony and how the partition killed the man mentally and emotionally, is something a book lover would...
Chaman Nahal’s “Azadi’ is a moving and heart breaking story of the seven west Punjabi families, who were deeply affected by the partition. The novel is divided into three parts they are 1.)lull 2). The storm 3). The aftermath. In the second part there is heart -rending graphic description of riots and annihilation of Hindu families in Sialkot Lala Kanshiram, a central character, an epitome of humanity, had respect for the British , as they had brought peace to the war torn la...