Train To Pakistan

The story of Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh dates back to partition time. It is a fiction revolving around the village of Mano Majra where people are not clearly aware of the happenings in India, of how no part of the country has been spared of Hindu-Muslim hatred. The villagers are ignorant, perhaps, because they never thought of Hindus and Muslims any different from each other. In short, Mano Majra was a cultural paradise where people were religious but not religious fanatics.

The book which starts with illegitimate sex (a Khushwant Singh typecast) and ends with illegitimate death has everything - from love to hatred, from religion to atheism, from peace to riots, from life to death. There are certain instances where one would feel pukish. The writing style is purely Indian, in fact to be very precise it is typical Khushwant Singh types. 

More than the plot (since, the title of the book gives away the hint of the story), it is the characters that are interesting, especially one Iqbal who adds a little urban style to the simple, unstylish Indian lifestyle. The hallmark of the book is its insight into normal lives of Hindus and Muslims  who were  victims of circumstances and the fact that partition was the biggest tragedy in the history of India.

Yes, the book was released decades ago a little later after the separation movement but even today it remains one of the best by any Indian writers. For youth who wants to know what and how the scene was in 1947, this fiction story could throw light on the sufferings that both Hindus and Muslims underwent. The lines and thoughts are interlaced andthus provides a free flow of the plot.