Is it possible to disintegrate and isolate memories from a person? Well, the functioning of cerebral matter takes care of our body; a machine which operates seamlessly, however the mind is the intangible part, call it consciousness, the bearer of reasoning and emotions where all the memories are archived. Unless the brain’s capability and proficiency to execute the basic functions is impeded or impaired for various reasons known to medicine, it’s difficult to separate a man from his memories.
A man without memories is like fish out of water, a mere body just performing it’s day to day functions; lifeless and hollow. A nostalgic fervor sets in when one reads this book. It takes us down memory lane, a time of mass exodus during a poignant and historical separation of India. The author has created a chronological data of events in association with objects and paraphernalia that people immediately affected by the partition carried with them during mass migration.
The essence of the book lies in its vulnerability, in it’s ability to capture raw emotions of the people who reminisce a past long forgotten. A land which nurtured their dreams, a place they called home, that they had to leave overnight to save their lives, faded memories brought back to life by touching those tangible objects, the only objects they could carry with them to a new land, with only hope for survival and no future to think of. It’s heart wrenching to read their experiences and even more difficult to imagine the pain and anguish they must have been through.
The author has done a commendable job of bridging the past to the present with finesse. I will definitely recommend this book to everyone.