South Asia: From Freedom to Terrorism

“At the beginning of the momentous 20th century”, says the author, “the Indian sub-continent was the coveted paradise of the world’s imperial regime…. In a relatively short time span of about 50 years since the empire folded up, it has turned into a land of unceasing turbulence, terror and blood-spilling.” How came what was once the ‘Jewel in the Crown’ of Britain, the most peaceful colonial territory in the world has turned into the sub-continent of violence, blood and tears par excellence? The book tells the tale of this sordid transformation of South Asia steadily, inexorably, bit by bit, with gripping accounts of events and happenings in course of the last half century. It also seeks to explore the reasons. Touching briefly upon the true story of the ‘Quit India’ movement of August 1942, in which the author himself was a young participant, the book goes on to narrate in a capsule the marathon negotiations among the Congress, Muslim League and the British, with illuminating characterization of the principal dramatis personae, which brought about the independence of India and Pakistan on 15th August, 1947. In the process, it vividly captures the varying moods, aspirations, dreams and nightmares of the people of the sub-continent during those tempestuous years in the run up to independence and immediately after its attainment. As such it becomes a compulsory reading for the post-independence generations of readers who were not around in those stirring times. The book ends with a new vision and a stirring call to the people of South Asia. Says the author: “India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are natural allies. They cannot wish away geography even if they wanted to. They have already wasted 50 precious years beating about the bush, seeing enemies in friends, fighting phantoms and ghosts… the incoming century beckons them to make a new start, to embark on a new course based on peace not conflict, dialogue not confrontation, and whole-hearted economic cooperation to bring up their people in the modern age.”