FREEDOM AT MIDNIGHT – PART 2
This is a follow-up of my write-up on Freedom at Midnight by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins. In the earlier version, I had reviewed the part of the book that covers period till August – September 1947 i.e. till Independence Day.
This part concerns itself with the rest of the book, especially Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The part of the book dealing with the riots has purposely been left un-reviewed, as it is too hot and controversial a topic. Secondly, I do not feel I have enough precise knowledge to even look at that aspect – so I ask all the readers to bear with me on this point.
MAHATMA GANDHI
Mahatma Gandhi… the name is drilled into our head, our consciousness, our entire being since the beginning of schooling. Mahatma Gandhi… a great man, we are told. Mahatma Gandhi… the man who got us independence, we are told. Mahatma Gandhi… the man who defied the British, we are told. Mahatma Gandhi… the man who gave us Dandi Salt March, Quit India, Round Table, Fast Unto Death we are told.
It is a matter of deep chagrin and discomfort that we are told little about the man himself, about how he wrought what he did, about his qualities, his frailties, his charisma. Our history is replete with stories about him… but none come close to giving us an understanding of the Phenomenon of Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. And this is where this book scores – despite its obvious pro-British bias and almost scandalous aspersions on various aspects of India.
From the first page of the book to the last, the shadow of Mahatma Gandhi prevails on each and every page. Saying any more would be sacrilege – as I would very much prefer that each one of you Indians read for yourself and discover the facts. That is the redeeming point of the book. On the negative side, you have an imposing Mr. Louie Mountbatten{I’ll be damned if I call him Lord. It is not an Indian award!} being presented as something of a cross of Moses, Jesus Christ, Manu, Chanakya and Bismark all rolled into one invincible person. On the other side, you have Mahatma Gandhi – the Phenomenon.
The book delves into great detail about Mahatma Gandhi, his qualities, his specialties, his frailties and his style of operation. It gives the reader a fabulous insight into the man – which makes it a must read for all Indians, in my opinion for what it is worth! It delves with the amazing control he had over the Indian masses, their devotion for him, his regard for them and his control over them. It gives the reader some idea about how he became what he was.
It also tells a story of increasing distances between The Mahatma and his protégés in later years in his life. The way the rift begins, and his increasing isolation are very convincingly covered. While most of these aspects are known to us, the presentation highlights the increasing isolation of India’s first son, and has been presented very painfully. It will bring a lump in your throat as well as a bit of anger at both The Mahatma as well as his protégés. Now that is some feat by the authors!
THE ASSASINATION
Of equal weightage is the detailed treatment of the plot to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi – how it was planned, the obstacles, the modus operandi, the motives, the main players, the actual execution, the investigation and the final result. This is given good exposure in the book, and gives us an insight into one of the closed chapters of our history. I will not say more: read the book for details!
The most interesting part of this section of the book is that the main players have been extensively interviewed by the authors, which lends authenticity to the overall scenario. The detail provided is indeed exceptional, and makes for an enthralling read. Here, the authors are in their element.
KASHMIR
In one phrase: Read the book. Here the bias, while detectable, is minimal in both volume as well as scope! I repeat: read the book. It gives a blow-by-blow account of the Kashmir problem, its genesis, its development, its start.
THE DIVISION OF INDIA
The actual act of drawing the boundary between the two new nations has been gone into in considerable detail, Not only that, a poignant picture has been quite successfully created by the authors that tends to give an overall picture of the impossible task before the map-maker. This whole part is dealt with very well, and gives us a glance at the hidden part of our independence story, as no history book has given in any detail about this aspect of the Independence saga. All our books are largely silent on this one!
THE CONCLUSION
The writing style of the authors, at least, holds true: a story told through the eyes of one unconventional unknown player. In “Is Paris Burning” it was Von Choltitz. In this book it is Louie Mountbatten! The book also holds your attention from the first page to the last. It reveal unknown aspects of history, it reveals characters, brings the reader closer to household names of the Indian Panorama, it delves into unexplored and/or untold parts of history. It is well-researched, although glancing through the references consulted by the authors’ does leave the reader with a desire that more Indian sources were consulted!
There are glaring shortcomings in the book which can’t be neglected, and which make the whole effort seem half-cooked and ignorable. This is one of those books wherein it is impossible to firmly state that the positives out-weigh the negatives OR vice –versa.
BUT…
We can look at the book 2 ways: Firstly, we can reject it as a ridiculous bit of biased writing – a statement which is entirely justified in light of the Authors’ ignorance of various issues as well as biased viewpoint. This however means that we miss out on the positives, in which this book also abounds. Secondly, we can choose to ignore and close our minds to the shortcomings, and absorb the positives present in the book.
This reviewer is not going to be so presumptuous as to give a dictat on whether to read or not to read. That is an individual decision for all of you. I chose to read it – simple as that. The rest is up to all of you!