I think, it was Tan's post on this blog itself, Republic Day Event, where this question was raised. My answer. YES. we need communal parties even in Independent, Secular India. Now let me take you, back to events before 1947. When India was a colony of the British Empire. The congress party, in its attempt to gain momentum for the independence movement, heavily used Hinduism, an example of which is the famous Ganesh Utsav held in Mumbai every year. Who complains? No one. But at that time, due to various policies of the congress, Muslims started feeling alienated. Jinnah, in these times, got stubborn over the need of Pakistan and he did find a lot of supporters. Congress, up till late 1940's never got bothered by it. And why should we? Who complains? No one. But there were repercussions. The way people were butchered and slaughtered during that brief time when India got partitioned, was even worse than a civil war scenario. All in the name of religion. And there indeed
This book was an enjoyable read. I like to read about real people and real experiences and if one can put it all together in an interesting way, there is a good book. So, that is exactly Ruskin Bond's friends in small places. is an Indian author of British descent. 'N it's all about his life experiences in India. This book is arranged in various small chapters some of which is extracted from his other books. Conclusion? Good book, if you like real stories
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