“INDIA WAS ONE”
by an Indian
REVIEWED BY: David Fritz
OVERVIEW
...Suddenly, he saw something
shiny at the bottom of the abyss. He squinted his eyes to see what it was. He
ran back to his binoculars and turned them to see what it was. Sharp barbed
wires that separated the two mountains came into focus. He had come as far as
he could in his country. But she was standing in another country. He was in
South India and she was in North India... Have you ever imagined India being
divided into two countries? What happens to the millions of Indians who are
from South India but are now residing in North India? Kaahi & Jai were two
such people who got trapped in this situation. Everything was going smoothly
for them and suddenly, their world turned upside down. How will they get
together? Will India become one again? Take an exciting journey with them from their
college days in Mumbai to their life in the US and back to India when they find
out that India is divided.
REVIEW
When I was asked to review this book I was a bit sceptical, not because
of the book itself, but because this is totally outside of my regular
reading genres. I personally hate anything with politics in it, so I felt
a bit dubious.
But I either do something thoroughly, or not at all. So, having
committed to the task I closed my eyes and dived in.
And what a pleasant read it was!
First we meet Jai and his friends Bunty, Subra and Punk in college
in Mumbai. Then a beautiful girl, Kaahi, also joins the college and she
becomes part of Jai's circle of friends when Bunty rescues her from the
clutches of a sleazy senior who was forcing unwelcome attentions on her.
From day one Jai falls in love with Kaahi and gradually their friendship
grows into a relationship, ending in marriage. They honeymoon in Rajasthan,
then return to Mumbai to settle into married life and Jai starts working in
his father's business.
The couple relocates to the United States, where Jai has to manage the
American office of his father's business.
The transition is difficult for them both, but especially for Kaahi,
who has to cope in a foreign country, with no family support at hand. They
spend their weekends site seeing and get to know all the great cities near
Los Angeles, where they live and work. A year or so later their travel dreams
are fulfilled, when they tour Europe.
Then disaster strikes. There is civil unrest in India, so bad that the
country is "divided" into a southern and northern state, and each
person is required to move back to his/her town/city of origin! There is a
total communication block-out, so the only way to make contact with their
families is to go to India. But this poses a problem, as Kaahi's parents
originally come from the north while Jai's family are from the south.
When going to check on the welfare of their families they have to split
up. To further complicate matters there is a rule: you can fly in, but once in,
you can't leave. So Jai and Kaahi are split, in their quests to seek out their parents.
Will they ever see each other again? How and when?
I won't give away the story, but now it's all up to Bunty to help the
two get together again.
This is a delightful story of love and friendship, playing off over
three continents and several years. It's an easy read, and although
politics enter and play a large role at the climax of the story, even I – as
one who hates politics, did not find it over dramatised.
DAVID’S star rating:
4/5
READ more REVIEWS at:
“India
Was One” by An Indian, received 10
reviews on GoodReads. Read it here – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11023399-india-was-one
PURCHASE LINKS:
Barnes & Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/india-was-one-an-indian/1030571997?ean=9781450543330&itm=1&usri=india+was+one
SmashWords – www.smashwords.com/books/view/50497
Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/India-Was-One-Indian/dp/1450543332/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323472858&sr=1-1
“INDIA WAS ONE” on FACEBOOK:
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