Book Review
By Harsh Vardhan Shringla
“Liminal Tides” by Soumitra Banerji
The word ‘liminal’ refers to transition, a space in between two states of being, unsettled or borderline. That may seem a vague reference or even surreal but applied to the times just ahead of and around the Partition of the Indian Subcontinent, the word acquires new meaning.
Soumitra Banerji’s book, “Liminal Tides”, narrates the stories of three families — the Bandhopadhyas, Rawats, and Khannas – in the years just preceding the partition of the Indian subcontinent. The book centres around how “liminal tides” emanating from events set in motion by the Partition impact the three families—each facing an upheaval as they are forced to live through violent and tempestuous times.
The book tackles a difficult subject – that of the Partition of the Subcontinent – which has been tackled many times before. But, yet, there is a freshness to Banerji’s writing – perhaps mainly because, despite all the darkness and horror surrounding the Partition, the author chooses to thread his story with hope and positivity.
And perhaps it’s also a timely book – a reminder of our past as we look forward towards Viksit Bharat in 2047.
The opening chapters establish the milieu besides introducing readers to the urbane world of the Bandhopadhyas, the upper crust of Indian society in Meerut, in pre-partition India. The family is part of the freedom struggle and close to Rabindra Nath Tagore.
There are also the Rawats — the first family in rural Gawana in Pauri Garhwal. Thakur Pran Singh Rawat is the village Pradhan, whose anointment is endorsed by the British rulers. But he, like many of his peers, longs for an independent India that — “they all deserved to call it their motherland and mold it the way they wanted to—create wealth in it and generate prosperity for themselves and all fellow Indians. What would be the expanse of India, what would be its boundaries, was something the Pradhan could not quantify. However, he knew it would be huge, with people of all races, religions, and creeds residing within its embrace. He knew it would be a welcoming nation, governed by Hindu philosophy, open to and respecting all religions as its own.”
Coincidentally, the Bandhopadhyas and Rawats each welcome new generations soon after the book opens – whose lives intersect as the story unfolds.
The Khannas hail from Sialkot, where they have a flourishing business, making sports equipment. Tragically, the Partition forces the family to uproot itself, move to India in groups that have no contact with each other. How Khannas re-unite and restart life yet again, their struggles and the hand of destiny and fate has been very poignantly woven.
The language is powerful and very readable; the detailing of lives of the three families, their distinct lifestyles and cultures very real and immaculate.
“The Bandhopadhyays had ventured out from Bengal a long time ago to seek greener pastures and had worked their way up to where they presently were…in a position to support an ecosystem in their adopted region.
“The Rawats, and many like them, were venturing out of Garhwal in search of jobs and money to support their families and villages.
“The Khannas, and so many from their displaced society, were virtually threatened out of their businesses, homes, and comfort to drift into the uncertainty of a new country…”
The hopes, aspirations, uncertainties, the sense of foreboding and sudden unravelling and descent into chaos of mundane everyday lives are amazingly captured through the lives and sentiments of the characters.
Anyone who has lived through or heard any personal account of the Partition will immediately see a parallel or reflection of their journeys in Banerji’s story. Freedom may have arrived at midnight of 15 August 1947, but for millions of people it meant journeying into the unknown with many not making it alive. Those that did had horrific scars. The unpreparedness of the administrations of the newly born countries comes out stark as does the frailty of authority figures who demand a price for security and safety of passage and personal well-being in those tumultuous times.
The book ends with the sons from the three families coming into contact thanks to a benefactor. The new generation that the book started with comes of age; as at the start of the book there was a soiree to celebrate the birth of a new generation, it is a party that brings them together where they discover how they are connected.
(The author is ex-Foreign Secretary, Government of India)
