Independence Day Book Reccos: Pramod Grover's 'The Saga of Parvati: From Lahore to New Delhi' is a fascinating account of a real-life story of Gulzari and Parvati's marriage in Lahore and how they are forced to abandon their home and fly to begin a new life in Delhi. Interesting tidbits of information about the pre-Independence period in Lahore are in the story. For instance, well-to-do women used to buy fine shahtoosh and jamawaar shawls, that are currently worth at least five lakh rupees each!
And one tola of gold back then was worth Rs 50/- and now just compare and calculate the price today!
Racing through a swanky and luxurious lifestyle, the Indian family falls apart as they swerve ahead to crash into a dire situation of bankruptcy. Had they exercised some prudence over such reckless spending, they may have still survived the odds.
The narrative shows the cultural nuances of the pre-Partition period through the story narrative itself; such as how conservative well-to-do Punjabi families were in Lahore. However, they tried to imitate British style and manners while socialising and mostly send their children to England to study.
As the mother bitterly tells her daughter, "..you can't lead the life of an aristocrat if you live beyond your means..."
This is a book which takes you through a whirlwind romance between a rich couple whose families are aristocratic and steeped in royalty. A quaint charm envelopes the courting style that was present among the aristocrats during the pre-Partition days.
However, as the horrific accounts of bloodshed, violence and mass rapes pour forth, the grim reality sets in.
What about the couple's love for each other?
Can it withstand these sweeping changes in their life?
What about their clandestine relationships they later find themselves trapped in?
For mother and daughter, '...the graph of relationships always jumped up and plunged down steadily for them."
The book offers a fascinating glimpse of the lives of the rich in newly Independent India.
That an Indian mother, in her fifties, is enjoying her drinks and a clandestine relationship is sensitively portrayed in the book. That she reveals the details of her romance to her daughter makes it even more interesting as the cultural chasm between the two generations seem apparent, yet strangely reversed.
However, the constant bickering between the mother and daughter and the continuous interruptions of their banter throughout the book pose a splinter in terms of a reader's experience of continuity.
So should you read this book? Yes, you should! [Subscribe to my NEW newsletter]
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