Midnight's Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India's Partition 1st Edition

Very rarely does a person find a book that can physically make a person feel the emotion of a story. Midnight’s Furies by Nisid Hajari is one of those rare books. One escapes Midnight’s Furies pondering what a waste sixty years of violence between India and Pakistan seems to be. None of this had to happen.Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs had lived in relative harmony for decades during British rule in India, but a combination of mistrust, misperception, and hatred among the future leaders of India and Pakistan coupled with a series of violently interconnected insurgencies set the stage for the partition violence that set India-Pakistan relations on the perilous course they continue to be on today.It’s a beautifully written book with a marvelous pacing and tone. I as the reader felt like an intimate of Jinnah or Nehru or like I was watching the riots and violence unfold directly in front of my eyes. It also the rare book that can make a reader wish somehow that a work of history where the ending is pretty much settled could somehow have a different ending like if someone had dared to do one thing different, maybe there could’ve been peace.

"Midnight's Furies" by Nisid Hajari really gets your attention. His all-inclusive report of events occurring prior to and after India's partitioning disclosed viewpoints of the separation that may not be universally known. It was surprising to learn of Mahatma Gandhi's pivotal role in partitioning discussions moreover acknowledging his continuing mantra for an independent India. A well-written book.For centuries, Hindus and Muslims lived among each other with little or no violence. What could have possibly created the chasm between the two religious groups that caused the terror. From all accounts, The British Raj: During the colonial era, it was suggested Muslims create an opposition to the Hindu-controlled "Indian National Congress." The outcome was the "Muslim League".The leaders of the "League" and "Congress" iterated caustic and existential remarks as they vied to determine who would rule India after Independence.The tensions led to bloodbaths and random massacres the British forces could not control. The Viceroy attempted to assuage the disagreements; however, the atmosphere was a harbinger that went unnoticed until it was too late. The unraveling of centuries-old British imperial policies initiated tribal warfares, sectarian disputes, and quasi-independent states tethered to "Mother England" creating instability in the international community.A pyrrhic victory? Some will ask: did the leaders of the Muslim League accomplish their goals to form an independent state? "Pakistan is a Hard Country," wrote Anatol Lieven. Today, after sixty-eight years of independence, there are as many Muslims in India as in Pakistan.This book is a history lesson of the past that continues to live in the present. Hajari does not distort the facts. His excellent research and analysis revealed an objective account of the geopolitical quagmire involving the partitioning and the scope of fatalities that staggers the imagination.Bruce E. McLeod, Jr.Las Vegas, Nevada12 July 2015

Old Memories refreshed. I was ten when we moved from Karachi to Lahore and finally to Amritsar on the 10th of August 1947 by 9:30 am train. Memories of dozens of dead bodies along the railway track are as fresh as this morning; all Hindus travelling to India by the 8:00 am train from Lahore were killed. We were lucky we missed that departure by the extended farewell ceremonies for my father at the Lahore train station. What Mr Hajari has presented is vividly true. I am minimally familiar with the politik of the creation of Pakistan. Irrespecive of Nasid's blood and origin, the book is very well researched, documented and accurate. Although the last part is hurried but it only minimally relevant to the Book.

I couldn't put this book down. The author brings to life the key actors in this most dramatic and tragic chapters of human history. The author helped me (a white, male, Brit) understand how the Indian sub-continent came to take the divided form it does today with all its anomalies e.g. Kashmir, and engendered a desire to find out more e.g. about modern day Bangladesh. The book also details the central but dubious role played by the UK in facilitating the divisions which beset the sub-continent today. A fascinating and deeply moving read.

Well researched and very well narrated, this book walks the tightrope of keeping an objective middle ground between two classic warring parties of Hindus and Sikhs versus Muslims successfully, while avoiding the pitfalls of expressing personal bias, although this must have been very tempting. After reading Midnights Furies it will become apparent why the prejudices between Hindus and muslims linger on and on, while there is no sight of any settlement in the Kashmir issue. Very well worth reading to gain insight into one of the worst episodes of mass carnage the world has ever seen.

Tells an excruciatingly painful story not just through the eyes of the big players, Nehru, Jinnah, Gandhi, Mountbatten but from the point of view of the hundreds of thousand of innocent victims of the roaming vicious sectarian murder gangs. A chilling example of how circumstances and the wrong political decisions can create a tsunami which can literally sweep nearly a million away. This is a monumental area of history about which I previously knew very little. Hajari has whetted my appetite for more.

By far the best book I've read on partition. Very nuanced and well written account. However, for a book that says it is looking to analyse partitions affect on contemporary Indian-Pakistani relations, it could explore this a bit further. It hints to future animosities without anecdotally or analytically exploring any of these. Would highly recommend this book, but am only giving it four star because I don't feel it accurately portrays itself.

I've only just started reading this and its so gripping! You will definitely learn something here and be prepared to be infuriated at the history. Regardless of your background, its worth reading and understanding how the impact of these events are still with us today.