Hymns in Blood

 

"A wayward and stubborn lad whose failings far outweighed his virtues had become such an integral part of her consciousness! They were just a couple of kids playing hide-and-seek and messing around in the mud. When did this lovebug decide to establish its permanent residence in her heart?" - Naseem ponders over her feelings for Yusuf in this story.

Like Naseem, we readers wonder what made Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims who thrived in harmony butcher each other mercilessly even as independence from the British was turning into a reality. Men plundered, murdered and raped with an unprecedented vengeance and frenzy.

The author laments this loss of humanity, territorial unity and fraternal ties, a heavy price paid for freedom in his foreword to the book, one that clearly reveals his emotional angst, the deep hurt of a survivor of vicious times.

Set in a village Chakri, on the banks of river Soan, 30 miles from Rawalpindi, Hymns in Blood published in 1948, the author claims is neither entirely fiction nor a historic text, it's a story that flows between the two banks of imagination and reality.

"But there’s this funny thing about humans, old or young, educated or unlettered, all of them possess two strong emotions - love and hatred". And we see these two emotions in a maniacal tug of war in a small village in undivided Punjab as it slips from fun-filled Lohri celebrations to a blood soaked Holi in the year 1947.

Those who defend their vulnerable neighbors willing to risk their own lives are pitted against those who run amok like a rogue elephant when the bloodbath begins. The former are clearly outnumbered but their deeds are a testimony to the spirit of humanity which this novel pays a tribute to.

Despite the heavy subject, the book is a page-turner offering great insight into sights, sounds and flavors of rural Punjab. An informative afterword and dazzling translation by the author's grandson, Navdeep Suri allows an intimate connect.

An elegy for a divided land & broken relationships, Hymns in Blood is classic from the father of the Punjabi novel.

Had I read this book before Amit Majumdar's The Map and The Scissors, I would have believed existence of communal harmony as an absolute truth, tampered by divisive British politics or thwarted by a single leader's obstinacy. The foreword in Hymns in Blood suggests something similar. But there have been many disruptions to communal amity in decades before Indian independence. Even The Map and the Scissors doesn't entirely detail these episodes but provides ample pointers for further reading and research. Therefore, Nanak Singh's Hymns in Blood is to be read from an emotional perspective rather than a politically or historically accurate point of view. It serves as a reminder of how sectarian violence/communal discord shatters lives irreparably and leaves an indelible scar for generations. Khoon De Sohile (translated as Hymns in Blood) has a sequel Agg di Khed, which will soon be released as A Game of Fire, translated by Navdeep Suri and published by Harper Collins. Definitely looking forward to read it too!