See the partition of India through eyes of 12-year-old girl
What could have India's partition meant to a 12-year-old girl who had a Hindu father and Muslim mother? Nisha's letters to her mother in her journal give a poignant insight into what went through her mind during troubled times. Veera Hiranandani's novel, "The Night Diary", published by Penguin, is about a fictional character Nisha, forced to flee her childhood home during the partition.
Nisha receives a journal on 12th birthday to record thoughts
On the eve of her 12th birthday, Nisha receives a journal to record thoughts she can never seem to say aloud as she starts to see the world through older eyes. But it's not just Nisha who's changing. She doesn't even recognize her country anymore.
During partition, many people are killed while crossing border
In the book, it's 1947, and India, newly freed from British rule, is divided. Many people are killed while crossing borders as tensions among Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and others flare. Nisha does not know which side she's supposed to be on or why she has to choose. After losing her mother, who dies giving birth, she can't imagine losing her homeland, too.
Why did Nisha and her family become refugees?
Nisha's father is Hindu and says it's no longer safe for them to stay in Pakistan. And so Nisha and her family become refugees and embark on a dangerous journey. In her letter of August 15, 1947, Nisha writes, "So as of today, the ground I'm standing on is not India anymore. We're supposed to leave and find a new home."
Fictional family depicted in the novel based on Hiranandani's father
Author Veera Hiranandani says, "The fictional family depicted in this novel and their experiences are loosely based on my father's side of the family." Hiranandani's father, with his parents and siblings, had to travel across the border from Mirpur Khas to Jodhpur just like the main character, Nisha, does. Nisha embarks first by train but later on foot to reach her new home.
My father's family made journey safely, but lost home: Hiranandani
"My father's family made the journey safely, but lost their home... and had to start over in an unfamiliar place as refugees. I wanted to understand more about what my relatives went through which is a big reason why I wrote this book," Hiranandani says. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous. But, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together.
Story is a combination of known history, imagined scenarios: Hiranandani
Hiranandani, who teaches creative writing at New York's Sarah Lawrence College's Writing Institute, says, "This story is a combination of known history and imagined scenarios to create one possible story that could have taken place at this time."
