Farrukh Jamal’s reflections on the diaspora of Indian Muslims migrating to other countries provide an honest and deeply emotional account from her heart. Growing up in India, she somehow fails to recall the fond memories created during her time there. The sights and sounds of her childhood in the country are now lost in the wilderness of time, leaving her with a yearning to reconnect with the bustling place she once called home. While India, her country of birth, still exists, the bond with it seems to have loosened over time.
As a child, Farrukh emulated the adults in her family. She cherished the family bonds, especially with her parents and her simpleton grandmother, who, despite not knowing much English, spent her time praying and sharing her views on home discussions. Farrukh recounts a day at school when her teachers discussed war, profoundly impacting her young mind. The concept of war and the resulting deaths were a horrifying ordeal for her to grasp. The only death Farrukh experienced was when she was five or six years old, bidding farewell to her two-year-old sister.
During her early years, Farrukh experienced the war between India and Pakistan. Her grandmother anxiously awaited the newspaper for war updates. Farrukh’s family was relieved when the Urdu newspaper didn’t arrive, not wanting Grandma to feel the pain by reading about it. Grandma had her own story, including gory details from when the British divided the subcontinent. This resulted in her saying goodbye to her daughter, who had settled in Pakistan, while Grandma remained in India.
Farrukh shares the memories her Grandma had for her daughter and their last visit to India, including accounts of bloodshed and tears during the Partition. Writing this book, Farrukh may have relived the trauma her family and ancestors went through, feeling the same anguish, pain, misery, and tears when leaving their birth country or bidding farewell to loved ones who moved to Pakistan.
One of Farrukh’s aunts, her father’s sister, also moved to Pakistan, impacting Farrukh and her Grandma. Farrukh commends her aunt’s bravery in leaving India and settling in Pakistan despite the new country’s precarious position. After her aunt’s migration, she was referred to as the “foreign aunt,” a term Farrukh’s Grandma found absurd and banned at home. She didn’t accept Farrukh’s aunt as foreign just because she had to use a passport to travel.
Farrukh also shares her school life and the day she graduated. Her Grandma was relieved as she didn’t approve of the English-medium syllabus. Starting college, Farrukh reunited with friends from school whose families relocated, and this joyous moment marked their transition into adulthood. Farrukh, desiring to continue her studies after marriage, was fortunate to meet a life partner, Ejaz, who shared the same thoughts.
This memoir is written with simplicity and a profound objective — to share Farrukh’s thoughts, experiences, and insights with readers, especially those who have undergone the pain of loss, sacrifice, and letting go of their past. Her writing style is open and direct, building up the zenith for each chapter, welcoming readers into her life, and introducing them to her parents, family, and friends. Through her words, Farrukh hopes to provide solace to those experiencing the ordeal of relocation.
Encapsulating the perspective that impacts those Muslims who were alive before the Partition, the book is a memoir of love, longing, separation, and finding one’s identity amidst the chaos of life, primarily when representing a minority and the diaspora becomes synonymous with one’s existence.
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