Midnight's Furies : The Deadly Legacy of India's Partition

Named one of the best books of 2015 by NPR, Amazon, Seattle Times , and Shelf Awareness A few bloody months in South Asia during the summer of 1947 explain the world that troubles us today. Nobody expected the liberation of India and birth of Pakistan to be so bloody — it was supposed to be an answer to the dreams of Muslims and Hindus who had been ruled by the British for centuries. Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi's protégé and the political leader of India, believed Indians were an inherently nonviolent, peaceful people. Pakistan's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was a secular lawyer, not a firebrand. But in August 1946, exactly a year before Independence, Calcutta erupted in street-gang fighting. A cycle of riots — targeting Hindus, then Muslims, then Sikhs — spiraled out of control. As the summer of 1947 approached, all three groups were heavily armed and on edge, and the British rushed to leave. Hell let loose. Trains... A “fast-moving and highly readable account” of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 and its lasting legacy in today’s geopolitical tensions (The New York Times). An NPR and Seattle Times Best Book of the Year Nobody expected the events of 1947 in Southeast Asia to be so bloody. The liberation of India and the birth of Pakistan were supposed to realize the dreams of Muslims and Hindus who had been ruled by the British for centuries. Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi’s protégé and the political leader of India, believed Indians were an inherently nonviolent, peaceful people. Pakistan’s founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was a secular lawyer, not a firebrand. In August 1946, exactly a year before Independence, Calcutta erupted in street-gang fighting. A cycle of riots—targeting Hindus, then Muslims, then Sikhs—spiraled out of control. As the summer of 1947 approached, all three groups were arming themselves as the British rushed to evacuate. Some of the most brutal and widespread ethnic cleansing in modern history erupted on both sides of the new border, searing a divide between India and Pakistan that remains a root cause of many evils. From jihadi terrorism to nuclear proliferation, the searing tale told in Midnight’s Furies explains all too many of the headlines we read today. Nobody expected the liberation of India and birth of Pakistan to be so bloody it was supposed to be an answer to the dreams of Muslims and Hindus who had been ruled by the British for centuries. Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhis protg and the political leader of India, believed Indians were an inherently nonviolent, peaceful people. Pakistans founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was a secular lawyer, not a firebrand. But in August 1946, exactly a year before Independence, Calcutta erupted in riots. A cycle of street-fighting targeting Hindus, then Muslims, then Sikhs spun out of control. As the summer of 1947 approached, all three groups were heavily armed and on edge, and the British rushed to leave. Hell let loose. Trains carried Muslims west and Hindus east to their slaughter. Some of the most brutal and widespread ethnic cleansing in modern history erupted on both sides of the new border, searing a divide between India and Pakistan that remains a root cause of many evils. From jihadi terrorism to nuclear proliferation, the searing tale told in Midnights Furies explains all too many of the headlines we read today. Describes how a cycle of rioting and violence leading up to the partition of India and birth of Pakistan resulted in brutal and widespread ethnic cleansing on both sides of the border, creating a divide between India and Pakistan that persists decades later. The Author Describes How A Few Bloody Months In South Asia During The Summer Of 1947—the Partition Of India, Which Led To The Creation Of Pakistan—largely Explain The World That Troubles Us Today. 25,000 First Printing. Illustrations. A train to Pakistan Fury Jinnah and Jawaharlal Madhouse "Pakistan Murdabad!" Indian summer Off the rails "Stop this madness" Ad hoc jihad Himalayan quagmire The last battle Deadly legacy. Like the Rape of Nanking, the partition of India was a dramatic, bloody crisis that remains a key historical faultline today