Author Veera Hiranandani whose latest book The Night Diary is about Partition and how children dealt with the issue tells Deebashree Mohanty that it’s up to our generation to ensure we don’t forget what happened and learn from it. Excerpts from an interview...
Subjects like Partition and religious conflicts can be tricky for young readers. Do you agree?
I think many young readers are hungry to explore more complex topics and want to understand the world on a deeper level. I knew there was no way I could write a book about Partition and not include some of the violence; and I really wanted the younger generation to have access to it. I tried to strike a balance between what a young reader could handle and the truth of history.
As far as religious conflicts go, the more young people can learn about what can happen when different religions turn against each other, or the danger zones where hate and fear are created, perhaps they will be kinder, more peaceful, and open-minded as adults.
‘The Night Diary’ was inspired in part by your father’s experience during Partition. Can you elaborate about his experiences?
My father was nine when he and his family had to leave his home in Mirpur Khas, Pakistan and cross the new border of India into Jodphur. They all stayed in a small flat in Jodhpur and then a year or so later, moved to Bombay. My father remembers not fully understanding what was happening, being confused and scared, but trusting adults around him. That’s what stuck with me, that vulnerability of young people in any kind of difficult situation.
They have no choice, often, but to trust adults around them even if they are put in harm’s way. I thought about all the children making this journey and how some suffered in unimaginable ways.
Why did you feel this was an appropriate time to share the story?
It connects to some of the problems the current world is facing today, like the global refugee crisis, or ongoing issues of divisiveness and xenophobia. But those connections weren’t the main reason I wanted to write the story at this moment.
Partition is often left out of history books. What is the reason?
In my experience growing up in the US, most details about Partition were not discussed in history books. That was part of the reason I wanted to write the book – so more people would know about the magnitude of this piece of history and the loss and displacement because of it. The statistics of loss surrounding this time are hard to accept, but it happened, and the generation which lived through it is in their last decades of life. I believe it’s up to my generation to preserve this history, so we don’t forget what happened and keep learning from it.
How much of your own experience do you see in your characters’ stories?
Like Nisha, I also had questions about the world around me and didn’t always feel brave enough to ask them. Growing up wasn’t always easy. My mother is Jewish-American, my father is from a Hindu family in India. But coming from two cultures and not always fitting in has probably made me a stronger person.
Character sketch
Why did you chose to tell the story through Nisha and her journals? A diary is very intimate, it’s like being let in on a secret for the reader. I think that feels intriguing, but also safer for young readers. I also believed it could be a powerful experience for the reader to watch Nisha understand herself in an entirely new way.
Nisha expresses herself through food. Why did you give food such a large focus in the story? I enjoy eating and cooking. When I was growing up, food was a subject I could connect to on both sides of my family. Sometimes when I was with my mother’s side of the family, I didn’t feel Jewish “enough”; on my father’s side I didn’t feel Hindu or Indian “enough,” but eating and cooking the traditional cultural dishes I grew up with was a comfort zone for me, a place where I didn’t feel on the outside of things.
Lesson For All
What is the takeaway for your readers from Nisha’s story?
Nisha doesn’t know how brave she is. She finds the strength to keep that sense of hope as she writes in her diary at night and rises each morning to face her world and move forward. We all face obstacles every day. To be brave enough to keep going, stay hopeful, loving, and open-minded, is a courageous act. I see that energy all around me, especially among our younger generation, and it gives me a lot of hope.
Thoughts and Comments?