The Soul of India

De: Lopa Mukherjee

Narrado por: Lopa Mukherjee

Duración: 12 h y 4 m

Resumen del Editor

The Soul of India is a historical fiction on post-colonial India. It explores ways in which the Indian subcontinent can repair its geo-political fragmentation - which is primarily a result of the political construct of Hindu-Muslim conflict.

When India won independence from her colonial ruler, she won it only partially. She was partitioned in two, on religious grounds. And later one of her parts was partitioned, on the basis of language. This is the story of the political and geographical entities we know as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. What about the nation that held all these three people together? Is a nation distinct from a country? Can the nation of India be different from the geopolitical India? Does a nation have a soul, like a person? Is a culture defined by religion, language, custom, history...?

There was a time when India was proud to be a refuge for all persecuted religions of the world. And yet today her tolerance is at stake, her hospitality has narrowed, and she is fighting battles of trust with her other selves. Western colonists and Muslim conquerers are compared against the original inhabitants of the land and both are found be equal foes, although the one used the land as a source of labour and raw materials, whereas the other made it their home and blended in.

Today the fundamental values that made India survive years of debasement at the hands of exploitative rulers is being undermined. Why is there a section of Hindus in India who feel threatened by Muslims and Christians? What is the Indian culture, what’s in, what’s out? Can Indian culture survive this phase of fundamentalism? What is the mission of the soul of India? Will she be able to accomplish her mission with her body in three parts?

This novel asks important questions that are as relevant today as they were in 1947. The characters in the novel are integration activists who navigate through the many events that divide India, and realize there is much more that is common among the people of the three countries than are dissimilar. Diversity means difference, but not disunity. And diversity gives richness to a culture. Diversity makes it survive and thrive. If only the peoples of the three countries would focus on all that unites them, the Indian subcontinent would have a different future. This hope is the inspiration behind this historical fiction.

©2021 Lopa Mukherjee (P)2022 Lopa Mukherjee