Midnight's Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India's Partition Paperback – Illustrated, June 21, 2016

The Indian subcontinent had spent roughly 200 years under British rule when World War II approached and the desires for independence began to emerge with great vigor (the British East India company had ruled from about 1757 to 1858, followed by the British Raj where the British Crown ruled the subcontinent, from 1858 until the independence of Pakistan and India).As the conflicts in Europe flared into full-scale war, the British Army made use of Indian troops (India at this time referring to the entire country as then defined). Those troops fought alongside Britains own soldiers in battle, while on the subcontinent the two movements that would develop into the driving forces behind independence - the Indian National Congress, and the Muslim League - gained strength. Britain needed that support from India, but also saw that independence was inevitable as soon as the war ended.The Muslim league was led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the Indian National Congress was led by Jawaharlal Nehru with support and spiritual backing from Mahatma Gandhi. A great number of other leaders and key personalities also played major roles in the development of the independence movements and the subsequent partition and fighting that took place, but the personalities of Jinnah and Nehru decided many of the key positions their respective parties took during this time.And this is what I found most interesting about this book. It seems clear, according to the author, Nisid Hajari, that the stubbornness of both Jinnah and Nehru, and the inability of those two leaders to work together for the benefit of their peoples, was perhaps the most significant single element in how the early history of these two independent countries developed.In fact he suggests more than once that it could have been possible for a united India to have emerged at this time, if different leaders had been in place, ones who could have compromised and worked together with a much greater degree of trust and respect than what Jinnah and Nehru had for each other. This is a great shame given how history has developed in the subsequent 60+ years, particularly (I would say) for Pakistan which has been far less successful economically and politically than has India.Another strong impression that I receive from this book is that, once Britain decided that India should be given it's independence, the involvement of Britain in helping to provide some guidance to that process, so that it could proceed peacefully and with respect to both the Hindu and Muslim peoples of India, was slim and decreased to the point where Britain essentially withdrew and simply left the people of India to their own devices.Instead of a united and independent India, what happened was a series of violent and horrific ethnic killings, provoked by sometimes almost trivial events on both sides, that began and then escalated and finally led to such mistrust and hatred that any hope of the peoples staying together in one country were lost as a result. The descriptions of how formerly peaceful neighbors would suddenly turn on one another, simply because one was Muslim and the other Hindu, are striking and chilling. It brings to mind other similar circumstances this world has seen in other areas in subsequent years.In interviews recently, when Hajari has been discussing this book, he has also expressed his view that the foundations for much of the current behavior of Pakistan - it's support of insurgent groups in Afghanistan for example - can be found in this early history. He suggests that Pakistan's principal preoccupation since this time has been it's historic enemy India, and that just about all of it's decisions regarding involvement in conflicts outside of Pakistan can be connected to this distrust and fear of India.I'm not convinced about that, but in reading the book it's not at all the main point anyway. I felt that I took away from this book a much greater understanding of the events of the period of roughly 1946 through 1948 or 49. Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948. Jinnah had been very ill and finally died on September 11, 1948. Nehru was the only leader of those top three to still be healthy and in power. Pakistan was running out of money and from a practical standpoint really unable to continue to pursue any aggression against India. The countries began to settle into the divided condition that persists today, with the Kashmir region still unresolved and with the area of Eastern Pakistan later splitting off in 1971 and forming the current country of Bangladesh.

This work is easy to read and I learned a lot. The author followed the thrust of major events and the thinking and emotions of the main figures during the several years before and after the granting of independence to India. No good guys or bad guys.For me the only shortcoming was a lack of strong context beyond the specifics of the regional events. I would have liked to learn more about the issues and history at the heart of the Hindu-Muslim antagonisms that were already there. Also more about the workings of the British administration that was in place at the time. But that's only an omission comment, what's here is good stuff.

'Midnight's Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India's Partition' by Nisid Hajari|With millions killed and many more millions displaced, the violence that followed after the partition of British India is considered one of the greatest tragedies of the century. Yet so little is known about this tragic part of our history.The author Nisid Hajair through this book provides a really insightful analysis of the Partition of British India and a detailed accounts of its consequences. The first few chapters focus on the initial fissures between communities and the strained equation between two main leaders Jinnah and Nehru, their irreconcilable differences. The latter half of the book focuses more on detailing the initial triggers, retaliation, and the atrocities during communal violence. Also discusses the role of various individuals, leaders, and organizations who were directly or indirectly involved in these killings.While it was very interesting to read, yet the detailed description of the killings, rapes and violence made it a depressing read. Maybe that's the reason why not much is spoken about this despite being a very major event in our country's recent history.Though I personally believe more blame lies with the founders of Pakistan and its supporters, reading the details in the book, made me more cognizant that things aren't black and white, and there were blunders from both the side. Even if you were to attribute more blame on one side over the other, what comes clear is that most victims of the violence were innocent people who might have nothing to do with these political decisions.Overall, a highly recommended read if interested to know about partition.

Just after World War II, the British pulled out of the Indian subcontinent just as India was dividing into India and Pakistan. Most kids learn about that much in school. What they don't know is the story of the slaughters that took place during the years the borders were redefined and how that fit into the post-war world. Highly recommended

My parents generation went through the turmoil of the separation of India and Pakistan at the end of the 40’s. Growing up in India till my teenage years, in the years following, I witnessed some of the aftermath of this event. I have always been curious about the details of what transpired during these events. This book provides a visceral account of the politics and the mindsets during that period. I cannot comment on the accuracy of the account, but it is a highly readable book.

A superb unbiased account of the events that lead to the partition of India. Extremely well written and referenced, it is truly a moving account of that period. You get to understand exactly how Jinnah, a selfprofessed atheist ended up being the father of a country based on religion. You get to understand Nehru exactly as he was..you see his greatness and you see his frailties too. And last but not the least you understand why playing with fire was, is and always will be dangerous

Well researched and very well narrated, this book walks the tightrope of keeping an objective middle ground between two classic warring parties of Hindus and Sikhs versus Muslims successfully, while avoiding the pitfalls of expressing personal bias, although this must have been very tempting. After reading Midnights Furies it will become apparent why the prejudices between Hindus and muslims linger on and on, while there is no sight of any settlement in the Kashmir issue. Very well worth reading to gain insight into one of the worst episodes of mass carnage the world has ever seen.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is a history book that I could hardly put down. Tension like a novel, although the events happened 70 years ago.

By far the best book I've read on partition. Very nuanced and well written account. However, for a book that says it is looking to analyse partitions affect on contemporary Indian-Pakistani relations, it could explore this a bit further. It hints to future animosities without anecdotally or analytically exploring any of these. Would highly recommend this book, but am only giving it four star because I don't feel it accurately portrays itself.