Knowing history is one thing, but understanding and analysing it is quite another. Darshan Khullar’s Pakistan Our Difficult Neighbour and India’s Islamic Dimensions is a radical viewpoint, a lone voice, providing an unbiased rational viewpoint of what actually transpired at that point in time and where we erred and continue to err in relation to what we see as the truth and reality of the current scenario in terms of Hinduism and the Islamic dimensions in India. A hard-hitting narrative, this one has its facts backed up by substantial research, coming from one of the strongest quarters of none other than the torchbearers of defence and national security aka the Indian army. A stellar and powerful read, this one is something you know but dare to keep unacknowledged.

Dedicated to those unlucky Indians who have for long been second class citizens in their own country.

A hard-hitting line forms the start of Pakistan Our Difficult Neighbour and India’s Islamic Dimensions by Brigadier (Retd) Darshan Khullar whose writing feels like a quiet mirror of sorts, coy and yet braving to bare what we know but we seem to have long since put behind us, accepting it as part of our so-called fate.

Basing all the data he has presented through this one on pure research as well as facts, adopting an unorthodox approach as a free-thinking, unbiased, radical Indian, Darshan ji has linearly as well as wholly broken down and given a blow-by-blow account of what transpired, what went right and wrong right since the inception of Independence. 

So, what went wrong with India and Pakistan during the partition? 

Everything. We erred big time and how! And that is what in simple words, is the whole crux of this book Pakistan Our Difficult Neighbour and India’s Islamic Dimensions. The author has put forth facts as well as instances and all happenings as it is, without adding any kind of prejudice or lacing things in an extremist fashion. You know I always feel being an Indian, we seem to surely be in a unique place to find a permanent solution to our problems given our past history of tolerance and also owing to the fact that our people now desire social harmony, stability as well as good governance, as he has pointed out in the narrative. Unfortunately, the post-Independence scenario was such that all went downhill, thanks to the politics as well as the over-ambitious standpoints of the then leaders. The post-independence era itself was erroneous, according to me. A lot could have been better, we could actually have been in a much better living condition as a nation in its entirety, had there been refrainment from wrong decision-making at that point in time. Both India and Pakistan could have been in a better space had we not erred in our own homeland and been on a firm footnote with Pakistan right from the start.

Do you know the biggest mistake ever committed in history right after post-independence? 

It is the appointment of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru as the PM of India. 

Yes, you heard right. We cannot deny the fact that Gandhiji ensured that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was appointed as the first Prime Minister of independent India. It is not like he was the wrong person altogether. According to Darshan ji (and I completely support him on this), he was just not the apt choice for fulfilling the duties expected of him, at that point in time.

Although the majority were keen that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel be the PM, still Gandhiji chose Nehru. A poor choice.

Nehru described himself in the following words:

Politically, I am an internationalist, by education, I am an Englishman, by culture I am a Muslim and an atheist by religion.

But, as an afterthought, do you feel that this kind of standpoint was correct and in the best interest of a Hindu-majority country like India?

Gandhi, on the other hand, as a freedom fighter and a highly intelligent person, had a good grasp of the ground realities of India and was also a good strategist. Albeit, as and how he proceeded his entire perspective was compromised right from the start, as also pointed out by Darshan ji. Many decisions he took, many movements he adopted, and many thought processes he vouched for as a leader might have delayed the process of gaining Independence for India.

Moreover, after reading this book, I was compelled to agree with the Author’s viewpoint that not only the leaders of the post-independence era but also many who followed the post, were responsible for taking decisions which were incorrect and defiled the face of Indian freedom as well as a civilization, permanently. Several erroneous steps were taken by these leaders, be it the war of 1971, the Tashkent treaty, the Lahore express, or sending the Indian cricket team to play cricket in Pakistan right after the terror attacks in 2011, which could have been avoided easily. But in the flow of their own naivety, their pursuit of power and politics, these leaders have chosen to go on doing nothing but the worst result in the sad scenario that is the reality today. Yes, till today the India -Pakistan standoffs, the cold play, the shoulder shrug-offs and the Kashmir issues remain as it is, even after more than 7 decades.

Pacifists, our biggest weakness in the making?

Had we been firm earlier with regards to our stand as far as this approach is concerned, we wouldn’t have been the second-class citizens which we are considered today, in spite of being in a position of the majority. Unfortunately, our pacifist attitude has been our biggest weak point. Maybe, our aeons of slavery fashioned us into this kind of mentality, albeit a detrimental one for our future. And I completely agree with this thought which has also been put forward by him, which compelled me to think about this in the first place. Alongwith the leaders, even the citizens of our country have become prone to this mentality leading us to the state we are in today.

As pointed out rightly in this book, in 1947 when things were being hurried to a climax during the time of Independence, our leaders at that point of time including Nehru and also Jinnah of Pakistan might not have prioritized things as should have, causing them to be fatally distracted from the savage fate millions of countrymen were facing, being brutally tortured and murdered. Yes, they were collectively responsible for this mishap, overdriven by the delusion of power and grandeur. Partition of India which was an inevitable event, according to the Author, did not have to be such a cataclysmic event-the holocaust it turned out to be. But, I still think it’s not too late and we can still salvage the situation by bringing about changes.

The Author has also pointed out how Hindus have accepted their “fate” in a manner of speaking, considering themselves to be second-class citizens having made peace with the fact. Citing an instance from 1921, which being reminded of, really shook me to the core, Darshanji narrates how there was large-scale violence against Hindus by Muslim Moplahs in the Cannanore district of Kerala in which more than 10 thousand Hindus were killed, their women raped, there were many conversions, more than a lakh who fled to save their lives. The Author has pointed out Gandhiji’s baffling responses during this incident asking the Hindus to accept their fate since the Moplahs were only following Allah’s command and must therefore be permitted to do so. Gandhiji had in fact chided those who fled, for having saved their lives and not faced death which was their Karmic duty.

If you go to see, the ideologies of Islam actually do not permit compromise of any sort at all. And in juxtaposition, the pacifist attitude of Hindus in all scenarios is working contradictory towards setting and maintaining the equilibrium between the sects and thus enabling the overall well-being and development of the country. 

Really guys, is facing oppression and being the butt of wrongdoing a karmic duty? Agreed Gandhiji’s principles are life-changing and will surely always lead you on a path to nothing but the pure truth, but is above justifiable and warranted, especially since he was in that position of power to be able to inspire and mobilize so many at that point in time? Darshan ji’s words are radical, his viewpoints crystal clear and his research and chain of thoughts are linear and well to the point. Not only was it enlightening but perhaps overwhelming too, to read and relive these facets which we know but dare not acknowledge for fear of unnecessary things. I am pretty impressed with the amount of research too that Darshan ji has backed his narrative with, corroborating facts wherever necessary thanks to the fact that he has been with one of the most prestigious forces of the country for so long aka the Indian Army. This a heartfelt insight, do pick this one up if you want to read, know and analyze the true stories behind the partition, the sins of the then-ruling leaders, the radical and unbiased viewpoint on Kashmir, a viewpoint on Islamic terror prevalent in India as well as an analytical solution suggested by Darshan ji himself. A voice of a true national who has been there done that and who has surely ridden in the eye of the storm, do pick this one up when you know you are up for a powerful, heart-rendering read.

After reading this book, multiple thoughts seem to be running amok in my mind. I have come to the conclusion that, unlike previous governments, there is simply no need to appease Muslims or any other such minorities in order to gain larger vote banks. This has done more harm than good for the simple reason that the majority actually seems to be struggling eventually and also the minorities don’t seem to be gaining much out of these arrangements. This is creating anger, resentment, and frustration all over. India is only suffering in the entire bargain. What we need is equal footing.

What I feel is that we need closure here. When the majority gets the power and the acknowledgement here that yes, indeed, we are a Hindu country, the anger, resentment and frustration will automatically seep out. We are a Hindu country and yet we also respect and consider our minorities in the highest regard. In fact, secular is a very negative, poisonous word, I feel. It is only creating anger in people’s hearts and minds, making them feel irrelevant here. Yes, that value creation is equally important and we can achieve it only through this acknowledgement.

Also by Brigadier (Retd) Darshan Khullar: A Book Review Of Free Thinker – On God And Religion By Darshan Khullar – Explore The Unexplored

The book Pakistan Our Difficult Neighbour and India’s Islamic Dimensions is remarkable because it has touched upon and highlighted a plethora of issues. Be it the Hindu-Muslim violence, the Islamic dimensions, the resultant political actions, the standoffs and as Darshan ji points out the Islamic terror in India is a many-dimensional thing. He has also suggested solutions which surely seem to be a way out of the quagmire we have been living in for ages now. 

Do you know the best part about this book? Despite being laced in History, and politics, Darshan ji has made sure that rather than being a bookish textbook lesson of sorts, he has made it interesting and relatable owing to the facts he supplicates at every juncture. This is the first time I have annotated any book, especially one which gives so much historical information. A brilliant read you must bookmark regardless of whatever might be your favourite genre.

Hope you guys liked my thoughts on this one. Stay tuned for the best in the field of entertainment, lifestyle, travel, fun, finance, fashion, tech and gadgets as well as all things bookish.

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