Pavit Kaur’s ‘Stolen Years : A Memoir of Simranjit Singh Mann's Imprisonment’ is a nostalgic journey, probably through one of India’s saddest events. It
was November 6th 2014, when I first started reading this memoir. It was
Guru Nanak Jayanthi, and it was not the end of many coincidences, that I would
have while reading this book.
It started with the
prologue of a cold November night in 1989, when Simranjit Singh Mann was
released from jail after five long years. He, who was in jail still managed to
win an election for a parliamentary seat from Tarn Taran in Punjab.
Back to the main story,
we have an interesting and wistful description of Pavit Kaur’s childhood years
to begin with. Starting off with the Operation Blue Star, which shook her
family apart, Kaur, describes how her father, Simranjit Singh Mann was at his
parents’ house when the Golden Temple was stormed by the army on 6th
June 1984 under then, PM Indira Gandhi's orders. She goes on to describe Indira Gandhi’s assassination and
eventually, how her father was accused and arrested for the same.
She also describes her
school life and you are wondering what kind of a painful story would this horse
riding and fun loving child have. She goes on to describe her great-grandparents
and little into their history. So, we get a good glimpse into the British
times, as well. She also goes into the Sikh history, which I thought was very
useful for an amateur like me.
Leading into her
teenage years, this particular memoir takes on a different twist, straight into
her father’s jail stories.
The talent which, Mann had is best seen in his
notes at the prison he was imprisoned in. His adventures with the jailers and prison officials
are described with utmost ease and brilliance of the writer, he was.
Kaur manages to put in
a few letters which, she had written him. These letters, along with those of
her mother, brother and sister and a few others, as well. She with great
detail, manages to go into Himalayan forest life, her adventures with family
and friends and even card games. She basically captures the tender relationship
of their father with his children, in these pages.
The story is filled
with glimpses into her family life and that of whatever her father might have
missed. She even uses old photographs and copies of various letters and
articles in the book. It seems like a good break, if you are reading it in a
single reading like I did.
The readers can decide
what they feel of this narration. Personally, I liked it.
Author: Pavit Kaur
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Random House India
ISBN: 978-81-8400-442-7
Price: Rs 399/-
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