Tamas

A Penguin Classic

Bhisham Sahni's 1973 novel is a chronicle of the sectarian violence that ultimately led to the devastation of the Partition. It drew immediate and universal critical acclaim for its poignant and striking depiction of the anatomy of a bloody conflagration that comes to engulf an entire region. In a northwestern city in pre-Independence India, Nathu, a tanner, is hired to kill a pig by a shadowy figure who haunts the novel. When the animal's carcass is discovered on the steps of the local mosque the next morning, simmering tensions explode into riots and massacre that grip cities and villages across the region of Punjab. The incident is the linchpin in a British plot to divide and conquer the local population by planting seeds of mistrust and hatred among many who, until the day before, had been close friends and neighbors. Tamas is a chilling reminder of the consequences of colonial rule and the consequences of religious nationalisms.