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raindropsinreverie 's review for:
Twilight in Delhi: A Novel
by Ahmed Ali, Ahmed Ali
I read City of Dijinns a few years ago and the high praise and admiration William Dalrymple showed for this book made me want to read it.
I might hate it occasionally, but Delhi is home and an integral part of me. The azaans, the pigeons, the parched-gram sellers, the smell of kebabs, the constant chatter, and the crowded by-lanes - the Old Delhi of 1910s and the Old Delhi of 2020 are almost identical.
The story is set between 1911 and 1919, and revolves around the Sayeedis, a Muslim family living in Old Delhi. The story mainly revolves around the head of the household, a 62 year old Mir Nihal, and his youngest son, the 22 year old Asghar who is madly in love with his friend's sister. It looks at the history of the city through the eyes of this old man, who has lived through the Revolt of 1857, and now is witnessing the British wreak havoc to the once grand capital of the Mughal Empire. This man, who has witnessed the brutal massacre of countless Indians at the hands of the British, witnesses the coronation of King George in 1911, and would also witness the 1919 Jallianwalla Bagh massacre.
The book is divided into four parts. The first two parts have a lively atmosphere, which gives way to death and desolation towards the end. Just like Delhi was slowly crumbling away, the family of Mir Nihal too faced its share of death and deterioration. And in both the situations, Mir Nihal could only helplessly watch.
The book has some really poignant and hard-hitting passages and I could feel the author's nostagia and anger. I enjoyed the Urdu and Persian poetry translations and the occasional historical details about the colonial rule that I didn't know about.
The reluctant Mir Nihal watching the coronation from Jama Masjid will be forever etched in my mind. Jama Masjid, the place where his countrymen were brutally murdered not too long ago, was now filled with a jubilant crowd that was welcoming the new King.
All that said, this book was not as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be. Apart from Mir Nihal, none of the characters felt well etched out. Mir Nihal too was only sightly better than the rest. I especially couldn't stand Asghar. The writing style too, save a few eloquent passages, didn't work for me. For the most part, this book felt like a chronicle of Ahmed Ali's anger against the British and the plot and characters seemed to be an after thought. Which I can definitely understand and empathize with.
Read this book if you want to read about Delhi in the 1910s and about the lives her inhabitants led.
I might hate it occasionally, but Delhi is home and an integral part of me. The azaans, the pigeons, the parched-gram sellers, the smell of kebabs, the constant chatter, and the crowded by-lanes - the Old Delhi of 1910s and the Old Delhi of 2020 are almost identical.
The story is set between 1911 and 1919, and revolves around the Sayeedis, a Muslim family living in Old Delhi. The story mainly revolves around the head of the household, a 62 year old Mir Nihal, and his youngest son, the 22 year old Asghar who is madly in love with his friend's sister. It looks at the history of the city through the eyes of this old man, who has lived through the Revolt of 1857, and now is witnessing the British wreak havoc to the once grand capital of the Mughal Empire. This man, who has witnessed the brutal massacre of countless Indians at the hands of the British, witnesses the coronation of King George in 1911, and would also witness the 1919 Jallianwalla Bagh massacre.
The book is divided into four parts. The first two parts have a lively atmosphere, which gives way to death and desolation towards the end. Just like Delhi was slowly crumbling away, the family of Mir Nihal too faced its share of death and deterioration. And in both the situations, Mir Nihal could only helplessly watch.
The book has some really poignant and hard-hitting passages and I could feel the author's nostagia and anger. I enjoyed the Urdu and Persian poetry translations and the occasional historical details about the colonial rule that I didn't know about.
The reluctant Mir Nihal watching the coronation from Jama Masjid will be forever etched in my mind. Jama Masjid, the place where his countrymen were brutally murdered not too long ago, was now filled with a jubilant crowd that was welcoming the new King.
All that said, this book was not as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be. Apart from Mir Nihal, none of the characters felt well etched out. Mir Nihal too was only sightly better than the rest. I especially couldn't stand Asghar. The writing style too, save a few eloquent passages, didn't work for me. For the most part, this book felt like a chronicle of Ahmed Ali's anger against the British and the plot and characters seemed to be an after thought. Which I can definitely understand and empathize with.
Read this book if you want to read about Delhi in the 1910s and about the lives her inhabitants led.