Freedom At Midnight

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First published in 1975, this 2009 edition is a poignant reminder of the years of struggle and sacrifice made by those who who fought for India´s freedom. The defining moments of the end of the British Raj, the independence of 400 million people, their division into India and the newly created Pakistan - Time Magazine raised a poetic salutation to this brilliantly written book, hailing it as ‘the Song of India . . . illuminated like scenes in apageant’. The significance of the new edition lies in engaging the minds of two generations ‘born’ into a free country, to enable them to empathetically understand the aspirations and goals that united our leaders then towards the common cause of freedom. The significance lies in invoking the re-awakening of the Indian spirit. Surely it is time for the over 1 billion people in India to ask themselves honestly what their contribution has been thus far towards realizing an India free from poverty, illiteracy and inequality. While numerous tomes have been written on the Indian freedom struggle, the popularity of Freedom at Midnight lies in its easy narrative flow which veers from the thrilling to the enlightening, sometimes poignant and ever compelling style. About The Author Dominique Lapierre enjoy worldwide fame as the author of several best-selling books on modern history, including Freedom at Midnight, and Is Paris Burning? Dominique began life as a journalist, working with Paris Match, a magazine that brought out well-researched, in-depth articles. He met Larry Collins, an American journalist, in Paris and in tandem they jointly authored books for over twenty years. A Thousand Suns, a collection of stories written by Dominique Lapierre, bears the stamp of the essence of their writings: the quality of not making judgements but bearing witness to events. A large portion of their acclaim is undoubtedly due to the unprejudiced stance adopted in their works. Having rechristened Kolkata as the ‘City of Joy’ in his path-breaking book by the same name, Dominique Lapierre, after a meeting with Mother Teresa in 1981, set up the City of Joy Foundation with the royalties from his book’s earnings. Providing education for Kolkata’s slum children, and funding Udayan, a centre for children from leper colonies, became a mission for the author. Aided by his wife, coincidently also named Dominique, Lapierre’s humanitarian projects are widespread in rural Bengal and the Sunderbans. Post Five Past Midnight in Bhopal, he built a clinic in Bhopal. In the past twenty-five years, Lapierre has rescued over ten thousand handicapped and leprosy-suffering children; cured four million TB patients; provided over five hundred tubewells of drinking water to villages, launched four hospital boats in the Ganges delta to take medical supplies to the isolated populations of 34 islands. For his writings and philanthropic work, Lapierre has been decorated with the Legion of Honour of France, the Rainbow Peace award of the UN, the Grand Cross of Social Solidarity of Spain, the Medal of Honour of the Chamber of Depties of Italy, and twice the US Christopher International Award whose motto is: ‘Rather light a candle than curse the darkness’. Table of Contents Preface Prologue 1. ´A Race Destined to Govern and Subdue´ 2. ´Walk Alone, Walk Alone´ 3. ´Leave India to God´ 4. A Last Tattoo for the Dying Raj 5. An Old Man and HisShattered Dream 6. A Precious Little Place 7. Palaces and Tigers, Elephants and Jewels 8. A Day Cursed by the Stars 9. The Most Complex Divorce in History 10. ´We Will Always Remain Brothers´ 11. While the World Slept 12. ´Oh Lovely Dawn of Freedom´ 13. ´Our People Have Gone Mad´ 14. The Greatest Migration in History 15. ´Kashmir Only-Kashmir´ 16. Two Brahmins from Poona 17. ´Let Gandhi Die´ 18. The Vengeance of Madanlal Pahwa 19. ´We Must Get Gandhi Before the Police Get Us´ 20. The Second Crucifixion Epilogue What They Became Acknowledgements Bibliography Notes Index