The Night Diary

by Veera Hiranandani

  There have been and continue to be many theories about who played a bigger role in creating this conflict. Many blame the “other side” for the violence that ensued, and many people who suffered horrible acts and lost family members can never feel forgiveness for their attackers. Nisha and her family’s journey was harder than some, including my father’s, and easier than others. This story is a combination of known history and imagined scenarios to create one possible story that could have taken place at this time.

  Tensions still exist between certain groups of Hindus and Muslims today, as well as between many religious groups all over the world. Remembering the mistakes of the past will hopefully create a more enlightened, tolerant, and peaceful future. Accepting differences has always been a great challenge for humanity played out in thousands of ways. This was one way.

  Glossary

  HERE ARE SOME WORDS MENTIONED IN THIS BOOK THAT ARE COMMONLY USED IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN.

  ALOOTIKKI: A fried potato patty made with onions and spices.

  BANSURI: A side-blown bamboo flute often played in Indian classical music.

  BINDI: A dot Hindu women sometimes wear in the center of their forehead to signify different things regarding religion, class, and marital status.

  CHAPATI: A small, flat unleavened pan-cooked bread.

  CRICKET: A very popular game using a bat and ball played in India, Pakistan, England, Australia, and around the world.

  DADI: A Hindi, Sindhi, and Urdu word meaning one’s grandmother on the paternal side.

  DAL: A simple stew made of split lentils or split peas and spices. It can also mean dried split lentils or split peas.

  DHOTI: A male garment which consists of a piece of fabric wrapped around the waist that covers the legs.

  DIWALI: A joyous and popular Hindu holiday. It is a festival of light that takes place over five days. Houses are cleaned and decorated in preparation. People dress in new clothes and offer prayers to one or more deities. They also gather with friends and family for candle lighting, fireworks, gift giving, and food. The holiday signifies the triumph of light over darkness.

  DUPATTA: A scarf typically worn with an outfit called a salwar kameez.

  GHEE: Butter that is clarified, or has the milk solids and water removed during cooking.

  GULABJAMUN: A dessert made from deep fried milk powder balls coated in rosewater syrup.

  HINDU: A follower of Hinduism, the world’s oldest known organized religion still being practiced today. Hinduism is a religion with a diverse philosophy based on several deity figures and texts—the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana. There are over one billion Hindus living in the world today, with the majority of Hindus living in India.

  JI: A suffix added to names as a term of honor and respect, as in Gandhiji.

  JODHPUR: A medium-size city in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

  KAJUKATLI: A diamond-shaped candy made from sweetened pressed cashews.

  KEBAB: A dish consisting of sliced or ground meat with spices, often grilled on a skewer. Vegetables or cheese can be used as well.

  KHEER: A sweet pudding usually made with rice and milk, flavored with cardamom, saffron, raisins, or nuts.

  KURTA: A long tunic-style shirt.

  LORD BRAHMA, VISHNU, AND SHIVA: Three Hindu deities that Hindus believe are responsible for the creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe. Lord Brahma is the creator of the universe. Vishnu is the preserver. Shiva is the destroyer so Lord Brahma can create again.

  (THE) MAHABHARATA: An ancient Indian epic poem as well as the longest-known epic poem ever written. It is a major text in Hinduism. It follows the fate of two warring groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas.

  MIRPUR KHAS: A medium-size city in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

  MUSLIM: A follower of the religion Islam. Islam began in the seventh century by the prophet Muhammad. Muslims follow the teachings of a text called the Quran. There are approximately 1.6 billion Muslims living in the world today with the majority of Muslims living in the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia.

  MUTTONBIRYANI: A rice dish made with basmati rice, mutton (goat meat or meat from a mature sheep), herbs, and spices.

  PAKORA: A snack usually consisting of a piece of vegetable like potato, cauliflower, or pepper deep fried in a seasoned batter.

  PARATHA: A layered flatbread, most often stuffed with potatoes, onions, or spinach.

  POORI: An unleavened deep-fried bread that puffs up when fried.

  PUJA: An act of Hindu prayer which usually includes providing an offering to the divine such as food, flowers, or lighting a candle.

  PUNJAB: A province in British-ruled India before Partition. After Partition, Punjab was split into two parts, with the western section belonging to Pakistan and the eastern section belonging to India. It was an area of extreme rioting and horrific violence during Partition.

  RASMALAI: A dessert made from soft cheese patties in a sweet, creamy sauce.

  ROTI: A general term for flatbread cooked in a pan or oven and is interchangeable with chapati.

  RUPEE: The basic unit of money in India and Pakistan.

  SAIBHAJI: A spinach curry common to the area of Sindh, Pakistan, where the city of Mirpur Khas is located.

  SALWARKAMEEZ: A female garment that can be simple or fancy. The salwar are pants gathered at the bottom and the kameez is a long tunic shirt.

  SAMOSA: A small triangular-shaped fried pastry filled with spiced vegetables or meat.

  SARI: A garment worn by women made of decorative fabric that is wrapped in a special way around the body.

  SIKH: A follower of Sikhism, which originated in the Punjab region of India in the fifteenth century based on the teachings of Guru Nanak. The majority of Sikhs live in Punjab, India, but reside all over the world. There are over twenty-six million Sikhs in the world today.

  SITAR: A fretted string instrument most often played in Indian classical music.

  TABLA: A pair of hand drums where one drum is larger than the other. It is commonly used in Indian classical music.

  TOPI: A circular prayer cap worn by Muslim men in India and Pakistan.

  UMERKOT: A town in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

  Acknowledgments

  It takes a lot of people to publish one book and therefore I’m grateful to many:

  I don’t know what I’d do without my agent, Sara Crowe at Pippin Properties. She’s one of the best in the business, who not only magically keeps selling my work, but has been a pleasure getting to know over the years.

  I also don’t know how I got so lucky to be able to work with editorial director extraordinaire, Namrata Tripathi, whose brilliant and gentle editorial guidance and perspective got this story where it needed to be. A true gift.

  A huge thanks to everyone at Dial, including publisher Lauri Hornik; associate editor Stacey Friedberg; copy editor Rosanne Lauer; managing editor Kristen Tozzo; and everyone in production working on the book; the design team, Kristin Smith, Kelley Brady, and Jenny Kelly; the marketing team, including Emily Romero, Erin Berger, and Rachel Cone-Gorham; the publicity team headed up by Shanta Newlin; the School and Library marketing team, including Carmela Iaria and Venessa Carson; the sales team lead by Debra Polansky; and everyone in the warehouse, packing and shipping these books!

  To my gem of a writing group, the extremely talented Sheela Chari, Sayantani Das Gupta, and Heather Tomlinson, who have been cheering me on since the very first word.

  To my dear friends Sarah and Adel Hinawi whose valuable perspective helped me shape this novel.

  To my generous and loving mother, Anita Hiranandani, who always makes me feel like I can do anything I’ve ever wanted to do even when I don’t.

  To my sister, Shana Hiranandani, who’s able to bring me back from the edge when life and
writing spills over. Thanks also to her wife, Netania Shapiro, for being a trusted reader and friend.

  To my in-laws Phyllis and Hank Beinstein who have tirelessly supported my family and my writing over many years.

  To my husband, David Beinstein, a talented writer and forever loving supporter, whose willingness to read draft after draft and man the ship when I’m on a deadline never goes away, even when I don’t shower. Also to my beautiful children, Hannah and Eli, who inspire me to work hard because I see them work so hard every single day.

  Last, but so not least, I must thank my father, Hiro Hiranandani, whose personal experiences inspired me to write about Partition and whose love, resilience, and rock solid presence in my life has given me so much. Thanks also to his willingness to share his stories and have many conversations, random e-mails, and spontaneous texts about the accuracy of Nisha’s world. It was truly the backbone of this book. I also want to acknowledge my father’s parents, my grandparents, Rewachand and Motilbai; his sisters, my aunts, Padma and Drupadi; and his brothers, my uncles, Naru, Gul, Vishnu, and Lachman; and the millions of lives which were painfully altered forever from the Partition of India in 1947.

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