"How can anyone draw a line
between neighbors?
between brothers?
between friends?"
"Even if all the Hindus
in the world stop liking
all the Muslims in the world,
I never will."
Raj is twelve. He is a Hindu boy who loves flying kites with his grandfather and his best friend. He dreams of winning the big kite competition. Iqbal is his best friend but he is Muslim and India is about to be divided by partition. Their precious friendship will be cut in half just as their country is divided and their homes now become places of danger and violence. This is so confusing - it is all because some one from far away has drawn a line on a map.
People smile with tight lips,
and it's no coincidence
that everyone is dressed in white
the colour we wear
when someone dies.
Raj and his family become refugees and they have to move from Hyderabad in Sindh to Bombay. The train journey is dreadful and all their possessions are taken by thieves and then the most unimaginable thing happens - in the chaos and confusion Raj's sister Maja aged nine disappears.
This book is sure to make you curious about the partition of India and also about traditional Indian foods.
We sit down
to a breakfast of dal pakwan,
the creamy-flavoured lentils,
spicy mint coriander chutney
and deep-fried crispy sweetbread
mingling in my mouth
before I swallow with relish.
... with our baskets filled with
diamond-shaped Kaju mithai.
I inhale the scent
of cashew nuts and cardamom
and hope there will be some left over ...
The blended scent
of saffron and cardamom
fills the air
as Amma prepares to slice
her freshly rolled varo.
With careful force
she cuts across the center,
and I lick my lips,
imagining the sweet crunch
of pistachios, almonds,
cashew nuts, and poppy seeds
with hardened caramel.
The British have left India and Raj is also caught up in the politics of the times. His brother explains:
You would not be sad
if you knew what they have stolen
how they have treated us,
burning out fingers to serve
them phulko, while they burn
our money and drink out chai. ...
They charge unfair taxes on salt,
take the cotton, spices,
and crops from our land,
use the modern railways you boast of
to steal what is ours,
and sell it back at inflated prices ...
They keep every last rupee,
while our country starves,
they look at us like we're
uncivilized dogs ...
This is a complex story about a time in history that will be unfamiliar to most young readers aged 10+ here in Australia but it is well worth the reading journey. I am quoting in full the book description by the author:
An evocative historical novel in verse about a boy and his family who are forced to flee their home and become refugees after the British Partition of India. Twelve-year-old Raj is happiest flying kites with his best friend, Iqbal. As their kites soar, Raj feels free, like his beloved India soon will be, and he can’t wait to celebrate their independence. But when a British lawyer draws a line across a map, splitting India in two, Raj is thrust into a fractured world. With Partition declared, Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim families are torn apart—and Raj’s Hindu and Iqbal’s Muslim families are among them. Forced to flee and become refugees, Raj’s family is left to start over in a new country. After suffering devastating losses, Raj must summon the courage to survive the brutal upheaval of both his country and his heart. Inspired by the author’s true family history, Lion of the Sky is a deeply moving coming-of-age tale about identity, belonging, and the power of hope.
Listen to an audio sample here. I read Lion of the Sky as an ebook. The hardcover novel with 416 pages is way too expensive for your library here in Australia. It was published in 2024 so I imagine there will eventually be a paperback edition.
There are some powerful words of wisdom in this book:
"Holding on to your anger is like drinking poison and expecting your enemy to die."
"Because we don't need your kind and my kind ... only kindness."
Ultimately this is a tale about being lion-hearted, soaring after falling many times, and still reaching for the sky. It’s also about lines that divide, that cut across hearts and countries, and that are seared into memories. An exquisite, memorable story about new beginnings and the quest to belong. Kirkus Star review
Here is an interview with the author. Lion of the Sky is her debut book.
Companion book:
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