A tale well told
THE WEEK India|January 28, 2024
Former diplomat Bhaswati Mukherjee's latest book on indentured labour from India is a work of great scholarship
K.M. CHANDRASEKHAR
A tale well told

THE INDENTURED AND THEIR ROUTE: A RELENTLESS QUEST FOR IDENTITY

Author: Bhaswati Mukherjee

Publisher: Rupa Publications India

Pages: 232; price: ₹595

Forty years ago, I was doing a master’s course at the University of Leeds. A couple of my good friends were from Pakistan. We noticed that almost every third person on Oxford Street and Piccadilly was a person of colour, with a preponderance of South Asians. A Pakistani friend—a Pathan with a great sense of humour—joked about the few white men we saw, “Humne Hindustan, Pakistan se inhe bhaga diya, ab englistan se bhi bhagayenge [We drove them out of Hindustan and Pakistan, now we shall drive them out of England].” We did not drive anyone out; instead, we assimilated, learnt from them and taught them.

This story is from the January 28, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.

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This story is from the January 28, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.

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