Caught in the Crossfire

MY THOUGHTS

I have heard innumerable stories of the War of 1971 from my grandparents but how much do our kids know of something that happened in the 70s? We may wonder why it is so important to discuss and learn about things that happened five decades ago. But when I read the book, I was alarmed at how relevant matters discussed in the 70s are to our present day.

In Caught in the Crossfire Dhiman lives with his mother, father, aunt, and uncle in Calcutta. There is tension in the house as his aunt and uncle constantly make demands for things from his mother’s family. His father, eager to prove himself to his brother, accepts journalism assignments to cover the war brewing between East and West Pakistan and is away for days as he reports from the frontlines. When the family moves to Salt Lake City, Dhiman meets a boy who lives in the nearby refugee camp. Ruhul lives alone as he lost both his mother and father to the ongoing unrest and his brother is now a guerilla fighter. As tensions escalate at home, Dhiman sets off to the heart of the warzone to find his father.

The book touches up on the millions of refugees that poured into India when their towns and villages in East Pakistan were being ravaged. Ruhul is a refugee and Dhiman’s aunt and uncle look at him with hate and distrust forbidding Dhiman from meeting him or visiting the refugee camp. Through conversations between Ruhul and Dhiman we learn about how Ruhul has been forced to grow up and all the hardships he faced as he escaped his home country. With the Special Intensive Revision in India and the unrest in West Asia being a huge part of the news these days, stories like these force us to think about how we view refugees and what has changed in the last so many years. This is a story that forces us to look at the human cost of war.

The author Lesley D Biswas also weaves in a troubling storyline of dowry and how easily it was accepted as part of the social fabric. What was deeply disturbing is the fact that dowry deaths have been in the news this past month! Clearly, nothing has changed in five decades!

This book gives children a nuanced view of the activities that led up to the War of 1971. What was it like being a child in Calcutta at that time? With everyone from peasants to college students taking to the streets to protest and violence becoming a part of daily routine, what did one have to do to be able to survive during the time? This allows the reader to understand not just the facts and agenda of the War of 1971, but it humanises the conflict and allows us to look at the event through a child’s perspective. The story will pique a child’s interest and encourage them to read up on what happened during the War of 1971 and why India got involved.

Caught in the Crossfire is not an easy book to read. It will move your child to teas but it will also kindle an interest in Indian history and help them understand issues that are relevant to this day! Get your copy today!