SynopsisA personal story of the way that the caste system in India [. . .] imprison[s] the humanity of those within them'-Gloria Steinem Kumaon, 1856. History has already begun its steady march. Six native women clad in black and scarlet pichauras huddle around Naineetal Lake, attempting to cleanse it of ominous influences. These are the days of Upper Mall Road (for Europeans and their horses) and Lower Mall Road ('for dogs, servants and other Indians'). Amidst a theatre of British impunity, feisty young Tilottama Dutt,
whose uncle is hung when he protests the reigning order, and her daughter, Deoki, confront change as Indians and as women.
Things to Leave Behind brings alive the romance of the mixed legacy of the British-Indian past. Full of the fascinating backstory of Naineetal and its unwilling entry into Indian history, throwing a shining light on the elemental confusion of caste, creed and culture, illuminated with painstaking detail, here is a fascinating historical epic and Namita Gokhale's most ambitious novel yet.
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Binding: PaperBack
About the author
Namita Gokhale was born in 1956. Her first novel, Paro: Dreams of Passion, was published to widespread acclaim in 1984. Her other books include Gods, Graves, and Grandmother, A Himalayan Love Story, Mountain Echoes, The Book of Shadows and The Book of Shiva. Namita Gokhale lives in New Delhi.
