Guess the book

I am sharing a few excerpts from a novel to see how many of you have actually read it. If you haven’t, I will provide some hints to help you identify the author. You might want to share this with your friends or family to see if they have read it or can find out about it. Trust me, it will be much more fun if you avoid using AI or Google assistants to find the book !

Image by Mumbai-Paused

Excerpts :

‘You think, you bloody fool’,said the forman bluntly, ‘ that you can go away when you like and come back when you like and get the same pay all the time ? The burra Sahib has ordered me not to take any coolies back who have once left. He does not want old and used man. I am doing a favour, bahin choot !

Get away, you hill dog!’shouted Ganpat, striking him on the face with his fist and wresting his body fiercely  away from him his grasp.  “Go to your collies, you dirty coolie”.

‘Hai ! Hai !’ wailed Prabha as he fell back. 

‘ Shut up you demented swine, you ignoble wretch !’ Ganpath shouted shouted  alst speech as he turned round with one foot outside the door and one foot in. ‘Stop howling, you dog, and dont follow me. I tell you I have made up my mind.  I am through such scum  as yo. You are not my class. You are coolies and belong to the street and there you shall go. I spit on you. 

And he spat and shot out.

Hints:

The novel is set in Shimla. The author was born in present-day Pakistan, which was then part of undivided India. He wrote exclusively in English. While working in a restaurant to support himself, he attended University College London as an undergraduate and later studied at Cambridge University. A lifelong socialist, he returned to India in 1947 and spent his later years writing and settling in the country. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award.

Here is the link to find the book.

The idea of this chapter is to explore significant literature that places labour at the center. If you have read any such works, we would love to hear your thoughts on them. We would also consider publishing your review on our platform so that others can know why they should read the book.

This section is curated by Kumar.