The cover goes on to say in the blurb “A Son’s Journey Through Islamic Lands”.
This book was loaned to me by Miriam, a friend who thought that I needed some diversion due to a minor illness. This was one among four books and her choice is impeccable. I shall read two more and write about them too as one of them is a book of crossword puzzles which simply needs my attention.
The writer of this book Aatish is the love child of one of India’s popular columnists, Tavleen Singh and Pakistani Punjab’s assassinated Governor Late Salman Taseer.
I had read reviews about this book and just did not get inspired enough to buy the book when it first hit Indian review circuits. I suppose that synchronicity had to play its part and Miriam had to bring it to my notice so that I could read it.
It is a remarkably well written book about a son born to an Indian lady journalist and a Pakistani politician, who goes in search of his Muslim identity and to get to know something about his father. I enjoyed learning things about Turkey, Saudi Arabia and performing the Umrah, Syria, Iran and finally Pakistan as seen from a writer with a rather odd pedigree to be writing about the subject.
I strongly recommend it to those interested in learning about Islam and what it is doing to various Muslims around the world and about India Pakistan equations.
To wind up and to give my readers a little tidbit about Miriam, let me also reproduce what she has written on the first page of the book. “A present to myself in honour of Tavleen Singh and her fearless writings.”
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