Moments in Time
by
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In his childhood the author was attracted to the variegated spectrum of the natural phenomena and the frenzied nature of the mighty river which flew by the author’s home town. Folk songs of a retired steamer crew and his ideas of life associated with the rivers and Grandma’s narrations of myths and legends fascinated him. As he grew up music lured him towards Granddaughter of an erstwhile prince, who admired the author. But the relationship was snapped by the prince for fear of scandal. The author came to Calcutta and fell deeply in live with his classmate, Nirupama, a middle class girl. The relationship was predestined never to accomplish success. The author then accidentally met with an exquisitely beautiful woman, who was a Dance and Dram Academy scholarship holder. She belonged to a different and community. With great deal of struggle against both social elite of both sides, the author wedded her in a happy marriage. But his father did not accept the marriage. After their first child was born, the author’s mother could not any more bear the separation and the author and his wife and daughter were accepted in the family.
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About the Book
Replete with exotic spectacles of nature, love stories, folk tales, folk songs, politics, and sociology, Moments in Time offers a unique picture of a nation and its people in transition from colonial rule to independence. In this memoir, author Amit Sarkar provides insight into twentieth-century India and its towns, cities, and remote villages.
Sarkar offers narratives of the minutiae of a child marriage and village life, along with the impact of World War II on India, its aftermath, and the sociopolitical developments that divulge the true story of independence and partition of the subcontinent into two nation-states. He recalls his adolescent love, his journey to Calcutta, and his love affair with a classmate that was predestined to be a tragedy. He describes his pioneering experience in building the infrastructure of the nascent government in the terrorist-ridden, hilly terrain of Mizoram and the broad-daylight assassination of the inspector general of police, his deputy, and a superintendent of police.
Sharing snippets of student life and personal events, Moments in Time provides a firsthand account of India before, during, and after British rule. Sarkar presents a rich look into Indian life—its music, love, faith, beliefs, betrayal, and glory.
About the Author
Amit Sarkar earned a master’s degree in economics and a PhD in sociology and law. He has worked as a teacher, journalist, lawyer, judge, and government secretary and has authored several published works in India and the United States. He currently lives in Massachusetts.