The Gurkha's Daughter by Prajwal Parajuly

India has a wide cultural diversity with its population of 1.24 billion across its 21 states and 7 union territories, with its 21 major spoken languages, eight major religions, hundreds of regional festivals and thousands of flavours of local cuisine and arts. With this much load of diversity in one nation, it is very likely that one being an Indian is not aware of everything around the nation. But it is really hard to believe that how much little we know about the north eastern states of our own country. Beyond knowing their capitals (because teachers made you remember it), I doubt if any one of us knows about their culture, their beliefs, their traditions, or their political struggle.

Recently a north-eastern friend recommended me a book called ‘The Gurkha’s Daughter’ by Prajwal Parajuly which according to her was an eye-opening picture of the experiences faced by the people whose culture and language is Nepalese but who are dispersed to Bhutan, India and beyond. The book unfolds with a series of short stories based on various experiences of these people due to the political and cultural history they share. Protagonist in each story is a representative of their societal status implications and each story reveals the cultural nuances and their impact on protagonist’s human sentiments, sensitivity and emotional connect.

This book has not only introduced me to the culture, traditions and struggle of the fellow countrymen from Far East states of my own country but also has made me more curious about the struggle of ethnicity and societal belongingness on an individual’s life.

Goodreads rating for the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16031091-the-gurkha-s-daughter

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