A debut novel can
say a lot about a writer. It tells us what the writer believes in, whether they
are willing to go the extra mile to bring life to their storytelling, and how
well read they are themselves. As a reader, I believe in continuously seeking
out new authors, searching for such gems that can satiate my appetite for
reading. One such search led me to the Instagram handle @aanch_m
Her posts on
Instagram are beautiful photos complimented by beautiful captions. For a while
now, I have maintained that captioning is an art that most people overlook. Of course,
one cannot expect people to add unique captions to the same redundant selfies
that they take all the time. But when it comes to photography with a message,
the caption does matter immensely. Her writings on Instagram so captivated me that
I instantly became an ardent follower. Every day she would upload an anecdote,
a memory; sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hopeful. I found myself suggesting
friends to check out her account and see how important is the work that she has
been doing. I added her to my ‘Writers to Keep a Watch out for’ List (the list
also includes Kaushik Barua of Windhorse fame).
Early this year,
Aanchal hinted that she was in talks with Harper Collins. The news got me
ecstatic because it meant her book was on the way. Her years of research into
the relics of material memory was soon going to be published in material form. I
knew I had to get a copy for myself, there was no question about it. True to
the theme of her stories, the book came out in August, the month of
Independence and Separation.
Following someone
online is one thing, and having a real, physical copy of their work in one’s
hand is quite another. After more than a year of adoring her writing, I finally
had a compilation of her work sitting between the palms of my hands. Word by
word, page after page, I went on a journey with Aanchal that transcended the
borders of the human mind. Her graceful writing expertly navigated the murky
waters of the Partition to shed light on the “things that matter”.
I realize that so
far I have only been praising her and haven’t yet divulged what it is that she
has done to garner such praise. Her work is about archiving the memories that
people brought and took across the border at the time of the great migration. Through
the meagre material possessions that people carried, she retells the stories of
entire families; their life as it was before the partition, their journey
across and life afterwards. All that remained with these people after the move,
the remnants, are what this book is
about.
My favourite chapter
from the book is the one about her grandfather and his family utensils. One can
tell how fervently she believes in collecting and storing memories. In the
course of creating this book, she has become a pensieve (#hpreference). Reading
her has been a pleasure. She has converted me from a mere follower into an
enchanted fan. An inspiration to the writers of her generation and the
generations to come, Aanchal Malhotra has revived the pain of separation and
left us with a longing for the past.
