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Book Review
Of human sensibilities
MY OTHER TWO DAUGHTERS: Surjit Singh Barnala; Vetri Publishers, 11 Vasant Apartments, Vasant Vihar,
New Delhi-110057. Rs. 200.
T. Ramakrishnan
Surjit Singh Barnala is, to many, seen only as a long-standing political personality. He has been an important figure in the politics of the Punjab, particularly during the eventful days of the 1970s and 1980s. He had experienced solitary confinement during the Emergency and Operation Bluestar. He had been in and out of power, both in his state and at the Centre. In 1985, he became the Chief Minister of the Punjab, a few months after the signing of the historic Rajiv-Longowal Pact.
Though he has been Governor of one state or the other for nearly seven and a half years, his first tenure as the Governor of Tamil Nadu during 1990-91 was noteworthy. He quit the post when he was transferred to Bihar as Governor following reports of his refusal to send a report to the Union Government recommending President’s Rule in Tamil Nadu.
Given such a background, Barnala’s book, My Other Two Daughters, provides a refreshing experience to a reader. (The author has named the book as such because he has a daughter, Amrit, to whom he has dedicated the book.) It is about his relationship with two young women — Naseem and Kiran Jot — with whom he came into contact by sheer chance. Both were cheerful persons and he developed a deep emotional attachment towards them in no time. He came to regard them as his daughters. In fact, he was not married when he knew Naseem. Still, he had a fatherly feeling towards the girl. While the story about the Kashmiri girl Naseem spans over a short period, the tale of Kiran Jot, an American Sikh, covers a period of 30 years.
Vivid narration
The book narrates vividly the problems faced by the two girls and the author’s efforts to help them. Naseem seem to have died because of neglect on the part of her family members while Kiran could not overcome breast cancer, despite being given the best medical attention.
The author’s narration is simple and direct. It is very gripping too. Barnala’s description of the picturesque places of Kashmir adds colour to the story. The details regarding the lifestyle of American Sikhs — simple and puritanical — are revealing.
The book’s cover sports his painting of Naseem alongside a photograph of Kiran. The painting was done by the author in 1976 when he was in the Patiala Jail during the Emergency. That a political person of his stature has captured fine human sensibilities in writing is a tribute to the political class of this country, about which the common perception is that it is more concerned about capturing political power and retaining it than the complex aspects of life.
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