The Battle for No. 19, is the story of eight schoolgirls — Sheetal, Ritika, Payal, Sangita, Gauri, Puja, Seema and Jaya, on a tour of Agra. It is the day Indira Gandhi is assassinated and they are getting back to Delhi. Their van driver is Kartar Singh “…rambunctious sardar driver with the rumbling belly-laugh and Santa Claus beard and twinkling eyesR
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It is a jolly excursion, but all of a sudden things change and people on the road get nasty. The girls watch as horror upon horror unfolds before their eyes. They escape from their burning bus and find refuge in an abandoned house No. 19.
What is realistic and shocking at the same time is that there is so much revulsion. People who you meet in daily life suddenly change and become personifications of hate. The story brings to light how one action can create so much destruction and fear. It is also amazing how so many innocent people get caught up in a war that is not theirs. A gripping tale of anger and violence and how eight schoolgirls get through the days of rioting. They have to find answers to many of their doubts, they have to rationalise, to cope and above all come to terms with what is happening around them. The extreme crisis that the girls are faced with also helps them get a grip on many of their own problems.
The epilogue is encouraging, with each of the girls doing well in careers of their choosing. They meet up once a year in a resort in the hills run by Gauri. And Kartar Singh’s family is well taken care of by the families of the girls.
THE BATTLE FOR NO.19 by Ranjit Lal, Puffin, Rs. 195
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