BOOK #2
Name: Makam (মাকাম)
Author: Rita Chowdhury (ৰীতা চৌধুৰী)
Genre: historical fiction/ficton
Language: Assamese
Trigger warnings: mention of death, slavery, violence
Summary: Makam, which means “golden horse” in Cantonese, is a fictionalized historical account of the Chinese Assamese people in North-East India. The novel, by award-winning writer Rita Chowdhury, documents the struggles, suffering, and tragedies of the Chinese Assamese over the past two centuries, culminating in their wrongful expulsion from India during the 1962 Sino-Indian War.Based on interviews with more than one hundred Chinese Assamese, Chowdhury’s moving narrative blends nineteenth century history with the tragedy of 1962, revealing how the Chinese were brought to India decades earlier by the British in order to work as laborers on the tea plantations. Once there, the Chinese married into different communities and began to speak with a mix of their native and local languages. However, during the Sino-Indian war, the Chinese Assamese, though now completely assimilated, were brutally and unjustly forced to leave India because of their Chinese origin. Around fifteen hundred Chinese Assamese from Makum, a small town in upper Assam, were imprisoned as spies and prisoners of war, before being deported to China. The untold story of this terrible incident, captured here in Makam, created an uproar in India when first published.
(source: Goodreads)
Picture for reference:
(cr: amazon)
Where to buy:
Hardcopy: Can be found in your local bookstores and/or online stores like Amazon/ Flipkart.
E-book: Amazon/ Flipkart and/ or other sites.
Personal Opinion:
An amazing book by Rita Chowdhury. No doubt, she's one of my favourite authors. The book is worth is, trust me. The book is divided into two parts, first half if all about the past, and the second part is about the present. The way it all blends in will leave you awestruck. Although the first few pages will leave you a little confused, it's worth it. After you go through about the first 100 pages, it all starts to link in and you won't be able to put the book down without finishing it.
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::Alternative::
Although the book is in Assamese, if you're not someone who understands Assamese but yet you want to read the book, there is an English translation of the book too.
Name: Chinatown Days
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The translation, in my opinion, is good.
Picture for reference:
(cr: Amazon)
Where to buy:
Just like the Assamese version, the English translation is also found both in paperback and e-book version. You can find both online. The paperback is mainly available in Amazon/ Flipkart.
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