The Drifting Rainbow

These are the worst of the times in Indo-Pak relations and this travelogue ?The Drifting Rainbow? is in your hands. It is a delicate story of my journey through a country that had fought three decisive wars against us. It is a country where my elder sister and my elder brother are buried; it is a country where hundreds of my relatives who had migrated till 1965 are now enjoying the eternal sleep at the foothill on the outskirts of Karachi; it is a country that was the part-fulfilment of the ideas of founder of Pakistan, and a shattering defeat of the dreams of Prophet of Peace – Mahatma Gandhi; it is a country that boasts the identical values. Standing in the middle of ?Sadar Bazar?, Karachi or at the street corner of ?Anarkali? bazar, Lahore I couldn?t make out where I?s situated. It looked like I was standing at Urdu Bazar, Jama Masjid, Delhi or Bhindi Bazar, Mumbai. Enjoying the beauty Indian deities and spiritual Indian heritage under the roof of National Museum at Lahore, I felt I was roaming the temples in Benaras or Pryagraj. There is nothing that is different. It is a country that is near and still so far for us.

?The Drifting Rainbow? has some stories that are too personal but might appeal to everyone with a sympathetic heart. The book would pop up some indulgent observations that could leave some food for thought for those who could afford to look back into the times when India was a sub-continent, one nation. I hope it will help the reader to peep into the mind of a tired Indian Muslim also.