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Author Bapsi Sidhwa Passes Away; Revisiting Her Novels Depicting Partition

Novelist Bapsi Sidhwa was known for her focus on the cultural, historical, and social complexities of the Indian subcontinent, especially through the lens of the Parsi community.

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Tanya Savkoor
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Revered novelist Bapsi Sidhwa passed away in Houston, United States, at age 86 on December 25, Pakistani media outlet Dawn reported. She is survived by her three children, Mohur, Koko, and Parizad. She was born in Karachi in 1938 and grew up in a Parsi (Zoroastrian) family in Lahore. She pursued a fellowship at the prestigious Harvard University and then taught writing at numerous prestigious institutes like Columbia, Rice, University of St. Thomas, University of Houston, and more. 

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Sidhwa earned several accolades including the Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award (Star of Excellence-- Pakistan's highest national honour in arts) in 1991, the Mondello Prize in 2007, and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writer's Award in 1994 among others. She was also inducted into the Zoroastrian Hall of Fame in 2000.

One of Pakistan's Finest Novelists

Bapsi Sidhwa was known for her focus on the cultural, historical, and social intricacies of the Indian subcontinent, especially through the lens of the Parsi community. Having grown up in Lahore in the 1930s-40s, she witnessed firsthand the complexities of British India and the Partition. This has been central to many of her works.

bapsi sidhwa

In this article, we revisit some of her books that left a profound impact on society.

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Cracking India (1991)

Cracking India is a coming-of-age book set in Lahore ahead of the partition. Originally titled Ice Candy Man, this poignant book revolves around Lenny, a 4-year-old Parsi girl, and her ayah Shanta, an 18-year-old Hindu girl from Amritsar. Beyond a surface-level account of the partition, the book delves into the themes of community, sexuality, and identity. Through the eyes of ordinary citizens like Lenny and Shanta, and other characters like a Muslim cook, a Sikh zoo attendant, and an ice candy man, the book reveals the effect of partition on the interpersonal relationships of common folk.

ice candy man cracking india
Image: Penguin India

The Crow Eaters (1978)

The Crow Eaters is described as a comic novel about a Parsi family, the Junglewallas, in pre-partition India. The story follows their migration from central India to Lahore, where they quickly assimilate with the tight-knit Zoroastrian community and establish a booming business. It is not long before the family becomes one of the most affluent and envied across India. So, when the patriarch of the family dies, it leaves an effect on the entire community.

the crow eaters bapsi sidhwa
Image: Penguin India
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Water: A Novel (2006)

Set in 1938, Water is the story of a Hindu girl, Sarala (also known as Chuyia) forced into child marriage and widowed at just eight years old. She is then sent to an ashram for widows to spend the rest of her life in renunciation. There, she befriends more young girls including Shakuntala, a woman deeply conflicted between her religious beliefs and the injustices faced by the widow; Narayan, a young man advocating for social reform; and Kalyani, a young woman forced into prostitution to support the ashram.

water bapsi sidhwa
Image: Penguin India

More of Sidhwa's popular books include The Pakistani Bride (1982), An American Brat (1993), Jungle Wala Sahib (2012), City of Sin and Splendour: Writings on Lahore (2006), and Their Language of Love (2013). The world mourns the loss of a writer whose works were bold cultural symbols. Social media was flooded with tributes and condolences for her family.

Tributes For Bapsi Sidhwa

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