4 out of 4 stars
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This is a review of the book Border Post 99: No Man's Land by Kedar Patankar. The book is a contemporary fiction that narrates the story of the interactions between an Indian and a Pakistani soldier in a border area between the two countries.
The story happens in a place called “Border Post 99”. This border post, which doesn't exist in reality, is a no man's land in the Indian-Pakistan border that is unofficially called so by the Indian Army. An Indian soldier sets up his tent in this area and starts monitoring Pakistan troop movements. The story picks up momentum when the Indian soldier chances upon a Pakistan soldier along the border. The reader is motivated to find out what happens next in this thought-provoking, humorous, short story.
What I like most about the story is that it creates awareness about the existing tensions between the Indian and the Pakistani armies, and how that affects the lives of the people on either side of the border. Most of the world might not know how the lives and families on either side of the border are intertwined, and how the ongoing conflict has created bitterness among these people. This story has highlighted the reality in a very natural way, which would be a treat for both the Indian and the Pakistani readers, especially the ones who live along the border.
The characters’ emotions, feelings, and the memories of the places where they were born, brought up, played, studied, etc., are beautifully articulated. The communications between the soldiers and their families make the reader’s eyes moist. The writing style is very natural and the pace is steady. The flow is smooth and clear, which makes the reader wanting to read the book until the end. The formatting is pretty good. There are no mechanical or grammatical errors in this book.
Overall, I found this book to be a great read that succinctly describes the vexed India-Pakistan border issue. It’s a short story that narrates how this conflict is affecting the lives of the people on both sides of the border. The emotions and the feelings of the characters have been articulated in a beautiful way. The story flows with an underlying tinge of humor, which is very tasteful. Considering that every aspect of this book (including the formatting) has been handled very well, I am rating this book a 4 out of 4 stars.
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Border Post 99
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