Moments in Time

Replete with exotic spectacles of nature, love stories, folk tales, folk songs, politics, and sociology, Moments in Time offers a unique picture of a nation and its people in transition from colonial rule to independence. In this memoir, author Amit Sarkar provides insight into twentieth-century India and its towns, cities, and remote villages.

Sarkar offers narratives of the minutiae of a child marriage and village life, along with the impact of World War II on India, its aftermath, and the sociopolitical developments that divulge the true story of independence and partition of the subcontinent into two nation-states. He recalls his adolescent love, his journey to Calcutta, and his love affair with a classmate that was predestined to be a tragedy. He describes his pioneering experience in building the infrastructure of the nascent government in the terrorist-ridden, hilly terrain of Mizoram and the broad-daylight assassination of the inspector general of police, his deputy, and a superintendent of police.

Sharing snippets of student life and personal events, Moments in Time provides a firsthand account of India before, during, and after British rule. Sarkar presents a rich look into Indian life—its music, love, faith, beliefs, betrayal, and glory.