The video records the launch of the memoir Shackles of Independence, authored by Mr. Sarkar (also referred to as Mr. Shawkat). Speaker A outlines the book’s central thesis: India’s struggle for independence was achieved through compromise that culminated in the 1947 Hindu‑Muslim partition, the creation of Pakistan and later Bangladesh, and a cascade of violence that the author describes as one of humanity’s bloodiest tragedies. The narrative links the partition to later extremist movements (Taliban, Al‑Qaeda) and to the broader decolonisation of Eastern Europe, arguing that the Indian freedom struggle reshaped global thought. The memoir covers the period 1946‑1971, chronicling World War II, communal riots, famine, refugee crises, and the author’s personal experiences across Bengal and beyond. The stated purpose is three‑fold: (1) to inform diaspora youth raised in Western societies about their historical roots; (2) to provide foreign readers with a detailed, personal view of Bengal’s turbulent mid‑20th‑century history; and (3) to provoke controversy that will spark public discussion about the legacy of independence. Speakers B, C, and D share personal reactions: Speaker B is drawn to the provocative title and cover, connects the story to her own Bengali heritage and her family’s oral histories, and reflects on the broader metaphorical “shackles” of post‑colonial mindsets. Speaker C notes the manuscript’s long gestation (started 2005, completed 18 months ago) and emphasizes the book’s intent to generate debate. Speaker D adds brief affirmations. The launch also acknowledges the publishing partnership with Exlibris (U.S.) and Final Draft Editing and Publishing, thanking the editorial team for their role. Overall, the event blends historical exposition, personal testimony, and audience engagement to position the memoir as an eye‑opening, discussion‑provoking work for both Indian diaspora and international readers.
Chapters
This book is about how India's independence was attained through a lot of compromise and by paying a very heavy price. The price was that of the Hindu-Muslim partition, which divided India and Pakistan and later formed Bangladesh. This divide led to one of the bloodiest tragedies of mankind. It also, according to the book, started the domino effect for the demise of the 20th century East European colonies all over the world. As a result, India's freedom struggle heralded a fresh global thought process. This partition, according to the book, also sowed the seed— this is very important— seed of a slow and steady supremacist version of Islam, which later proliferated into the suicide-based Taliban and Al-Qaeda's armed Islamic fundamentalists who are challenging the very concept of mankind's peaceful existence even today. This is Mr. Sarkar's personal journey through the World War II and India's freedom struggle. To the partition. Some of the gruesome pictures of the partition, I'm sure, are going to shock the world. But this is just one. So the— this is one of the bloodiest tragedies of mankind, the partition, which left behind millions and millions of people dead and homeless like this. I'm going to take a picture. And then we have the formation of Bangladesh, with millions and millions of people coming from Bangladesh to take refuge in India. And finally, the nationalist movement. He had been a witness to all of these during his stay in India. He realized that his children and grandchildren over here—they're all here—who grew up. and are growing up immersed in English and French in the free Western world may need to understand one day where they came from. And also, he wanted to inform the details of the history of the 21st century youth of India living in an age of revolution and who may have been distracted, distanced from themselves, from the evolving history of the country they inherited. Thirdly, And lastly, for the foreign readers who might be interested to know about the intricate personal details of historically enriched foreign cultures, particularly of Bengal, this book was published from USA by Exlibris and edited and designed by Final Draft Editing and Publishing Company Services. Thank you very much for watching the presentation.
I've been privileged to know about the story The content, not the story.
Right.
Of his manuscript, about 18 months ago, when he was just finishing it, starting in 2005. The story in this book, according to this— this is the first time I'm having this book in my hand, and a quick glance in the preface, I came to know that it's his story, Between 1946 and 1971, and name of the book suggests a lot of things. Depends how you look at it. Those who lived in Bengal at that time, in Calcutta especially, would remember the agony of the people of various types. Communal riots, famine, end of war, then refugee problems, all those things. Prashanto and myself, we have experienced it in India. The word shackles is a controversial word, and probably Prashanto, through this book, wanted to generate The purpose of this book, if I'm right, is to generate controversy so that we can discuss what happened. How one person can collect so many experiences in life, in different parts of the world, with the same source of disagreement, dissatisfaction, which was— which had its seed in Bengal at that time, if I'm correct. I think that is the story. So thank you, Shantu, for giving— presenting us this, and I'm sure it will be a fabulous reading. I only hope that you all get the chance of going through it, and one day, not very— not in too distant a future, we'll have an opportunity to have a gathering somewhere, not only Bengalis, but various communities to discuss the controversies we have to discuss. Thank you very much again and thank you.
The book— the first thing when she talked about this book, it— without seeing the book, it caught my interest. As sir said, Shackles of Independence, the name itself, it was pretty catchy, and it seemed like the writer, the author, was writing about something that was out of the box. Like, I— it sort of piqued my inquisitiveness. I wanted to know about the book. And then when I saw the book, this cover, it's, it's a wonderful cover.
Thank you.
The, the name itself, the title itself, Shackles of independence. It doesn't predominantly have to— for me, I am an Indian by origin, but around 12, 13 years been in this country, so I'm trying to integrate into this country now. And, uh, but roots are there in India, in Bengal especially, being a Bengali. And my husband is a Punjabi, so you know that both the cities or towns are covered here. So it really was interesting. for me to go through this book. It's sort of— I could connect to stories that I've heard from my parents or my grandparents more. Like, mostly it was my grandparents, even because even my parents were young when they— when all this thing happened, all the independence thing happened. And I was able to connect. Then it was, it was pretty nostalgic for me to go through these pages because, you know, like, I felt like I was walking the streets of I felt like I was in Krishnanagar. So, you know, like, I was able to connect. So it was a plus point for me. It doesn't have to be that India is still in the shackles after post-independence. It could be the shackles of everybody's minds. It could be shackles of people in South Africa, how they felt during the apartheid movement. So it has a vast meaning, and I'm sure like what you felt, we cannot even experience, like we cannot even think of experiencing it. And that was the best part of this book. I haven't finished it as yet, so I'm looking forward to. But the only thing I would request, Mr. Sarkar, is don't stop writing. Keep writing. Your journey is still on. Thank you. big and strong India would have been if it was still the united India. How strong maybe the part of Pakistan would have been today, or how strong Bangladesh would have been economically. So all I feel is this book is a— is an eye-opener for quite a few people, including me, and I am going to be finishing it. And Mr. Shawkat, please do keep writing more and You know, enlightening us with more events, more of what you experience, and all the best to you. Thank you very much.
I think what caught my eye was a couple of references, one to Krishnaragarh, two to Lord Chaitanya, and then Bengal and Calcutta. All of these words, all of these references Have a special meaning for me. Going back to history, my earliest recollection of any kind of conflict was during the 1971 war, and I remember all the blackouts, and I remember the rioting and things like that. I have a son. We moved here a while ago, and my son has never lived in India. And so for me, I mean, every time if I could tell him a story. story, I think it made more of a difference because it's a firsthand story. But my story only goes back so much, and I only have some references from my grandparents. So reading this book, just the beginning of it, made me realize, okay, here is a resource which would, I think, be wonderful not just for me but for my son as well. Because a couple of months ago, he was actually working on a political science project, and he was asked to write about the politics of a particular— anywhere in the world he wanted to pick. And it just so happened that he picked Bengal. So at that point of time, we did a lot of research. I wish I had this book then because I'm sure it would have filled up a little bit more of the information gaps that he has. Because as much as we can gather from internet, there is nothing like a firsthand story. Books such as these can keep us all informed. Books such as this can open our mind up to things that have happened and maybe learn a lesson or two along the way so that in future maybe we can preempt some of the stuff that might happen. I don't know. So I would like to really, really congratulate Mr. Shawkat on this book, and I appreciate it, and I am looking forward to reading this book, and I'm sure those who haven't read it, I'm sure they will— each one of you here, I'm pretty sure that you'll find it fascinating. And I think that is a fantastic effort. But last not the least, I would be— it would be remiss if I did not mention Kaberi and Final Draft. I think this is a wonderful venture, and for all aspiring authors, this is a great resource if you want to start with— from editing to, like I said, even the COVID and publishing I think that's a great effort and congratulations. Congratulations to you and congratulations to Kaberi. And thank you very, very much because it's my real privilege to have met you. Thank you.
