A Penguin Classic

Tamas, Bhisham Sahni's 1973 novel, is a chronicle of the sectarian violence that ultimately led to the devastation of the Partition. It drew immediate and universal critical acclaim for its poignant and striking depiction of the anatomy of a bloody conflagration that comes to engulf an entire region. Tamas is a story about how simmering communal tensions snowball into full-fledged riots that grip villages across the subcontinent. In a city in undivided Punjab, Nathu, a tanner, is bribed to kill a pig. When the animal's carcass is discovered on the steps of the local mosque the next morning, simmering tensions explode into riots and massacre. A seemingly well-planned and well-executed job by the British plants seeds of mistrust and hatred among those who, until the day before, had been close friends and neighbors. As a result of the ever-changing political and social atmosphere of the city, the novel highlights the weakness of human characters whose loyalties shift in times of tragedy. Tamas is a chilling reminder of the consequences of religious intolerance and communal prejudice.