कितने पाकिस्तान (Kitne Pakistan) by Kamleshwar

Kitne Pakistan? is a 2000 Hindi novel by Kamleshwar, a noted 20th-century Hindi writer. A pioneer of the Nayi Kahani (New Story) movement of the 1950s, and later a screenwriter for Hindi cinema, Kamleshwar’s novel, employing allegory and realism, deals with a vast expanse of human history, as it follows the rise of sectarianism, nationalism, Hindutva and communalism. Kitne Pakistan? casts doubts about the true motives of the people who make decision on behalf of and for common people, who throughout history have been bearing the brunt of their decision. The novel chronicles the violence and bloodshed in the aftermath of partition of India in 1947 and examines the nature and futility of divisive politics and religion.

Kitne Pakistan? won the 2003 Sahitya Akademi Award for best book in Hindi. Today, the novel is considered the author’s finest work and one of the classics of modern Hindi literature. It was adapted into a play in 2013.

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