A Passage to India

     Author                        E.M. Forster

     Country                      England

     Genre                         Historical Fiction

     Publication Date       1924

     Pages                          293



This is a book written by an Englishman in 1924: at the height of India's independence movement. The fact that it's written by an Englishman and protrays an almost honest and unbiased view of the bridge that existed between the British and the Indians make it an interesting read.

However, I found the book far from engaging. In my view, reading a book is like embarking on an emotional journey; and there are some that just put you at the centre of action (almost making you feel like a character in the book) and others that leave you as a bystander (or a reader). Unfortunately, this book made me the latter. It's a fine story of an Indian and his interaction with different English men and women but it surely lacks the punch that make 'good' books 'great'. 

The central theme of the book is the wide bridge that exists between the two societies and the way Indians are treated by the British in their own country. While some English men and women question and in a subtle way oppose this 'not so pleasant' treatment of Indians, the British Raj largely believes that their job is to maintain peace and order in the country rather than being pleasant and friendly. The overriding belief is that Indians who are beset with their own inter sect clashes are far from capable of running the country on their own.

Another important theme that Forster skillfully develops through the course of the book is the feasibility of friendship between an Indian and an Englishman. While Aziz and Fielding start off as friends, very soon the deep rooted animosity between the two cultures and the lack of trust takes over resulting in the loss of this friendship. Thus, Forster evolves the notion of friendship during the course of the book: while in the early part of the book it seems that individuality and mutual respect are more critical to friendship than societal norms, the same does not hold true towards the end of the book when external circumstances colour this friendship for good.

Forster ends the book on a rather strong note from Aziz who believes that while India may have its own problems of inter sect clashes, it is clearly against the British rule and could get united to push the British out. This in a way gives an indication of the Indian freedom struggle to follow.

All in all, it was an interesting book but it did not move me emotionally or engage me as much as I would have wanted it to.

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