Freedom at Midnight !

I have been spending a lot of my time reading this book - "Is Paris Burning?" and as I approach the end of it, I am realizing that I like writings of Lappiere and Collins. This is the third book that I have from this duo. The first was "Freedom at Midnight", which I loved. That encouraged me to take up "The City of Joy" . City was Joy (CoJ was not strictly from the duo, it was by Lappiere alone) was also a wonderful book, and in fact has also been conerted into a movie. And now Paris is Burning.

I loved "Is Paris Burning" and "Freedom at Midnight" more than CoJ. The first two somehow evoke a lot of emotion, when I read them. The authors somehow manage to do that.

I still remember the part in "Freedom at Midnight" that i liked the most. There is a long acount of Mahatma Gandhi's march to Dandi to break the salt law. As millions joined in the way on this determined march to abide and unite with Mahatma Gandhi.. one cannot just be untouched by the profound intensity of feeling, of determination, and the simplicity of the idea and the overwhelming effectiveness of such a non-violent measure. The book describes this in all its emotion and passion and the reader is transported to the age, to right behind Gandhi as you watch him, an old frailing man walking determined followed by millions on foot and much, much more in spirit.

With one hand of salt picked from the sandy beach of Dandi, Mahatma Gandhi breaks the will of the British Empire in India. With that one hand of salt he also demonstrates and brings hope to the millions in India to carry their stuggle, come what may. Everybody agrees that this act of breaking the Salt Law was highly instrumental in the way the Independence movement was going to take shape and in eventually forcing the British out of India.