Rajat Kanti Mitra - The Infidel Next Door

An unforgettable read.enlightening.tells us why healing and forgiveness can take place in the midst of mass violence.recommended for anyone wanting to understand the conflict between the bad and good aspects of human nature. VamikVolkan, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, internationally renowned peace activist and the author of Enemies on the couch

Weaves through Indian culture and perspectives as if in a delicate dance, each step precisely described and completely intriguing....one neednt be familiar with Indian society to appreciate this compelling story which draws together disparate lives in an engrossing saga that is hard to put down. Midwest Book Review

I have read many books set within the culture of Indian subcontinent including Malalas autobiography but none has brought the ways of thinking to life as well as this book. I now have a gut level understanding of how Hindus and Muslims see the world.the book has the feel of a parable, a thriller and a story with characters who teach us what religion stands for....You may have nightmares after reading this book but it will also tell you how to lift us from savagery to truly serve God. Robert Rich, author of Ascending spiral- Humanitys last chance

Few authors have the courage to talk about such a topic.has the marks of a bestseller. ThinkerViews Views and Reviews

A moving story about the never ending battle between tolerance and bigotry. unsparingly depicts the crimes committed by Kashmiri Muslims against Kashmiri Hindus.to argue against radicalism in all religions. Kirkus Book Review

A deeply moving book about human suffering and human condition. James Lavelle, Founder, Harvard Program for Refugee Trauma

A must read to understand the social plight and political landscape of Kashmir. A reader may take a long time to forget Aditya, the priest and Zeba, the imams daughter. Kevein Book Review

The Infidel Next Door shows us whether it is the triumph of faith over conscience or the other way round borne in the heart of sufferers. Recommended for all enlightened reader of politics and religion. Mehreen Ahmed, author of the award winning novel The Pacifist

.Immersive and fascinating.memory can have itself rooted outside of a person, outside of people but in the land surrounding us.story is worth reading. Portland Book Review

Tells how the inner turmoil of young lives impinge on a community and blood is thicker than water..... A story with stark intimacy and sensitivity..... brings taboo subjects out into the open for discussion and debate.... true harbingers of hope. Andrew Spacey, poet and author of 21 Bird Poems

A moving and profoundly important work.To see the world through the eyes of a priest, a family man, a survivor of pogroms and exiles, is to see the limits of what we thought of as humanity, and who we forgot. A voice against a saga of political violence too often excused or sanitized by a compromised discourse.You will feel the love that animates human beings still, even in their humble lives and struggles downstream from the aftermaths of history. I highly recommend it. - Professor Vamsee Juluri, University of San Francisco and Author of Saraswatis Intelligence

A beautifully narrated and skillfully woven tale.... powerful yet melancholic.... of characters drawn in a tale of religious bigotry between monotheistic beliefs and those pursuing God through their inner exprerinces.... Professor Ramesh N Rao, Columbus State University

Read this book. It has a lot to offer whether you are an Indian or a secularized European. A story dealing with forgiveness and grief that teaches us about the eternal questions of human life. Bo Brautigam, renowned Swedish psychologist

A sensitive and tragic tale that offers the hope of spirituality and healing in the midst of religious intolerance. An important book to remind us of the need for a new domain to approach irresolvable conflicts. Professor Peter Polatin, MD, Global Mental Health, George Washington University

A very moving story.....should be read widely. Sudhir Kakkar, renowned psychoanalyst and author of The inner world

The Infidel Next Door

RAJAT MITRA

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other-wise, without prior permission of the author.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the authors prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

This paperback edition 2019

Copyright @ 2017 Rajat Mitra

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of the book.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in it are products of authors imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead events or localities are entirely coincidental.

ISBN- : 81-85217-43-2

UTPAL PUBLICATIONS

R-22, Khaneja Complex, Main Market, Shakarpur, Delhi-110 092

Email : utpalpublications@gmail.com

Printed by :

Jeoffry and Bell Pub., Printers B-30/24, Chandergupt Complex, Subhash Chowk, Laxmi Nagar, Delhi -110 092

Email : jeoffrybell@hotmail.com

What cannot be talked about can also not be put to rest and if it is not, the wounds continue to fester from generation to generation.

-Bruno Bettelheim

For my wife, Nidhi, and my daughter, Ananya Iris

Contents

ONE

A few memories stay as silent shadows in our lives to haunt us for generations. Unravaged by time, they leave behind a story lost to the pages of history.

Krishna Narayan was eighteen when his father announced that he had found a girl for him. You will marry this girl next month. I have accepted her as my daughter-in-law, he said as he washed his hands for dinner.

Neither his mother nor he said anything and sat on the floor after him. Krishna Narayan played with the rice on his plate and ate little. After dinner his father announced that he was going to the temple to prepare for the next days prayers.

Ma, who is this girl that Father has found for our family? he asked, after she had cleaned the floor.

Her name is Gayatri. Her family is from Allahabad. She is a nice girl and will keep you happy.

He didnt know that Gurudev had explained to his parents the night before, No family in Banaras agrees to give their daughter to you in marriage hearing about your history. Since this girl is an orphan, her uncle is eager to get rid of her. She also has some illness that he mentioned, but this is the best match we will ever find for Krishna Narayan.

Krishna Narayan was married on an auspicious day. A dozen priests from the temple attended his marriage.

Gayatri saw her husband for the first time during the wedding. As she glanced at him, he lowered his eyes. He is more shy than I am, she thought.

During the wedding, Krishna Narayan saw that she had a beautiful face but her skin looked pale. He tried to smile but stopped when he saw his father looking at him.

Gayatri felt like a free bird in her new home. It consisted of a single room that had a small kitchen in one corner. In the night, they would spread a chatai on the ground and put up a curtain to separate the sleeping area from his parents.

She had expected that as a new bride, the wives of other priests would come to welcome her. No one did. She often found that they would give her a false smile and walk away. She had the feeling of being on edge each time she was near them.

As an orphan, she had learned two lessons that had helped her survive. One was that as an orphan, she was unwelcome among children who had parents and was told she brings bad luck. As a result, she had become a loner. The other lesson was that when she asked anything for her needs, others often told her a half-truth to deny it to her.