Lands of Belonging: A History of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Britain

Description

There are many ways of telling the same story, and how you tell it depends on your point of view. Some stories are so complicated, or difficult to explain, that they're not often told at all. Like the story of how a company ended up running a country, or how one man drawing a line on a map could change the lives of millions of people forever. This book aims to piece together the interesting, surprising, and sometimes very sad story of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Britain, and how these countries have shaped one another over the centuries. From exploring the vast empires and amazing inventions of ancient India, to revealing the challenges faced by South Asian migrants to Britain - or celebrating the amazing culture, innovations, inventions, and achievements of British people of South Asian heritage today - this book shows how the past, present and future of these four countries will always be intertwined. Written by Donna and Vikesh Amey Bhatt who were inspired to write this book for their two young sons, with consultancy by Rajbir Hazelwood, historian of South Asia and Modern Britain, Lands of Belonging includes an exploration of the impact of British rule over India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were all one country at the time), from the foundation of the East India Company to India's involvement in supporting Britain during both World Wars, to India's fight for independence and the British government's decision to Partition the country, resulting in the largest migration of people in history.

Donna writes both fiction and non-fiction books for children. She writes the kind of things she loves reading; funny stories, books about people completely different to her, and collections of facts that can be used later to impress both friends and strangers at any social occasion. Donna lives in East London with her husband and co-author Vikesh, their two boys and their dog. Vikesh is a Creative Director with a background in design who has worked in advertising for over 18 years. He loves exploring the past and retelling the somewhat strange stories from his childhood, and is passionate about accurate cultural representation in children's books. He lives in East London with his wife and co-author, Donna, their two boys and their dog. Born in Sri Lanka, raised in Scarborough and now living in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and three cats, Salini started drawing the moment she could first pick up a pencil and hasn't stopped since. Now she gets to make art for picture books, her life-long dream!