When a Mighty Tree Falls

About the Book

This is the story of the 1984 riots and the effect it has on an obscure Sikh couple, Lajo and Kujlit, who reside in a resettlement colony in Delhi. Their Hindu landlord, Vikram, lusts after Lajo, who succumbs to his advances and conceives, though she had been childless for years. Kuljit is delighted, and she vows that Vikram will never know. Indira Gandhi’s assassination triggers the birth of a premature baby. Kuljit is brutally murdered in the ensuing anti-Sikh riots, and Lajo starts afresh in Widow’s Colony, perhaps the only one of its kind in the world. Her son, Sharan, grows up in an environment of anger and hate. Later, a reunion with Vikram makes Lajo realize that the Hindu–Sikh divide was the mischief of politicians with vested interests. Appalled at the fanaticism she has instilled in her son, she tries to undo the wrong but in vain. The inevitable follows.

About the Author

Amrinder Bajaj is a practicing gynaecologist and the head of the Department of Obs and Gynae in a corporate hospital, Delhi. Writing is a passion that has lead to the publication of several books that include two wellness books, an autobiographical novel, a book of poems, a joke book, and a memoir based on her association with the noted Indian author and columnist, Khushwant Singh. She regularly writes columns, articles, travelogues, short stories for magazines and newspapers, and has contributed chapters to medical textbooks.