For Honour

Book Details

• Author: Bela Lal

• Publisher: Niyogi Books

• Language: English

• Edition: First Edition

• ISBN: 9789381523834

• Pages: 228

• Cover: Paperback

About the Book

"For Honour" by Bela Lal is a captivating tale that delves into the complex themes of honour, caste, love, and social norms. In the village of Angratta, honour for the Khimja family means the purity of their race and the strict adherence to traditions. The rules of caste, gotra, and clan dictate every aspect of their lives, and the punishment for violating these unspoken codes is harsh and unforgiving. Om Prakash Khimja, the sarpanch and undisputed leader of the Khimjas, enforces these traditions with unwavering authority, including the destruction of a forbidden love affair between a Khimja girl and a boy from a lower caste.

But the story takes a dramatic turn when Om's own daughter falls in love with someone outside of the Khimja clan—Anant, an outsider with a mysterious past. As Anant navigates the labyrinth of village politics, manipulation, and rivalry, he faces a choice between love and survival. Can he escape the Khimja retribution, or will the weight of tradition and honour crush him too?

With a masterful narrative, Bela Lal weaves a compelling story of conflict between rural traditions and modern realities. The novel explores the tension between personal desire and societal expectation, and the characters come to life against a backdrop of contemporary Gujjar history. Bela Lal’s vivid portrayal of this complex landscape will leave readers reflecting on the nature of honour and the price one must pay for defying it.

"For Honour" is a poignant and thought-provoking novel that masterfully captures the intersection of love, honour, and the unyielding grip of tradition in rural India.