The road from Rawalpindi

Well-known historian and former civil servant Narendra Luther is a name to reckon with. Having written many books, this time the 85-year-old author has come out with his autobiography called A Bonsai Tree. 

The book narrates his story from the time he lived in Lahore. Reminiscing about that time, Narendra says, “I was 15 years old when India and Pakistan got divided. My father was posted in Rawalpindi and had, in fact, signed up to serve for Pakistan. But after seeing a lot of bloodshed my father decided we would move to India in October. We had heard in the news that many trains between the two countries were looted and passengers were killed. Fortunately, our train was protected by the Gorkha regiment and although, it’s a 12-hour journey between Rawalpindi and Amritsar, we reached Amritsar, somewhat safe, in four days.”

In A Bonsai Tree, the well-known historian mentioned that he and his family had to battle with his son Rahul’s addiction. When asked about the unfortunate incident, the author says, “Those were hard times, not only for me but for my whole family. But after much suffering, Rahul was able to come out of the addiction and now runs a rehabilitation centre.”

If one happens to visit the author’s home in Hyderabad, the first thing one would notice is the beautiful rock wall in the sitting room. Ask the author about it and he says, “Everyone talks about protecting heritage monuments but they seldom understand the importance of saving rocks. They are ancient and need protection.” The author is also the president of the Society to Save Rocks and says that the rock inside their house is nearly 2,000 years old. 

Narendra’s life took a sharp turn with India achieving its freedom and today 70 years later, the author feels we have somewhere lost the idea on which the country was founded. “We were supposed to be a secular country, but what is happening today on the name of gouraksha is hardly secular. I believe the nation has far more bigger problems to tackle than engaging in fights over religion. We should focus on India and its development,” he signs off.

His journey started on arriving in India. He completed his education from the University College, Hoshiarpur, and joined the civil services. He gets nostalgic as he talks about his first visit to Hyderabad as a young civil servant. “I came to Hyderabad as soon as the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed. The city took me back in time to when I was a kid in Lahore.”

Narendra Luther with his wife, Bindi, in front of his ancestral house in Lahore.

After being posted in Hyderabad, Narendra served in various departments including tourism, agro-industries and the municipal corporation of Hyderabad. “The Hyderabad of those times was very different from the Hyderabad of today. Back then Urdu mushairas and poetry were rampant,” he says. However, what interested Narendra the most was the history of the erstwhile Hyderabad state and its rulers, on which he later wrote several books.