The Golden Pigeon

Pigeons are more powerful than eagles. They can fly faster, they have more endurance, greater stamina, they have vision as strong as that of an eagle, but they can never be the kings and masters,' Babur said, as if he was weighing my options. 'Eagles are hunters and pigeons are romantic lovers. What would you like to be, my dear Shiraz?' On a cold, foggy morning in March 1950, the beautiful Hina Kauser gathers up the folds of her burqa, picks up one of her twin sons, and runs back to her home in old Delhi like she's possessed by a jinn. She cannot leave for Lahore with her husband, Azizuddin Khan, because she is the daughter of Qudsia Begum, the great granddaughter of the last Mughal emperor. Hina and Qudsia must uphold the traditions of their great ancestors. Oblivious, Azizuddin boards the train to Pakistan with their other son. Like the twin nations born of the same womb, Shiraz and Aijaz grow up in Ballimaran and Lahore - separated by a destiny beyond their control. in the story of these brothers, where the real and the magical rub shoulders, Emperor Babur is a key character, now more poet than conqueror. Still searching for his lost Hindustan, dreaming of a reunited India, Babur's spirit hovers over the pages. By turn philosophical and ruminative, erotic and unabashedly ribald, The Golden Pigeon is a subtle appraisal of the forces that divide communities and nations. This story will sweep you up in its grand scale and carry you to the last page with unflagging momentum.

About the Author :
Shahid Siddiqui grew up in the bylanes of Shahjahanabad, the walled city of Delhi, in an atmosphere of poetry, culture and creativity. He belongs to a family of illustrious journalists and writers. His father, Abdul Waheed Siddiqui, was a prominent leader in the freedom movement. He started writing in Urdu at the early age of twelve and translated many English classics into Urdu. He published his first path-breaking fortnightly Waqiat in 1971 and later went on to publish Nai Duniya, a weekly, in 1973 when he was still a student at Delhi University. Shahid did his master's in political science from Delhi University and taught there from 1974 to 1986. He was a political activist since his school days and was in the forefront of opposing Emergency in 1975. His activism brought him into politics and he was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 2002-2008. Although he has been writing in English, Urdu and Hindi for various newspapers and magazines in the past, The Golden Pigeon is his first novel in English.