In 1947, India became independent, but was divided into two nations, forever changing the country and the lives of its inhabitants. The Indian Mate: Volume 1 charts the journey of one such family caught in the middle of the biggest migration in human history, along with around 14 million others who were forced to live in an uncertain world after Partition, among civil unrest and countless deaths.

Forced to adapt and survive, people fled their homes and did whatever they could to build something new. Entrenched in their faith, and through hard work, a new chapter in the country’s history was unveiled, and the spirit of the people flourished anew. But with a stark divide between the haves and the have-nots, many families found it difficult to stay afloat amid the clash of Eastern and Western cultures prevalent in the country.

Born to one such family, Divesh narrates the turbulent journey through independence to modern times while growing up in a middle-class family. With the dream of a better life, and the seeds of immigration planted at a young age, the book captures his experiences from a child to an adult and his efforts to move to Australia, a country with new possibilities for him and his loved ones. A place to start anew!