The story of Nolkhi Kothi revolves around an English officer's love for a bungalow. Nolkhi Kothi is a story written against the backdrop of British rule and the partition of India, with its central character being William. William's ancestors had been serving in the British government in India for the past 150 years, and for the last three generations, they had been serving as officers in Peshawar.
Nolkhi Kothi was built by William's great-grandfather in the outskirts of Okara during the Victorian era. William spent all his childhood and youth there and had a deep affection for this bungalow. Unlike other English officers, William had a love for the fertile lands of India instead of the sunless countries like Britain and the snowy lands. For the sake of his love for this land, he also made great sacrifices.
William, unlike other British officers, gave the local people the status of subjects instead of slaves and took many steps for the welfare of his area and the local people, which ultimately led to difficulties for him. Revenge begets revenge, and war leads to destruction.
War may start easily in a tribal and feudal system, but it ends with the extinction of races. Something similar happened with Gulam Haider and Sardar Sudha Singh, whose families started fighting due to personal and religious bigotry, but the impulses of revenge kept escalating, ultimately leading to their destruction.
At the beginning of this book, a detailed description of the culture of the regions of Punjab and the local people is given, which is perhaps a specialty of Akbar Ali Natiq Sahib. But this detailed description slows down the pace of the story.
For those who are interested in cultural descriptions, this book is undoubtedly a treat, but for people like me who are accustomed to reading stories according to the pace of the story, this detailed description causes a bit of confusion. However, in the end, when Natiq Sahib picks up the pace, the enjoyment of the story also begins, but the ending leaves you with a strange sense of sorrow.
