First published in English in India by Harper Perennial 2024

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

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First published in Punjabi as Agg di Khed in 1948 by Nanak Singh Pustakmala, Amritsar

Copyright © Kulbir Singh Suri

This English translation © Navdeep Suri 2024

P-ISBN: 978-93-5699-626-7

Epub Edition © December 2023 ISBN: 978-93-5699-756-1

This is a work of fiction and all characters and incidents described in this book are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Nanak Singh asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Cover design: Amit Malhotra

Cover image: Getty Images