“Cracking India” is a novel that is based on acts of violence that were being committed against people of all ages, genders and religions in India; this took place in 1947 during the Partition of India which separated Pakistan and India based on religion. Sexual objectification of women in Indian society began at a very early age for the women all the way up to adulthood. Women were not given their freedom because they lived in a society where they were not on the same level as men; Rape and sexual violation occurred heavily during this time. Men in power made decisions and then implemented the decisions with violence, which encompasses both power and gender. The idea of religious intolerance being fueled by the fear of Partition increased the tension.
The beginning of the novel describes the way Lenny viewed her illness of polio as a great escape to her pre-assigned future. She thought that by having this disease that her future would be different than of the women of her society. Since Lenny is younger, she is not as aware of the issues surrounding her and is more involved with simpler things. An example of this would be when she was playing with Hari’s dhoti; there was no vicious intent behind her actions. Lenny is exposed with religious issues when she goes with her parents, Adi, and her cousin to the main hall of the temple. Colonel Bharucha declares that Ghandi wants them to eat salt from only the Indian Ocean. This causes controversy, however Lenny has no choice but to listen to it all and not say a word. Throughout the novel, Lenny becomes more aware of her surroundings and how religion is playing an important role in society. When Lenny sees that Hari has grown a patch of hair, it seems ridiculous to her. She tries to remove his dhoti, but this time she does not do it in a humorous way. This showed that even children were being affected by the differences in religion. Another example would be when the Ice-Candy man reports that