summary

Against the backdrop of the devastating events that shook Manipur on 3 May 2023, One Night That Changed Lives by Pervez Yumkhaibam tells the story of a mother searching for her missing child in a world consumed by fear and fire.

When violence erupts without warning, Ibecha becomes separated from her twelve-year-old son, Rahul, during a night that leaves entire villages in ashes. Forced into an overcrowded relief camp among grieving families and survivors, she clings desperately to the only thing left in her hands — Rahul’s small jacket — and the hope that somewhere, somehow, her son is still alive.

But amid the smoke, sorrow, and growing hatred around them, unexpected humanity begins to emerge. Strangers become family. Communities divided by conflict choose compassion over revenge. And in the darkness of one shattered night, ordinary people discover the extraordinary strength to protect one another.

A deeply emotional novel about motherhood, loss, friendship, resilience, and the fragile yet powerful bond of humanity during one of the darkest moments in recent memory.