08 RobertGnanamony.pmd PALABRAS acontecimientos históricosdelsiglo pasado sigloyeditadaporAlokBhallahasidoelegidaparaestudiarunodelosmayores Unapartición. publicadaen losañosnoventa seleccióndelosrelatos delapartición del subcontinente indiohaceunoscincuentaysieteañosendiferentesprovincias durantela esexplicar,El objetivodeesteartículo agrandesrasgos,eltraumavividoporpueblodel RESUMEN KEY and deformed.People seemedtohavelosteventhelastdropofhumanity. and theairwere rent withthescreams ofthevictims. The entire humanracelookedcrooked tosavetheirlives.Citiesandtowns wereing behindeverything silentasgraveyards. The sky besides instancesofothervandalism. Terrified peoplewere fleeingfrom theirhousesleav- about 75,000womenwere abductedandraped,abouttenmillionpeoplewere uprooted magnitude ofthecommunallyinspiredtragedywherein someonemillionpeopledied, andthegreatchosen tostudyoneofthegreatesthistoricalevents ofthe20thcentury selection ofthePartition narrativesappeared inthe1990’s andeditedbyAlokBhalla are went somefifty-sevenyearsagointhevarious aimstooutlinethetraumathatpeopleofIndian subcontinentunder- This article ABSTRACT y lagenteparecíahaberperdido hastalaúltimagotadehumanidad. se desgarrabanconlosgritosdelasvíctimas. Toda ydeformaba larazahumanaseencorvaba sus vidas.Lasciudadesylospueblos,comotumbas,quedabanensilencio. El cieloyelaire casos vandálicos. Lagenteaterrorizada abandonabasuscasasdejandotodoatrásparasalvar millonesdepersonasfuerondesarraigadas,aménotros raptadas yvioladasunosdiez nal enlaquemurieroncasiunmillóndepersonas,unassetentaycincomilmujeres fueron

WORDS

CLAVE : Indo-Englishliterature,Partition, historicaltraumas. REIGN OF TERROR IN THE GRANDGUIGNOL : literaturaangloindia,relatos historiatraumática delapartición, STORIES ABOUT THE PARTITION OFINDIA DAYS OFPARTITION: ASELECT READING R EVISTA OF ALOK BHALLA’S EDITIONOF C 119 ANARIA Scott ChristianCollege,India

DE S. Robert Gnanamony E STUDIOS XX ylagranmagnituddetragediaámbitocomu- I NGLESES provinces atthetimeofPartition. A , 54;April 2007,pp. 119-137 08/10/2007, 11:39

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ROBERT GNANAMONY 120 their existenceinthestrangelocalities,amidstcustoms andmanners. What the trauma,how theaffectedrebuilt theirlives,experienceofdislocation, we cometoknow copedwith theholocaust,how how thesurvived peoplesurvived and Pakistan” (3). They furnishthemissinglink,becauseitisthroughthesepages asinherbook served Punjab aswell. ists have dealtwithPartition, whichincludeauthorsfromthePakistani sideof enterprises.Abouttheme even now tolaunchnewartistic 20novel- propelsartists stories,and40novelsthan 200poems,nearlyshort andsomeplaystoo. This 100 authorshavetoucheduponthisthemeintheirwritings. There have beenmore 1947, some500textshavebeenwrittenontheissueofPartition. Alittlemore than Dogri, Gujarati andMarathi languagesalso. In thePunjabi languagealonesince other thingsthetraumaofPartition ofthecountry. There hasbeensomeactivityin produced inPunjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, English,andSindhi highlightingabove Aconspicuousbodyofliterature hasbeen inlanguageandotherformsofart. of art tocreateholocausts, andnaturalcalamitiesinspire great thewritersandartists works save themselvesfromthehumiliationofforcible conversion. around; hundreds andthousandstooktheirown lifetoguard theirhonourandto people killedeachother;womenofallageswere raped;there cruelly were flames all enemies overnight; there wassuddenpanic;unimaginableviolenceletloose; were leastprepared, letalonetackle.Hell letloose.Friends andneighboursturned deeplinespushedthesimplefolksintoanabyssforwhichthey stinctive arbitrary “Help!” 983times,“Murder!” 1,263times,and“Rape!”1,804times. circumstances. It hadbeencalculatedthatwhileontheGuignol stage,Maxa cried, than 10,000timesinsomesixtywaysandrapedover 3,000timesunderadozen ance withtheGuignol. During herrelatively briefcareer, Maxa wasmurdered more character inMoran’s night.Oneactress knownthe publicfaintedevery asMaxa, whoappeared asa always inattendancetoassistswooningspectators.Onanaverage twomembersof mutilation, andtorture were bread andbuttertotheGrand Guignol. Adoctorwas Guignol of theterrifyingParisian dramaofbloodandgoreknown asthe urns. It isaliterature ofanguish,agony, andbloodshedunmistakablyreminding us . Realistic representation ofactsunimaginable horror, murder, rape, Partition talesare “told andretold,” Urvashi painfullyob- Butalia hasvery Generally, historicaleventsofgreat magnitudelikewars,genocide, A coupleofmonthsbefore thePartition, Cyril Radcliffe’s markingthein- Going bytheratings,Partition ofwell-wrought literature isnotagallery Like quillsuponthefretful porcupine. hairtostandonend, And eachparticular Thy knottedandcombinedlockstopart, Make fromtheir blood; thytwoeyes,likestars,start Would harrow upthysoul;freeze thyyoungspheres I couldataleunfoldwhoselightestword (William Shakespeare,(William 120

The Cabinet ofDr. Caligari The OtherSide ofSilence Hamlet

I .iv.20-26) , “insidesomanyhouseholdsinIndia , keptafulljournalofherperform- 08/10/2007, 11:39 Theatre duGrand 08 RobertGnanamony.pmd food andwatermedicalsupplies” (20).In ofaBritish thereport armyofficer, was ajourneydownward tohell,forasSwarna Aiyarpointsout,“they were refused tracks three communities(Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims) were seenstrewn allover therailway munities aseachfactionswore toget“an eyeforaneye.” Stinking bodiesofthe tile. Revenge and retaliation were theprincipalpassionsexpressed by allthecom- CommissionoverBoundary thefateofPunjab madethesituationstillmore vola- in bothcitiesandvillages. areasThe rural were tense. very The uneasycalmofthe phase betweenApril andJuly wascharacterisedbyorganisedraidingandstabbing ofproperty.scale arsonanddestruction The villageswere alsoaffected. The second at itspeakintensity. This wasthefirstphaseofviolence.It wasmarkedby large- edented violence” (15). of independencewasthePunjab whichwascaughtinthemaelstromofunprec- However, according toSwarna Aiyar, “the province mostaffectedbythesedarkside savage massacres westandBengalintheeast. thatgrippedthesecitiesinthenorth, Pandavas wasanemptynothing” (412). ofthe atall.AsGandhisays,“Victory ofthesword wasnovictory that thevictory ing because and thehorizonbecamedim.Some peoplethoughtthatsuchthingswere happen- almost thesameprovince trembled (Kurushetra) withaloudnoise whentheearth slaughterwitnessedsome2500yearsbeforeenactment ofthegruesome Christat and Sikhs ofPunjab were leftwithnoalternative.Many sawitasanunmistakable soonspread toothercitiesandtowns.The carnageandcontagionvery The Hindus Lahore inMarch 1947.Many ofthesecitieswere parts burntdown days. inafew its fire and sword operationinthecentralPunjab andinthecitiesofAmirtsar successfulthere, theLeaguethenbegan was literallyabloodbath.Havingbeenvery there. They were caughtunawares whenfireandsword played againstthem. There in theNorthwestern district. The Hindus andMuslims were negligibleinnumber Muslim LeagueinitiallytargetedHaripurHazara,astrongholdoftheMuslim League remorseless destroyers oflifeandproperty. Inspired by suchheadyspeeches,the Halaku did” (Singh 27). and The Halaku Khangangwasoneofthemostcruel Khan Noon: havoc whichtheMuslims “The willplayputtoshamewhat ried them. speechesandthereputeddailiesevencar- deliveringLeague started inflammatory ever “inthishumanevent,voicesare strangelysilent”(Talbot 39). The Partition causedanunfoldinghumantragedyofenormousproportions.How- lion lives,andsometenmillionpeoplewere uprootedfromtheirancestralhomes. ensued, thegrimreaper, claimedninemil- reports, evenaccording toconservative that decentpersonwithshameandhumiliation.Indren thebitterharvest fillevery of bitternessandpain. committedonmen,women, andchil- The actsofbrutality remember thosefacts,andhow theyrepresent themthroughbearingtheirbaggage nowis moreimportant is notthefactsorfigures ofthoseaffected,buthow they

and stations. stageoftheirjourney.The evacueeswere harassedatevery It The disturbancesinMarch 1947in West Punjab lastedaboutthree weeks Quite naturally, thejoy offreedom wasdrowned low bytheexceptionally Soon afterJinnah’s callfor“Direct Action,” otherleadersoftheMuslim

The Tribune The Mahabharata 121

on 11April thespeechofMalik 1946reported Sir Feroze advocatedretaliation. However sensiblepeoplethought 08/10/2007, 11:39

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ROBERT GNANAMONY 122 The secondlettergoesasfollows: ern sector. The letterswere from Bagerhat writtenbyRahimtohiswife,Amina. distressingThe letterscontainedavery taleofarson,lootandviolenceintheeast- asshefoundabundleoflettersinsidethedrawershort-lived ofthedressingtable. either adjustedhersariorputabindionforehead. However herexcitement was excited forshehadbeenlongingtohaveone.She stoodhoursbefore themirrorand hand dressingtablefromthepavement. He boughtitatachiefrate.His wifewas takesplaceinCalcuttaontheeveofPartition.of thestory Nanda boughtasecond Dressing Table” throughaseriesoflettersfound inanolddressing table. The action mountains —screams of Ya Allahirent thesky” (19). of itsclaws.Andtheyheard voicescallingforterriblesacrificesrumbledown the came 1947—growling, gnashingitsteeth,holdingtheorder ofthePartition inone just ahintofthegenocidalPartition “Separated fromtheFlock”: inhisstory “Then hatred, rage,self-interest andfrenzy” (Bhalla xxxiii).Syed Mohammed Ashrafgives human worldoflanguage,customs,rituals,andprayers“intoabestial collection aresadwitnessestoaperiodinwhichourpeoplefellfarlow outofa is randomandcapricious;anyone canbedestroyed” (Bhalla xix). The talesinhis his othertwovolumesare “an instanceofviolenceinanunendingstories;savagery bile andexcreta. The smellwasalmostunbearable” (Aiyar20). railtrack,andtheirbodieswere were covered deadanddyinginevery “There by Bestiality hadbeenunleashedupon thetown. The entire town wasfilledwithscreams, People, hethought, seemed“to have losteven thelastdropofhumanity” (35). no winkofsleepformanynights.He wanderedabout inthetown likeamadman. The entire humanraceseemedtoRahim“crooked anddeformed” (35).Rahimhad helpless. Iftheyprotested, thegoondaswouldburntheirhousesorevenkillthem. the shopsandthentorched them. Those whowere neutral andpoorfeltutterly Salil Choudhary tells his sad tale of riots and violence in his story “The tellshissadtaleofriotsandviolenceinstory Salil Choudhary Most ofthenarratives oftheeditorAlokBhalla’s firstvolumeofstorieslike Taking advantageoftheconfusioncreated, the goondasinthetown looted “throw theHindus out,”were raised.(32) people beganshoutingthattheHindus were enemiesofPakistan. Slogans like and theairwere rent withthescreams ofthevictims.In themeantime,some after villagewasburntandlooted. The inhabitantsfledfrom theirhouses. The sky the villages. The policemendidn’t differentiatebetweenmenandwomen. Village attacked thevillage.Brutality, initsmosthorrendous form,wasunleashedupon One day, anumberofarmedpolicemen,accompaniedbygang ofhooligans, been aterribleriotinscheduledcastevillagefewmilesfromthetown... silent asagraveyard. People areeven theirhomes. I sawpeoplefleeingfromthisplace,deserting The wholetown isas 122 I scared totalkloudly... Recently, therehad 08/10/2007, 11:39 08 RobertGnanamony.pmd what happenedthen: smother theother. oftheviolenceMunniThe lonesurvivor Bitiya sadlyrecalls Partition, theenmitybetweentwocommunitiesstillexisted,andbothtriedto family members. years tookplaceafew afterthe Though theactionofstory foolish decisionoftakingthefamilytoDhaka muchagainstthewishesofother ofMunnithe violenceanddestruction Bitiya’s family, becauseofherfather’s confession. making thegruesome however inafitofjealousy, slithisthroatwithherdaggerandhediedshortly, after raping herafterdeath.Kulwant Kaur, themistress oftheSardarji, Ishwar Singh, butchering somesixmenwithhisdaggerandabductingalovely young womanand it waskeptinthesmallerroom. to comeout. When Aminawasburntinthefire, herdressing tableescapedbecause was alotoffiringatthattime,bulletswere flyingallaroundanditwasimpossible her house.Atmidnight,“the housewaslockedfromoutsideandsetonfire.” There gone toPakistan; ofthetalewasthatAminascorched inside butthesadpart lived. But therewasnotraceofhim.Somebody himsaidthathehad whoknew was alive ornot. fiendishlaughter.wails andfearful He wasnotsure whetherhisbeloved wifeAmina once fires and burningofbuildings. They saw“flames leapingoutoftheclouds admission andpushedout.Ontherouteoftrain, the refugees sawmore than On theirway, asthe train stoppedinstations,somegotandwererefused of horror. In hisstory, amotleygroupofrefugeesweregoingintraintoAmritsar. (130). cries as—“Kill,cutthemup, butcherthem, finishthemoff” flutter foundnopause;itrose andfell,fellrose” (130). The airwasfullofsuch —acrossthecity,heart attheirown quarters, doors. intheirvery The heart’s loud But now, “here wasawider, more terriblecalamityrisingfrom thenation’s own withterror.air raidsacoupleofmonthsago,andwere struck But thatwasfaraway. bewildered quavered” andterrified;theirhearts (129). They hadheard theJapanese that. People, onseeingtheviolence,whichtheyhadneverseenintheirlife,“were would turnenemies.Manik Bandyopadhayay’s “Childishness” story isallabout communities. When there wasso muchfightingandkillingallaround, evenfriends dren were burnttodeath. Umm-e- Ummara’s tale“More Sinned Against Than Sinning” talksabout Saadat Hasan Manto’s “ColdMeat” isahorribletaleaboutmadSardarji’s On reading theseletters,Nanda tothespotwhereRahimuddin rushed Bhisham Sahni’s “The Train HasReached Amritsar” illuminatesamoment The great divideultimatelydividedeventhegoodneighboursofboth Not onlyPakhi’s lovely bodywasreduced toash,evenherflower-like chil- herselfintheash.(116) ashes. She triedtobury ened bird. Butbefore sheregainedhersenses,Phoolbarihadbeenburntto law), withherhairdishevelled,ranfromonesingedflower tothenextlikeafright- man lostalltracesofhumanity. Phoolbariwassetonfire. Poor Pakhi (hersister-in- Evil finally strangledgood. The enemyattackedwithallitsforceandfury, and 123 08/10/2007, 11:39

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ROBERT GNANAMONY 124 The Bible nent darkness.Soon suchdarkplacesofthecitybecame,toquoteaphrasefrom “destroyed alltheelectricwires andthestreetlamps” (193). That resulted inperma- (193). In ofthecitycalledGangu-ki-Gali,there onepart wasafire,which had muchlovedwas very by itscitizens,butnow therewas“no signoflifeinanyhouse” cuses ontheriotinLahore, acityofbeautifulgardens andbustlingcrowds. The city we sawflamesleapingupintothesky. Citieswere burningallaround” (153). pulled theirshuttersdown. recalls later,The narrator ofthestory “In thefardistance, flames” (151).Andtheyunderstoodthatmanypeoplehad beenkilled. Terrified, they tothewindowsrushed tocatchaglimpseofthefire. They sawthat“the citywasin smoke, whichroseabove thecity,” (151). The passengerswerefrozen infear. Some fouled bythebodiesofmenandwomenwhohadbeenmutilatedkilled” (204). many days,thewaterflowing throughthem“hadbeenreddened bybloodandbe- rivers andcanals,whichflowed pasttheirtowns andvillages,were polluted.For Pakistan.about post-partition Strangers now occupiedtheoldhavelisthere,and as Kulwant Singh Virk’s “Weeds” story thisisastory shows. Astheauthorobserves, villageandtownaround devastation,andlifeinevery hadbeenturnedupsidedown, “ghost-haunted place” (197). collecting thejustrewards ofaholywar” (198).Lahore wasstunnedand becamea among them.Boys likeNasru argued,“Why, islooting. everyone They saytheyare were goingonunabatedalargescale,were justifiedbytheviolentandheartless kafir bastards gotohell!Pakistan doesn’t needkafirs!”(197). The lootings,which tastrophe!” (197).But themultitudeofwickedfeltelatedandsaid,“Let away. Seeing thedesolation,reasonableMuslims exclaimed, “Ya Allah! What aca- of burning,looting,andkillinginthebazaarledHindu families toquietlyslip away. The nearbyBazaar hadbeenattackedtwicebyhordes ofMuslims. Incidents On 13thofAugust, 1947alltheHindu familieslivinginGangu-ki-Gali hadrun wasimposed,itnaturallyfelttobe“gloomythe curfew andsuffocating” (193). deserted andmade“the desolationandthesadnessmore oppressive” (193). When family members. To escapefromabduction,andtheaccompanyinghumiliation were notfrom outsidethearea,butfrom thesamevillageandsometimestheirown less stablerelationships, andofacoherent identity” (2).Invariably themarauders place andproperty... butmore significantly, ofcommunity, ofanetworkmore or Bhasin, “forced toreckon withthetwinaspectsof“azadi” loss:of —bewildering cated anduprooted. byRituMenonThey were, ashasbeenobserved andKamla tothisupheaval,agoodnumberofwomenandchildrenAs acorollary were dislo- holocaust. Forced massmigrationsledtoanextreme oflifeatalllevels. disruption experience. Thousands ofwomenwere destituteinone-wayoranotherbythat The riotswere toPartition. anaturalcorollary Yaspal’s “A Holy War” fo- It sadsighttoseetheenemiesofotherroarinmidstall wasavery In thepre- andpost-Partition times,womenhadtoundergoahorrifying

“full ofthehabitationscruelty” (“Psalms” 74:20). The streets were 124 II 08/10/2007, 11:39 08 RobertGnanamony.pmd the situation very seriouslyandpassedthefollowingthe situationvery resolution: Indian National Congress initssittingatMeerut on23-25November, 1946viewed of debateintheConstituentAssembly, butthegovernment foundithelpless. The million, butthenumberofthosedestitutedwouldhavebeenmuchhigher” (3). officialestimateoflives lostduringPartitionKamla Bhasin, “The isplacedathalfa who were carriedaway, According were forciblyconverted. toRituMenon and times theywere leftashostagesorkilledbytheirown familymembers. Those women, Families were uprooted, children were orphaned,andwomenwere abducted;some- killed intensofthousands.Even convoys by escorted thearmywere ambushed. other. No onehadthoughtthatthepoorandinnocentwouldbeambushed tothe would bestreams ofpeople andbloodflowing ofthecountry fromonepart being sexuallyused. number committedsuicidethemomenttheywere letoffbytheircaptorsafter packets ofpoisonontheirown personsincasetheywere captured. Aninnumerable bers oftheirown familykilledhundreds ofthem. Thousands ofotherscarried and mutilationoftheirbodies,manywomentookown lives; themalemem- (Menon &Bhasin 4) The following istheagewisebreak-up ofthevictims: ferent fromtheirown “and indeedsometimes by menoftheirown religion” lence organisations.Urvashi Butaliaand service saysinherbook, about 33,000.However thefigure wasdisputedbyboththe government agencies in India wasaround50,000andinthePakistan side,thenon-Muslim womenwere thatabout75,000womenwere abductedandrapedby menofreligions dif- 0adaoe0 02 04 59 35 05 06 44 45 50 andabove 35.50 years 12>35 Years >12 years A GE The issueofabductionandforciblemassconversionsbecameahotsubject Neither thepoliticiansnorwell-meaningcitizensforesaw thatthere According totheofficial estimate,thenumberofMuslim womenabducted toreturnthelifeoftheirchoice(Menon opportunity &Bhasinevery 3-4). houses; massconversionshavenosignificanceorvalidityandpeoplemustbegiven Women whohavebeenabductedandforciblymarriedmustberestored totheir women, andforciblemarriage. murders onamassscale,andalsoconversions...abductionviolationof communal strifeare different fromanyprevious disturbances andhaveinvolved ofMeerutBengal, Bihar district... andsomeparts developmentsin These new The Congress withpain,horrorandanxietythetragediesofCalcutta,East views - WISE 125 PERCENTAGE I N P AKISTAN 08/10/2007, 11:39 The Other Side ofSi- I N I NDIA

(3).

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ROBERT GNANAMONY 126 days were sweptawayby theflow oftheriverbecause“the waterswere hostile” (20). too died. The castles,thecastlesofsandbuiltby theyoungmenandwomenthose died manyyears ago,andGhazla, “who wasasgentleandfrolicsomeadove” (21) Like Nawab’s Begam, Ghazala alsowasmarriedofftoanotherman.Her husband Pakistan hadbeeninlove witha“sublimely beautiful” youngwomancalledGhazala. shortly. Even theSuperintendent ofPolice before hehadmigratedto inthestory her. She andconsumptive.She stayedbackandmarriedadrunkard becameawidow fore migratingtoPakistan, felldeeplyinlove withBegum. But hecouldn’t marry Syed “Separated Mohammad fromtheFlock,” Ashraf’s Nawab aU.P. resident be- of Harnoli,atown inMianwali districtinRawalpindi: Kalsa, District LiaisonOfficer, Mianwali, ofanattackonthenon-Muslim residents and abductionsoccurred then. ofK.C. The following report isaheart-rending wasunleashedunchecked. and atthattimethemobfury The vastmajorityofrapes nity andrespect. andmarriedlivedthird manywere converted withsomedig- wives.Andvery hands severaltimesorwere soldtothehighestbidder. Some becamesecondor and mostoftheirwomenyounggirlswere abductedaway. Some changed Muzzaffarabad districtofAzadKashmirnotasingleSikh malewasleftalonealive, others were initiallygiven intothehostfamily. protection andtransported In the separated fromtheirfamilyorgroupswhileescapingandwere pickedup. Still behind ashostagesforthesafejourneyoftheirotherfamilymembers.Otherswere enon but“was deeplygendered” (68). leashed cataclysmicviolenceandwasnotanundifferentiated phenom- kind ofdenialisalsoatworkwhenonecommunityontheothermindlesslyun- profile oftheabductedwomenandchildren duringthatturbulenttime.Apeculiar to comebackto” (68).It’s foundtoberatherimpossiblepresent anaccurate state— astheywere forciblyrepatriated tocountriestheydidnotnecessarilywant their abductors,hadtofaceviolenceasecondtimearound—thisfromthe Datta shows, “the homeswith women,someofwhomhadfoundnew surviving covery becameapointofhonour fortheproudyoung nation-states.AsPartho abducted womendisplayedabsolutelylittleconcernfortheirsufferings. Their re- The Partition thecountry, notonlypartitioned In butalsorent hearts. napped bythepassers-by. (Major 58) and smallkiddieswere wanderingwithoutacover inthejunglesandwere kid- rows oflineinthebazaarsHarnoli.About 800girlsandwomenwere abducted lessly. The breasts ofwomenwere cutandtheywere madetowalkallnakedin of agewere rapedinthepresenceoftheirparents andthenputtodeathmerci- ing intowellsorthrowing themselvesintoburninghouses....Girls of8to10years and thrown intotheburningoil.Hundreds ofwomensavedtheirhonourbyjump- massacred andburntalive.Children were snatchedawayfromtheirmother’s arms More thanhalfthepopulation(being6000menandwomenchildren) were The heightoftheholocaustwasbetween August 1947and September 1947 The circumstances ofwomen’s abductionvariedwidely. Some were left It isquitepainfultonotethatbothIndia andPakistan intheirstepstotrace 126 08/10/2007, 11:39 08 RobertGnanamony.pmd of abductorsandthecallousanswerlatter: “Compassion.” It shows ahelplessfatherpleadingonbendedkneesbefore agroup found tohisgreat shock anddismaythatshehadalready beendead. the wayhelaidherdown behindsomebushesandrapedher. When itwas over, he this delicacyalso” (95). With thisintention,hecarriedherover hisshoulderandon Kaur. His intentionwastokeeptheabductedgirlinsomesecret placeandto“taste young girlalive forhisfuture enjoyment. He hadalready aladylove by nameKulwant story. Ishwar murdered Singh cruelly sixpeopleinahouseandtookawaylovely have populatedasmalltown. Saadat Hasan Manto’s “ColdMeat” dealswithsucha their own kithandkin. The numberwhocommittedsuicideoutofshamecould were ostracizedby Many heartlessly casually cutafterwards. womenwhosurvived daughters were sexually abused infrontofoneanother, andthentheirthroatswere were treated asacommodity. Asalwaystheywere theworstsufferers. Mothers and lake?” (23). many wingshadbeenbroken andhow manybirds were writhinginpainthe felt that“the wholeuniverse hadbeensplattered withblood—whoknows how Identifying himselfwiththebird thatescapedthehunter’s gun,thepoliceofficer ashes” (138). was gutted” (138).In fact,shewas watchinghelplessly“herhouseburndown to dren were killed” (138), andthegirlsinherfamilywere abductedand“herhouse old woman—amotherofninechildren too. She wasalone,becauseall“herchil- “from oneprisontoanother” loudly. (137).Many werecrying Among themwasan reclaimed “women.” The exchange tookplaceontheborder. They were shuttlecocked refugee campin Western Punjab. Fifty bondedwomenwere handedover forfifty rience ofsomeabductedandsexuallyabusedwomen. takesplaceina The story India” commoninnorthern particularly (59). women inorder todemoralizeanddefeatrivalis meninapatriarchalsociety— relationships inoursociety. AsAndrew J.Major shows “power rape—therapingof physical harassmentanddefilementofwomenisembeddedlikeafossilineveryday of women” (59).At thisjuncture, itwouldnotbeoutof placetopointoutthat by Andrew J.Major, “revenge canbecomeapowerful motive(orexcuse) forabuse commodity, a“territory’ tobe“occupied.” In suchacontext,ashasbeenobserved intimidate aconquered people.In civilwarstoo,womenare normally seen asa table featureofwars. This horrific abuseofwomenhasbeeninpracticeorder to It experiencetoread isaheart-rending apoemofSaadat HasanManto’s Recent studieshavebeguntouncover thatwomeninthoseinfernaldays Lalithambika Antharjanam’s story, “A LeafintheStorm” narratestheexpe- Past historiesoftheworldshow thatrapehasbeenaprominentandinevi- And dragheraway... (97). Strip her All right,let’s doashesays... Before myeyes... My youngdaughter Please don’t kill 127 08/10/2007, 11:39

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ROBERT GNANAMONY 128 request tomaketheofficer. It wastorescue hersister-in-lawabductedandkept likePakistan”strong country (207).She wasalsoseriouslyill.She hadjustone and rejoining withherkithandkin.No onecouldrescue her“from suchabigand village withher” (207). Obviously, shehadnohopeofgoingbacktoherown place she layquietlyandstill. There wasnoonefromhercaste,community, religion or of anuglierimageman’s inhumanitytoman.Abducted, rapedandhumiliated, made ofbrickandmud,layhelplesslyonacot. The narratorsays,“Icouldn’t think reasonable Pakistani officer, findsthisabductedwifeofanotherman,inahouse have beenclosed.It takesplacewithinavillageinPakistan. The narrator, whoisa stoically startedfeelingthatshehassomehow topullonherdays asallthedoors andparcelThey considereditaspart ofgenerallooting. villagers, peasants,therichandpoorwere act. alsoinvolvedinthisgruesome ducting women.Men fromallsocialclasseswere involved inabductionandrape; poor innocentwomanhadnothingbutasmallstoneidolofhergodinthebundle. bitch and“stabbed herwithhisknifeandsnatchedaway bundle” (203). The ofaholywar.ing short So whenhesawMoolan Tai away, running hecalledhera religious passionwassoinflamedthathethoughttheriotingandkillingwere noth- curfew, sherantoasafeplaceinthethickofwarwithsmallbundle.Nazru’s wantonly stabbedMoolan Tai, anagedHindu widow. When thecitywasunder intheHinduand destruction areas inLahorewhenaviolentyoungMuslim, Nazru death” (117). result, his lovely young wifePakhi andtheir“flower-like children were burntto gun towidenandthatevilhadbeguncircleentrapgood” (117),andasa to beathoroughlydisillusionedman,because“the gulfseparatingpeoplehadbe- past andhaddreamt onlyofabrightfuture.”Unfortunately hecame shortly very of anenthusiastic,honestyoungmanwhohad“deliberately refused tolookatthe the taxleviedonherlife” (144). and“notraffic iscertainlycruel, byAntharjanam,“can woman,”asobserved evade ried, andhadbeen“reclaimed” by thecamp. She suppressedtheterriblepain.Life’s hersecretOnly afewpeopleinthecampknew thatshewaspregnant andunmar- seed ofdamnation?”(139).She wasconceivedinconsequenceofinhumanrape. doctor, “Lookatme!Iamdamnedtoo.... You wantmetoliveonstill,andsow the drink. The campdoctorwascoaxinghertodrinkmilk.She wasshoutingatthe and noblefromawell-to-do familyandwasarapevictim.She refused toeator reflected hateandcynicism.She despisedthewholeworld.She wasgood-looking Sikh andJyoti washername.She didn’t liketheotherwomen.But hereyes cry see thebloodstainedhandsofchildren. her husband’s bodywhichlaidrippedopenandscattered” (138).She couldonly breasts are swollen” (138). Tragedy overtook her, and“she wasviolatedinfrontof Kulwant Singh Virk’s “Weeds” isaboutanabductedSikh woman who has It shouldnotbeassumed thatonlytheantisocialelementsalonewere ab- Yaspal’s “Holy War” presents how communalfrenzy hadspreaddevastation Umm-e-Ummara’s “More Sinned Against Than Sinning” highlightsthefate There wasanotheryoungwomanwithdistinguishingfeatures. She wasa There wasanotherwoman,thewifeofanofficerinSindh. Her “cheeks and 128 08/10/2007, 11:39 08 RobertGnanamony.pmd Bring herbacktome” (208). This wouldperhapsdissipateheralienation. attacked ourvillage. Pleasehelpme... Their gangwasthelargestand thecruellest... in anear-by village.She added,“She wasabductedby thescoundrels whenthey presents how acoupleofmenandwomen presently inPakistan liveasrefugees in shelters becameabigheadachetotheofficialsespecially inPakistan. issuesconcerning food,clothingandmedicalsupplies tions oftransportation, continuing communaltensionarisingoutofissueslike natives andoutsiders,ques- rial assistancebutalsopsychological assistanceandreassurance. Apart fromthe cated destitutepeoplelookedupfrom theirrespectivegovernments notonlymate- directions, andsomesixteenmillionwere approximatelydisplaced. These trun- living there considered therefugees as“second hand.” ble inflow ofrefugees from allover India. thenorthern Those whowere already themselves totallyhelplesstocopeupwiththesituationbecausethere wasaterri- tially. becametopsy-turvy. sooneverything But very The Pakistani authoritiesfound as ifitwastheirown place.It ini- thattheyreceived somesupport wasquitetrue to theMuslims whomtheyfoundlivingthere” (Ansari92). The refugees went there grating toaplace...which“belonged” tothemas“Pakistanis” justasmuchitdid practice Islam, “Muslims leavingIndia forPakistan perceivedthemselvestobemi- in India couldgotoPakistan withoutanysenseofshameandliveadecentlife all prepared calamitousdisplacement. tofacethiskindofearthquake-like longcaravan. very They lookeddazedbecausetheseunlettered peoplewere notat moving andstarted from oneendtotheother.bullocks tothecarts This formeda they toohurriedlypackedallthatcouldlaytheirhandsonandyoked were inaterribledilemma.But closedinfrom allsides, whendeathanddestruction didnotbringthemselves totheideaofquitting. mostly farmersandartisans They ing intorefugee campssetupin“safer places.”Still, agoodnumberofruralfolks, people ranforcover mov- andafew thousandspackedtheirbelongingsandstarted ing theirselfishmotives.Seeing whatwashappeningaroundthem,thepanic-stricken due tofanningofthecommunaldisharmonybynotoriouspoliticiansforachiev- communal disturbancesallover Lahore,Rawalpindi,Bengal andPunjab. This was overcoming theirterriblehardships. They were thusforcedandfacedwiththechallengeofrebuilding theirlivesand their familiesandvillages,joys andsorrows hadallbeendestroyed onceforall. soil thattheyowned, thegraveyards oftheirancestors,thetraditionandculture of east. With thatallthepeoplehadcherishedforlong,theirancestralhomes, migratedfromtheeasttowestdifficult toascertain) andfromthewestto Syed Mohammad Ashraf’s story “SeparatedSyed story fromtheFlock” Mohammad Ashraf’s symbolically It wasestimatedthatseventoeightmillionpeoplewere moving toopposite As thedesignersofPakistan state propagatedthatalltheMuslims living In fact,muchbeforetheactualdrawingofRadcliffeline,there were Close totheheelsofPartition, millionsofpeople(theexactfigure is 129 III 08/10/2007, 11:39

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ROBERT GNANAMONY 130 of hearts, hewishesherfarewell: of hearts, Jameela’s plightisexactlylikethoseofthebirds whosewingsare broken.In hisheart are broken,you’ll never, neverbeabletoflyagain—return —never...” (15). you willleave —your behind—thoseeggsburiedinsnow— wings forgeteverything and companions,forgetallthosewhomyouloved once—stopgrievingforthose them inenormoussadness,“Farewell, innocentones,farewell—forgetyour friends are broken. Their innocenteyes reflectthe dreams thattheyhave. The officersaysto collects thebirds andholdsthemupbefore theofficerandhisfriend. Their wings However, anotherhuntershootsdown someducks.Salimullah whohasdoneit, by theiremotions,theylower theirgunsinagestureofrenunciation ofviolence. recall dreams,fields,lanesandsongs. theiroldfriendships,courtships, Transformed chance. They exchange talesabouttheirboyhood daysinavillageU.P. andfondly the feelingsofvisitingIndia formanyyears. convict whohearsthathehasbeensentencedtodeath.He hasbeenwrestled with “but aminorcoward...” (3).He feelshopelessanddespairingfrenziedlikea came andsettledthere “were allcowards” (3).He addsthathetoowasacoward, from there. Obviously hefeelssadnow forhisdecision.He saysthatthosewho instinctive andnotatallmature. He wasnoteveneighteenatthetimeofhisexit of U.P. liketheofficer. Atthetimeofofficer’s migration,hewasemotional, a refugeelikehiswifeortheofficer. Gulam Ali’s wifemigratedfromHardoi district Gulam Alihasbeendodgingher,her birthplace. forhehasnotgonetoPakistan as wife hasarequesttomakeherhusband’s boss.She wantsapermittovisitIndia sunset. He willalsorest forawhileatGualm Ali’s houseontheway. Gulam Ali’s the jeep. The officerwantstoreach thelakewhere thereare plentyofducksbefore going forduckhuntinginajeep. He isthenarratorofstory. Gulam Alidrives takesplaceinPakistanstory kilometres afew awayfromLahore. Apoliceofficeris flock maybeduetofateorsomeimmature andthoughtlessdecision. The spite ofsomelife’s comforts. They areliketheestrangedbirds separatedfromthe cry everything went awry inBengal. wentawry everything cry The littlesemblanceofcommunalharmony communal disturbancesare asequeltoJinnah’s calltoDirect Action. With thiswar community inandaround theBengalprovince atthetimeofPartition. The few letters,theauthormakesusaware ofthesorrows andsufferings oftheminority nal violenceinBengal,presents theissuesofrefugees too. Using thetechniqueofa On thewaytolakeforduckshooting,officermeetsanoldfriendby Salil Choudhary’s Dressing “The Table” besideshighlightingthecommu- time ago—there isnothingleftnow. (18) wings aboutinvain,ahunterhiddentheshadows ofthe lakebrokethemalong others whoshare yoursorrow. Don’t wasteyourtearsanymore —Whythrashyour sister. Don’t grieveforitanymore. Letthetearsyoujustshedbelast. There are tenderness inyourhandsandpressed Forget itagainstyourheart— thatplace, your childhoodfriends—neveragainwillyouseetheplacewhere yougathered chicken coops,dyeyourdupattathere inrainbow colours,collectflowers with ness—hear itssongs,swingfrom itstreesonrainydays,playhide-and-seekin Good-bye, sister. You’ll neveragainseethatlandwhereyougrew intoconscious- 130 08/10/2007, 11:39 08 RobertGnanamony.pmd the story presented tohiswife,readsthe story asfollows, overnight. Aletterfoundinthesecondhanddressing tablewhichthenarratorof insecure inaprovince begantoshiftasaferplace. Thus peoplebecamerefugees was tornasunder. Unable topullonforlongtheminoritycommunitywhichfelt When hismothersawhimshehuggedandwept. She askedhimwhydidhe nized” (81). live inanonymityPakistan forhesays,“your safetyliesinyournotbeingrecog- like tombstonesonthegravesofdayslongdead” (81).He wantshisbrother’s sonto garden tobean extensionofthegraveyard. The fewtrees thatstillremain initare with themsomanymemorieshavebeenburied,thatone shouldnow considerthe garden ofhisfamily, “over thelasttwenty-sevenyearssomanytrees have fallen,and saysthattheyhaveout themembersofhisfamilyandruefully beenlostnow. In the letter. He wrotethelettertohisbrother’s sonKamaran inPakistan. Kurban Alilists story. He bringsbefore oureyeshow hisfamilyhadbeengotlostintheformofa directions asrefugees atthetimeofPartition. Kurban Aliisthenarratorof popularMuslimfrom avery family. The membershadbeenscattered indifferent clash) wasarrested inCalcuttaas“a Pakistani spy” (38). had writtentheseletterstohisbeloved wife(sheherselfwaskilledinthecommunal the plightofhelplesspeopleandhow theybecomerefugees. It goesasfollows: Pakistan” (34).Anotherletterfoundinthedressing tablealsospeaksvolumesabout where theMuslims are inthemajority, heorshe“iscondemnedasanenemyof vicious situation,ifanyonetriestoinfusereason intoanyoneinaplacelikeDhaka cious ofeachother, losingfaithineachother’s integrity” (34).In suchanovercharged inanirresponsiblysenselessmanner.lish news Ordinary folks“are becomingsuspi- Newspapers spread everywhere. rumours alsopub- to abetthissentimentstillfurther Muslims belongtoPakistan andtheHindus toHindustan” (32).Pessimistic people, with Pakistan. Amal’s wife’s sadwords havechanged.Now express this,“Things the A sadthinghappenedtoImran Miyan, oneofthesonsKurban Ali. Intizar Husain’s “A Letterfrom India” bringsouttheplightofrefugees by profession) isthattheman(anartist who ofthestory The saddestpart the town. The entire town isfilledwithscreams, wailsandfiendishlaughter. (35) drop ofhumanity. Bestiality, initsmostterrifyingform,hasbeenunleashedupon I wanderaboutinthetown likeamadman.People seemtohavelosteven thelast I amsure thatIwilllosemymind.haven’t sleptawinkover thelastsevendays. People thenwere forced totakeaquickdecision—eitherwithHindustan or Calcutta inadayortwo. They plantogoPakistan fromthere. (31) signed hisjob. His wifeandheare busypackingtheirbelongingsandwillleavefor even understandwhatwasgoingon,Amal(hisfriend)toldmethathehadre- quite unexpectedly, inaplacewhere thingshavetakenabadturn.Before Icould ple are evenscared totalkloudly. You canwellimaginemycondition.Ifindmyself theirhomes. (Bagerhat), deserting The wholetownisassilentagraveyard. Peo- I reached Amal’s housetoday. OnmywayIsawpeoplefleeingfromthisplace 131 08/10/2007, 11:39

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ROBERT GNANAMONY 132 aliens and“transplants” (111). Wisdom dawnedonhimlateandhesaid, “A grafted long andstrengthen soil,theywouldalwaysbeconsidered theirrootsinthenew Baba realised thefoolishnessofdecision.He toldhissonthateveniftheylivedfor suffocated inthenewhousethoughitwaslargerthan previousone.Before long for theywere“a memorialofourenslavement” (107). The narratorhowever felt new surroundings. They triedtobehappyandstarted forgetting EnglishandUrdu household were learningtospeakBangla. They didtheirbesttoacclimatisethe which wassofamiliarhadsuddenlybecomeaworldofstrangers” (103). narrator, Munni Bitiya oneofthechildren inthefamily, wondered, “How aworld understand whyBaba thought,“hisown homewasaplaceofexile” (103). The packingher things.Shehusband feltanenormoussadnessandstarted couldn’t this country. Icannolongerlivehere” (102).Ammawhousedtoworshipher moved nolongerbelongstous,weare aliensin toDakha.Baba earth added,“This India nolongerbelongedtoherastheywere Muslims anditwastimethatthey She wasinafloodoftears.Babadecision shelosthernerve. convincedherthat to Dakhawastakenby theBaba inthatfamily. When AmmasmelttheBaba’s a refugeeMuslim family’s patheticend. The decisiontomove fromtheIndian side into dust (88). the windandcrumbled, that ourfamilymembersare likethefallingleavesofatree, whichare scattered by How willourfamilyberecognized asadistinctive oneinthefuture? Indeed, Ifeel concludes: “Ourfamilytree hasbeenlostandourlineagesulliedforever. time inIndia, andhehasheard thatPakistan isastrangeandpeculiarcountry. He families inPakistan havelosttheirfamilies. He hasnoidea,forhespentallhis canneverbeunitedagain”once brokenapart (88).He wonderswhetherallthe his familyhaveleftalotofblankspaces.Sadly “A heobserves, familywhichhas went onwelluntilthePartition. Andthenfatewilleditdifferently. The membersof hugs allherchildren inherembrace anddoesnotletthemoutofhersight.Allthis family atitsbosom,andwatcheditgrow andprosperlikeajealousmotherwho pitable placeanddecidedtobuildahomeonitssoil. The Indian the soilnurtured wandering likehauntedfugitivesacrossdustylands” (85). They found India ahos- family hesaysthattheyoriginallycamefrom Isphahan. They cametoIndia “after hasfallenapart” (83).Remembering thepioneersofhis of atimewheneverything toremember.have neitheraplacewhichisourown norahistory We arethevictims had beenafflictedbyWith misfortunes. enormoussadnesshewrites,“Now we scattered acrossthreedifferent landsHindustan, Pakistan andBangladesh. His family one placeandwhosedeadhadbeenburiedunderthesamesoilnow however, Ihaven’t heard fromhim” (81). Kurban Ali’s familywhichhadlived in inform thefamilyassoonhecrossed theborder. Kurban Alisays,“Since thatday, me”feet carry (81). Kurban Alirecited aprayerforhissafety. He wasalsoaskedto leave. The latteraskedhimwherehewouldgo. To my this hereplied, “Wherever the familygraveyard andthenextday, hebeggedKurban Aliforpermissionto him. Quiteobviouslyhehadlostthemintheholocaust.He hadspentthenightin not bringhisfamilywithhim.He suddenlyturnedpale. The questionunnerved Their newhousewasabungalow inthenewcountry. The membersofthe Umm-e-Ummara’s “More Sinned Against Than Sinning” isatragictaleof 132 08/10/2007, 11:39 08 RobertGnanamony.pmd other membersofhisfamily. For himitmattered littlewhetherthekillerwasa any onestabbedhimonthemoving train,hewould onlygoandjoinupwiththe place tocallithisown. He madethe moving ashishome.If railwaycompartment the fellow refugee andtherefore hisresolve thehelplesspeople.He toescort hadno the fellow refugees irrespective oftheirreligions. Arefugeealone knewthepangsof perpetrators ofthecrimeinhiscasewere theMuslims, hemadeitapointtoescort He hadlostallhisnearanddearonesbesides entire property. Though the matic experienceoftheSikh andhisfamilyhadbefore hisexitfrom West Punjab. your own there” peoplewillalsobeentertaining (121). safely uptoAligarh. There islittledangerbeyond thatpoint,andanywaysomeof here. You are likeasistertome,andthesechildrenareasmyown. Iwillseeyou her fearofotherpotentialkillers:“Stay where youare. You have nothingtofear need tokillher. todissipate toherexpectations,theSikh wastrying Quitecontrary was sizinguptheSikh andfeltthathewascalculatinghow muchtimehewould throw she heroutofthetrainafteracouple ofstops...”(119).In ofhearts herheart dation shewasansweringtheSikh. She wellkillherand thoughthat“hemightvery The oldSikh refugee was beginningaconversationwithSuraiya. With great trepi- Sikhs. To theirhorrorthewomennoticedsomethinginhumaninpitilesseyes. Mostcorner ofthecompartment. oftheotherpassengerswere eitherHindus or lim womenlookedterrified. They wrappedthemselvesinblanketsandsatthefar daughter Zubeidaandhersmallboy Abid fromPunjab toAligarh.BoththeMus- mind it. ent religions fromPunjab to Aligarh.It meanteven deathtohimbuthewouldn’t the GoodSamaritan helplesswomenbelongingtodiffer- whorescued andescorted such awelcomesightamidstwidespread chaos.AnoldSikh refugee fromPunjab is were alsoa fewgoodSamaritans. S.H. Vatsayan Ajneya’s “GettingEven” presents refugee says,“Idrankthe poisonoflife” (117). with acoupleofothermembershisfamily. Havingseenallthese,thenarrator- there,enclosed inacoffinnorburiedbeneaththeearth forhewasreduced toash inthatplace.GodgrantedhimhiswishforthebodyofAbba wasneither earth the father-refugeeprayedtoAllahthathisbodyshouldnotbeburiedunder body ofthewomanwithwhomhehadspentalife-time,floatonit.Horror-stricken, burial. Baba watchedwithhorrorAmma’s grave“slowly fillwithwaterandthe tragicend. the householdhadtomeetwithavery They didn’t evengetadecent uncontrolled anarchywasloosedupontheirplace.One byoneallthemembersof becametopsy-turvy. everything shortly Evil strangledgood. And Things fellapart. hatingthehouse.Shestarted heard nookandcorner. voices arisingfromevery Very do younow feelsoalienated from thisplace?”(111). To makemattersworse,Amma your traditions... You uprootedaflourishingtree andtriedtoreplant ithere. Why that... We pleadedwithyounottobringushere. It wasyour decision. You betrayed Bitiya corneredhis fatherandsaid,“But, Baba, youdon’t havetherighttotalklike tree canneverberegarded asanythingelse” (111). The youngerbrother ofMunni From theSikh’s conversation,thefellow travellersunderstoodthetrau- In Ajneya’s arefugee womanby nameSuraiya story wastravellingwithher In ofviolence,there andallsorts thosedaysoftension,unrest, uncertainty 133 08/10/2007, 11:39

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ROBERT GNANAMONY 134 The man’s wifeanddaughterwere trembling withfear. Before thetrainpickedup The poormanscreamed whenthetrainmoved forhisluggage wasthrown outside. Itout ofthedoorcompartment. fellatthefeetofacoolie.No one interfered. scended onthecompartment. The Pathan blindwithragethrew theman’s trunk screamed withpainandcollapsedonthefloor. With this anominoussilencede- with therefugee, triedtokickhim. But thekicklandedonhiswife’s stomach.She soaked throughhissweat.Nobody helpedthisfleeingrefugee.APathan gotangry daughter stoodagainstthetoiletdoor. The manwasbreathless andhisclotheswere sixteen followed him. in,whilehiswifeand The mancontinuedtopullthetrunk Athinfrayed womanandayoung,darkgirlofabout in anenormousblacktrunk. commotion atthedoorincreased. Apoormanwasamongthemandhepulling away...” (148).In onestation,whenthetrainstoppedtherewasalargecrowd. The Pakistan sidetoAmritsar. Most ofthem“hadabandonedtheirhomesandrun peoplewerealways considered afew withsuspicion.In travellingfromthe thestory the Partition. In eachother. thebogiespeopledistrusted The otherpersonwas tension, thepainandagonyoffleeinghelplesspoorrefugeesattime one’s (145). carry cross oneself” claimed womenfrom westernPunjab, shefeltatlast likeaflashthat“Onemust Though thisrefugee wasthemostemaciatedandoutragedofallre- (140). When herchildwasborn,shedidn’t allow thescavenger todragitaway. She “witnessedeverything. inthecamp. manybirths More deathsthanbirths” Jyoti wasjustaspeck.No onebothered abouthermuch.But shewaswatching swelling. They broughtindifferent tragicstories.In thatunmanageablecrowd, were huddlingtogetherwiththeirlittlebundlesandbaggage. The numberwenton Men, womenandchildrenofdifferent regions andspeakingdifferent languages deranged casesintherefugee camp. aghast. She thoughtthattheyoungwomanwasgonemad.She hadseenmanysuch little poisoneither. It’s thatIwant...firstandlast...”(137). The volunteer stood ofbread;Iwantagun.Ordagger.ploded, “Damnyourcrumbs Wouldn’t minda them were weeping aloud. When avolunteerbroughtsomebread forher, sheex- pain andherhumiliationallbyherself. pregnant andunmarried,hadbeenreclaimed bythecamp. She hadtobearher tion. Her peopleinthecampknewhersecret; bellywasswollen;onlyafew shewas from aZamindar. She wasquiteindependent.But now shewasinapatheticcondi- her parents. She wasawomanwhorefused toveil herfaceandspurnedtheproposal family. She wasahighlyeducatedintelligentgirl.Quiteobviouslyshepetof refugee campontheIndian side.Jyotirmoyi Devpal wasaSikh womanfromarich anyone’s wivesanddaughtersever tohave tobehold!”(124). whatever befellmyfamilymembersbefore theydied,mayitnotbethefateof —Hindu, Sikh, orMuslim— nooneshouldeverhavetoseewhatI seen.And Muslim oraHindu. With aterribleemotion,hesays,“My onlyaimisthatnoone Bhisham Sahni’s “The Train Has Reached Amritsar” treats asitssubjectthe Day bydaythecrowd intherefugeecampwasgrowing inleapsandbounds. There weremanylikeherinthecamp. She waswatchingthem.Some of Lalithambika Antharjanam’s “A story LeafintheStorm” takesplaceina 134 08/10/2007, 11:39 08 RobertGnanamony.pmd with fearandapprehension. Virk observes, sorrow intheireyes andwhentheywalked,placedtheirfeetuponaliensoil housesandlookedoutattheworldwithdespair at thedoorsoftheirnew They “hadbeenuprootedfromtheirown homeselsewhere” (203). They oftensat desolate soonafterthePartition. There were millionsofrefugees allover theplace. again. The refugeesonthePakistan sidedidthesame. The wholeofPakistan seemed weeds, whichafterbeingpulledoutandthrown away, sprouting strangelystarts settling down oncetheduststormsubsided.He compares themsarcasticallyto ment. No onehadanygutstodefythePathan. speed, themanandhisfamilygotout. There wasanuneasysilenceinthecompart- their GodiftheydonotheedHim? Iftheydonotpluckouttheirhatred and among thehelplessbrothersthattheyannihilate.How cantheyprofitablyworship please theirGod. They convenientlyforgetthatGodistheirBrother whostands in thefuture” (Ghosh 1). The majorityofthepeoplethinkthattheydoalltheseto tender asreligion. This hasbeensointhepast,andwillalso, allprobability, beso gion, hesays,“Nothing asreligion, makesussocruel andnothingmakesusso pointed outtimeandagain.For instance,indiscussing theidealofuniversal reli- ing. They have conveniently forgottenwhatreligious savantslike Vivekananda have towards anarrow andparochialhate zone, whichfacilitatesawholesalemasskill- gion, thefollowers of Vivekananda andProphet Mohammad havebeenmoving the windandyou reap thewhirlwind. Instead ofmoving towards auniversalreli- tred anddistrustintothemindsoftheirsheepishfollowers. Asthesayinggoes,sow both thecommunitiesunfortunately, togainsomenarrow politicalends,putha- distinction betweenHindus and Mussalmans” (291). The communalleadersof also areader ofthe holy textsoftheother, according tohim,wasanothersolution.Gandhiadds,“Iam there wouldn’t tounderstandthe beanyfightamongthem.Reading andtrying Christians, worshippersofoneGod” (291).Ifpeoplebegantorealise this,then Communal Unity ness shouldberaisedwhereby theyshouldbemadetorealise that,ashesaysinhis stopped onceforall. The onlysolution seemedtohimwasthatpeople’s conscious- Hewished thathewere notonearth. waswonderinghow couldthetragedybe their lifeonceagain. hardwere trying todiscover torebuild someoldrhythmoflifeandwere trying villageandtownThough lifeinevery hadbeenturnedupsidedown, therefugees Kulwant Singh “Weeds”Virk inhisstory tellsushow therefugees started Seeing everything before his very eyesGandhi weptbitterly. beforehisvery Seeing everything He often very The displacedmigrantsbegantosettledown intheavailablelandthere. would givethemshelter. (203) zilla, crawlfromvillagetovillage,tilltheycouldfindahovel somewhere, which refugee campat Vaghey, neartheborder, theyhadtodragthemselvesfromzilla forced tomove fromoneplacetoanother. When theywere pushedoutofthebig The refugees,whohadbeenuprooted andthrown outoftheirnativelands,were , “We are all equalbefore ourmaker—Hindus, Mussalmans, Parsis, Quran 135

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ROBERT GNANAMONY 136 C H B B verse from Tagore’s many years,there maynotbeanylastinganddurablepeaceinthissacred land.A for theothertoblossom,cleansethemselvesoftheirsinsaccumulatedover thepast prejudice embeddeddeeplyintheirmindsetandallow love, equalityandrespect G A “A A A B D G A UTALIA HALLA ANDYOPADHAYAY SHRAF NTHARJANAM NSARI IYAR HOUDHARY HOSH ANDHI ATTA USAIN JNEYA , Swarna. “August Anarchy: The Partition Massacres inPunjab, 1947.” , Partho. ABreak-Up.” “Violence: Review of , Sarah. “Partition, Migration and Refugees: Responses totheArrivalofMuhajirs inSind , Goutam.“Can We Purge theHatred?” , Syed Muhammad. “Separated from theFlock.” , Alok,ed. , Intizar. “A Letterfrom India.” , Urvashi. ,” Vatsayan, S.H.“GettingEven.” , M.K. during 1947-48.” Chaudhuri. Ed. AlokBhalla. New Delhi:Indus Harper Collins,1994. 1994. Trans. Vishwamitter Adil &AlokBhalla. Ed. AlokBhalla. New Delhi:Indus HarperCollins, Adil &AlokBhalla. Ed. AlokBhalla. New Delhi: Indus HarperCollins,1994. and History inIndia Ed. AlokBhalla. New Delhi: Indus HarperCollins,1994. Sage, 1998. tinuities: Northern India andIndependence actions, knowing itisthypower givesmestrengthtoact.(4) And itshallbemyendeavourtoreveal theeinmy thy seatintheinmostshrineofmyheart. and keepmylove inflower, knowing thatthouhast todriveallevilsawayfrommyheart I shallevertry kindled thelightofreason inmymind. whichhas thattruth thoughts, knowing thatthouart outfrommy tokeepalluntruths I shallevertry knowing thatthylivingtouchisuponallmylimbs. tokeepmybodypure, Life ofmylife,Ishallevertry Narayan Chandran.Ed. AlokBhalla. New Delhi: Indus HarperCollins,1994. Ed. AlokBhalla. New Delhi: Indus HarperCollins,1994. D.A. Low &Howard Brasted. New Delhi: Sage, 1998. , Salil. Dressing “The Table.” , Lalithambika.“A LeafintheStorm.” Communal Unity , Manik. “Childishness.” Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia The Other Side ofSilence 136

Gitanjali Freedom, Trauma, Continuities:Northern India andIndependence , byGyanendra Pandey. . Ahmedabad:Navajivan, 1949. willbeafittingconclusiontothisPaper: Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia WORKS CITED Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia . New Delhi: Viking, 1998. The Hindu: Young World . Vol. . Ed. D.A.Low &Howard Brasted. New Delhi: Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia Remembering Partition: Violence, Nationalism Outlook I . New Delhi: Indus HarperCollins,1994. Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia 18February (2002):68. 08/10/2007, 11:39 . Vol. (16March, 2002): 1. . Vol. . Vol.. . Vol. Freedom, Trauma,Con- I . Trans.Vishwamitter I I . Trans. AlokRai. . Trans.Sen.Julu I . Trans.Sukunta . Vol.. I . Vol. . Trans. . Ed. . I . 08 RobertGnanamony.pmd S M Y S —— “Compassion.” M V T M U T INGH AHNI ASPAL ALBOT IRK AGORE MMARA ENON ANTO AJOR , Kulwant Singh. “Weeds.” , Bhisham. “The , Bhisham. “The Train HasReachedAmritsar.” , Ganda. “A ofPartition Diary Days.” . “A Holy War.” , Andrew. ChiefSufferers: J.“The Abduction of Women duringthePartition ofPunjab.” , Saadat Hasan. “ColdMeat.” , Ian. “Literature antheHuman Drama ofthe1947Partition.” , Retu andKamlaBhasin. “Recovery, Rupture, Resistance: Indian State andAbduction of , Rabindranath. , Umm-e. “More Sinned Against Than Sinning.” Alok Bhalla. Ed. AlokBhalla. New Delhi: Indus HarperCollins,1994. Brasted. New Delhi: Sage, 1998. Freedom, Trauma, Continuities:Northern India andIndependence Gurupadesh Singh. Ed. AlokBhalla. New Delhi:Indus HarperCollins,1994. New Delhi: Indus Harper Collins,1994. Ed. AlokBhalla. New Delhi:Indus HarperCollins,1994. Women duringPartition.” 1994. Trans. Vishwamitter Adil &AlokBhalla. Ed. AlokBhalla. New Delhi: Indus Harper Collins, BookofPsalms.”1998. “The ties: Northern India andIndependence Mushirul Hasan. New Delhi: Roli, 1995. New Delhi: Indus Harper Collins,1994. Macmillan. 1977. Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia Gitanjali: CollectedPoems andPlays ofRabindranath Tagore 137 Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia Economic andPolitical Weekly Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia Holy Bible India Partitioned: The Other Face ofFreedom . Ed. D.A.Low &Howard Brasted. New Delhi:Sage, . Cambridge:CambridgeUP, 1994. Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia . Vol. . Vol.. Stories aboutthePartition ofIndia I I . . Trans. Alok Bhalla. Ed.AlokBhalla. . . Trans. AlokBhalla. Ed.AlokBhalla. 24(April 1993)2-11. . Vol. Freedom, Trauma,Continui- . Vol. 08/10/2007, 11:39 . Ed. D.A.Low &Howard I . Trans. AlokBhalla and I . Trans. AlokBhalla. . Vol. . Vol.. . London: I . Vol. . Trans. II . Ed. . I .

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