Wednesday 18 March 2015

The story of India's partition - TRAIN TO PAKISTAN : Review


Penning down a tragic story of the partition of India and all the haunted memories associated with it, Khushwant Singh wrote this story in the year 1956. When India got butchered into two parts India and Pakistan, swarms of people migrated, brutally killed and raped from both ends. Was it the time, situation, Hindus or Muslims whose deeds gifted this punishment to the innocent people who lost their life and loved ones at that time.

The story is based at Mano Majra, a village, at the border of India and Pakistan where a local money lender was murdered. Till then the partition had no impact on the village but then train full of Sikh corpses started arriving at Mano Majra station which fueled a feeling of agitation amongst the crowd of that village. The villagers including Muslims and Hindus who were living together since birth separated into two groups and a decision was made to send all the Muslims to their country “Pakistan”.

Detailing minutest feelings and wounds that communal riots leave on the lives of innocent people, Kushwant Singh quoted:

Not forever does the bulbul sing
In balmy shades of bowers, 
Not forever last the spring
Nor ever blossom flowers.
Nor forever reigneth joy, 
Sets the sun on days of bliss
Friendships not forever last,
They know not life, who know not this.

With this beautiful poetry/quote, separation of India and Pakistan and some more innocent lives ends the story as the train leaves the Mano Majra station taking all the Muslim refugees with itself to Pakistan.

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