An overview on the sensitive condition reflects love, sacrifice and hate in the partition fictions-Train to Pakistan and Azadi

Dr. Pooja Saxena

Radharamana Group of Institutions, Bhopal MP

*Corresponding Author E-mail:

ABSTRACT:

In this article I have tried to explain the love, sacrifice and hate as natural emotions which occurred at the particular place and time due to the particular situation. Love gives the power to one to stand strong in the opposite condition. It also increased the strength of sacrifice which not only saved the beloved but the lives of many unknown persons and it also doesn’t matter from which religion they were. Hate could be seen very easily when the question comes of two communities Hindu and Muslim. In spite of love and sacrifice many innocent people have lost their lives in the communal fire. Just because they could not respect the others’ religions and the decision of the Government. I have attempted to look into the emotional condition which has changed due to the declaration of partition. Sometimes it has changed because of the pressure and sometimes they have changed their behavior because they were not of same religion. But it has been also observed that communal war and fear of death were not enough to change the feelings of love towards the beloved or for those who lived peacefully in the majority of community like families. So that this was only love which empowered the man to commit sacrifice for loved ones and others to whom he doesn’t know. But the hate which cannot be forgotten by the victims and also could not be removed by the mind of readers too.

KEYWORDS: Partition, communal, love, sacrifice, hate.

INTRODUCTION:

Several novels have been written by many writers on the theme of partition. But Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh and Azadi by Manohar Malgonkar are the prominent novels written on the theme of partition of India into two countries Hindustan and Pakistan. Both novels described two different villages Mano Majra and Sialkot with its social and political conditions which have changed according to the time, places and circumstances. But the emotion of love, sacrifice, and hate are like the supreme power of the writers in critical situation. These three emotions come serially. Like in Train to Pakistan Juggat Singh loves Nooren and at the time of migration he wanted to send his beloved safely to her nation Pakistan by train. Not only he saved his beloved or the whole train but he sacrificed his life to do this. Whereas in Azadi Arun loves Nur and sacrificed his love instead of accepting the Islam. On the other hand, the neighbors from different communities who lived together happily like brothers, changed their behavior towards each other’s, after the declaration of partition. So this event not only changed the behavior of many people for others but also it disturbed the lives of many families.

TRAIN TO PAKISTAN:

Train to Pakistan is a partition novel written by Khushwant Singh. Khushwant singh does not covered the much detail about partition but emphasized on the individual nature and social conditions. In this novel many characters depicted with their particular behaviours and characteristics. But the character which impacts most is the Juggat singh ‘Jugga’. Who is unaducated and not very well known name in the village rather he known as a gunda of the village. At the present time he was in the prison for the charge of murder of the money lender Lala Ram Lal. It was not proved that Jugga had murdered the money lender but some time police have to arrest someone so that it could be supposed that they are working. Instead of his illiteracy and some other negative impression Jugga has an another part in life that he loves a Muslim girl Nur and very faithful to her. It was known by some villagers also. Before the declaration of partition Juggat Singh frequently goes to jail but after the declaration of partition communal riot was at its peak and migration has been started at big level. When in the jail Juggat Singh heard about that the refugee train carrying migrate the Muslim refugee from Mano Majra to pakistan and the train is planned to attacked by the rioters. Juggat Singh wanted to save this train at any cost because his lover Nur was travelling in the same train. In a very surprising situation Jugga released from the jail and very heroically he saved his beloved Nur but at the cost of his life. He not only saved the Nur but the whole train. This could be an example of love and sacrifice and Khushwant Singh presented it by the two characters Juggat Singh and Nur very obviously. In another case when the condition of Mano Majra has become worst and many ghost trains have been come from Pakistan full of the dead bodies of Hindus. People of village never seen anything like that before and never thought to happen like this ever so they were scared. Some Hindus Muslims and Sikhs were still loyal and faithful to each others. But because they were scared so some Hindus Muslims and Sikhs assembled at place of lamardar where Hindu and Sikh said that you all Muslims are our brothers and till then we all are alive nobody can touch you. The emotional statement of Hindus and Sikhs made the atmosphere sentimental. The love and care were the main power to survive for the people of village in the sensitive condition. Besides it many places where writer has to write about the hate which comes after the declaration of partition because before that they were living in unity with peace. Mano Majra, a small village where Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities lived in a majority like brothers. They have spent good time as well as bad time together but never thought to hate each other. Perhaps hate is a small word but they were ready to kill each other. The trauma to leave the homeland and to migrate for a newly formed state was just like a punishment for the Muslims who had to leave to the refugee camp and then to the newly formed state Pakistan. Partition was the event which not only the declaration of migration but it also snatched everything from the, they have earned till the day. Mosque had desecrated by the slaughter of pigs and the holy Koran being torn up. In the same way Temple had desecrated by the slaughter and the holy Granth had also been torn in bits. Very vividly Khushwant Singh described the atmosphere and the mentality of the villagers who were not ready to migrate but they knew that they had to move from here forever. He explained the situation and circumstances, in which people lived, loved, hated and died. Khushwant Singh has pointed that everyone was responsible and the blame could not go to any single group rather both were responsible. so the Train to Pakistan, with its several gruesome incidence reflects the love, sacrifice and hate too.

AZADI:

Azadi is novel which is written by Manohar Molgonkar on the theme of partition. The important thing about the novel is, it started with the announcement of the partition. The partition announced on the radio by the British Viceroy Lord Mountbatten. In Sialkot everyone wanted to listen the announcement but nobody wanted to hear the partition. Even then partition announced. Sialkot announced as the part of Pakistan. Muslims of Sialkot have started to celebrate. They were in groups with drums and sticks, dancing, shouting, and firing crackers in enthusiasm. Hindus were shocked and just starring. Suddenly they have been uprooted from their homeland. After the declaration of partition Hindus were not able to accept the reality that the reasons have been divided between Hindu not to celebrate and Muslims to celebrate. Before the partition declaration they all three were living peacefully. In very small compound with different families like family.But now the Hindus were scared to the Muslims,with whom they have lived together like brothers. Therefore the love, sacrifice and hate were the prominent element in the novel Azadi. Arun the son of Lala Kanshi Ram was in love with Nur the daughter of Chaudhary Barkat Ali. They usually spent quality of time, always went to college and came back together. They shared good and bad experiences with each other that means life was going on peacefully. Whatever happened was after the declaration of partition, this event didn’t only disturbed and changed the lives of Hindus in Pakistan and Muslims in Hindustan but also spoiled the love and relations of those who did not follow any religion but they have followed the path of love. So, the partition ruined the love relations of Arun and Nur too. After knowing the partition and the migration Nur got emotional and insisted to Arun to accept the Islam, but Arun denied because the communal fire was on its peak and in that condition, if for love shake he does accept the Islam then it could be dangerous for others. This was the love which existed last time in Sialkot. No matter that they were from different communities but they loved and lived together as human beings. After the announcement of partition the migration, disaster, riots, loot, deaths, mutilation, abduction have been the routine of daily. So now the love and affection were the story to narrate and just to sooth the wounds. Many innocent lives have been sacrificed but the communal conflict was not stopped. Rather people were ready to kill each others. Neither Muslims wanted to tolerate Hindus in Sialkot as it was the part of Pakistan now, nor the Hindus were ready to leave the Sialkot because they said that it is our homeland, we and our ancestral have born and raised here. Now, how could we become refugee here? This was the contradiction and clashing of communal rights. Everyone was stood to achieve their rights that was for some extent right too but the way they have chosen to achieve it was wrong. Sometime they have decided and attempted wrong knowingly but sometime it happened wrong unknowingly due to the impression of others rioters. Abdul Ghani an another character who had his shop next to Lala Kanshi Ram. Abdul Ghani made hookahs and in the starting he was very good with Lala Kanshi Ram. They took interest in each other’s matters and nobody could raise his voice on Lala Kanshi Ram in the presence of Abdul Ghani. But after the declaration of partition Abdul Ghani changed his behaviour towards the Lala Kanshi Ram. On the other hand Lala Kanshi Ram was not ready to move to the refugee camp so that one day Abdul Ghani indirectly commented to Lala Kanshi Ram to move to the refugee camp. After listening from Abdul Ghani these lines Lala Kanshi Ram was shocked. He thought that a word partition has changed all the equations of human relations. At the same time Lala Kanshi Ram’s daughter and son-in-law have killed in partition massacre. When Arun went to search the bodies of his sister and brother-in-law he heard a familiar voice of Abdul Ghani who uttered that I am a khaksar volunteer and helping to keep city clean by cremating the kafir dead,he also added that who told you that your sister was killed? I put her and her husband into the fire with my own hands and they are now on their way to Dozakh. He has been feeling less now and has forgotten the relations of past with Lala Kanshi Ram and his family. The communal war and circumstances made Abdu Ghani and so many others got stone hearted. That much stone hearted that they could hurt anybody. Therefore the partition and the formation of new state Pakistan has given rise to communal feeling and their rights, for that they have fought and hated to the great extent. Which was sufficient to ruined many good relations which have built beyond the limit of caste and state.

CONCLUSION:

Many events which occurred due to partition and readers could know about these events through the eye of fictions. Love, sacrifice and hate we have studied just as an important element presented in both the novels. Therefore, some characters who taught us that in critical condition they followed the way of love and sacrificed. They not only thought about their loved ones but they saved others too. On the other hand killing, abduction, mutilation, massacre was the sad event of the partition due to hate. Which resulted into the twelve million people uprooted from their homeland from both sides. In all these activities many people have participated so the blame does not go to any single person and to any single group rather everyone deserve to blame.

REFERENCE:

1. Khushwant Singh(1956) Train to Pakistan,Chatto$Windus,India,pp 9-167.ISBN:0-8371-8226-3

2. ChamanNahal(1993)Azadi.ArnoldHeinemann&Boston HoughtonMifflinUSAp p.147148ISBN0395194016

Received on 12.07.2016 Modified on 20.08.2016

Int. J. Ad. Social Sciences 4(3): July- Sept., 2016; Page 172-174