Books in '16 | Train to Pakistan

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At the juncture of Independence, Freedom was interpreted differently by different sections of society. For the well to do, it meant good jobs vacated by the British whereas it made no difference to the poor. They even felt more secure from dacoits and bandits under the British rule.

The book is set in such a background. It describes the events that occurred during the partition process in a fictitious village situated on the Indo-Pak border. Man Majro, a village where people did not wake from an alarm clock ringing but by listening to the mullah's call to prayer, which in turn, was a function of the punctuality of the trains that arrived at the Man Majro railway station; a village where Sikhs and Muslims lived together as brothers. The book showcases how the irregularities that began with the late arrival of trains impacted the lives of villagers both directly and indirectly.

Man Majro had so far remained totally unaffected by the turmoil going on in the country except for his usual issues of dacoits until one day the Muslims were asked to leave their homeland just coz a line was drawn on some paper. Instead they had to go and settle on the other side of the line, with people of their own religion; the same side of line which had sent a train full of mutilated bodies a few days earlier; men, women, children, nobody spared.

The Muslims left, with a hollow promise made to them that they could return some day and until that day their cattle and houses would be well looked after. A seed of discord had already taken roots in the hearts of the people; the Muslims going away were no longer their brothers. Their belongings were looted the moment they left.

Then, the river Sutlej brought with its flow not just water but the numerous corpses that floated its surface providing a treat for the vultures and kites soaring in the sky. The bodies weren't drowned but murdered, children and grown-ups alike. Such was the state.

The corpses were mute. But then, came some asking in their stead to avenge them: For one Sikh or Hindu, kill two Muslims. For one of theirs, rape or abduct two women of the Muslims and so on. Questioning the manliness and regards for one religion did the trick. The crowd was mobilized. The brothers were now enemies. Together they sat and planned the massacre of people who they had been addressing as uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters for so many years; who only a few days ago they had bidden goodbye. It made great sense to them to punish all the Muslims on this side of the border for the atrocities committed by some Muslims on the other side of the border, just because they were one by religion. To them, religion was the sole pillar of brotherhood; nothing else mattered.

However, there are always a few who don't belong to the herd. Hukum Chand, no matter corrupt or whatever person he was, he did the right thing. His daughter was raped and son-in-law murdered on the other side of the line. Still, instead of looking for revenge, he tried to quell the same fire from spreading this side of the line. Iqbal was in a big dilemma. Should he go forth and tell people what they were doing was wrong? Or just aim for self-preservation in time of chaos. Would people blinded by faith believe him or he'd just be an unwanted causality. While, Iqbal just sat and contemplated, it was Jaggu, the so called badmaas, who did what needed to be done.

The book focused more on the events than the individual characters. Although this book tells the tale of a time long gone, there are things which have remained unchanged over the decades since Independence. Over the years there always have been those who have left a trail trying to segregate us on the basis of religion and have succeeded at times too. In times like these, people of India need to remember the following message from the book.

Hinduism means more than just caste and cow-protection. Islam is not just about circumcision and kosher meat. Sikhism means more besides long hair. No one should forget the sole purpose religions were created for: Ethics


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