LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Reflections on Partition Literature -
A Comparative Analysis of
Ice Candy Man and Train to Pakistan

Umar ud Din, M. Kamal Khan and Shahzad Mahmood

Abstract

The subcontinent was turned into a diabolical region in August 1947 when the British announced the division of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan. Wickedness, violence, and pure evil erupted into powerful mass that soared out of control and consumed everyone that came in its path. Khushwant Singh's Train to Pakistan and Bapsi Sidhwa's Ice Candy Man describe the monstrosity of the events with such artistry that the tragedy comes alive.

The two novels were published with the gap of three decades. Still they share a lot of details while retaining their individuality as well. Instead of depicting the events in political terms, the novelists have provided human dimensions which bring to the event a sense of reality, horror and believability.

Bapsi Sidhwa narrates the story of upheaval of the 1947 partition of India through the eyes of a young Parsee girl Lenny growing up in Lahore. The character of Ayah is introduced to refer to several millions of displaced, looted and raped Hindus and Muslims during one of the harshest political phases in the history of the subcontinent.

While on the other hand, Train to Pakistan not only records man's bestiality, but it also proves that man is essentially humane and sincere. Even society's marginalized characters like Juggat Singh can be a ray of hope and life for the depressed and distressed souls.

Key Words: Partition fiction, communal violence, trauma, abduction, intolerance

Introduction

August 1947 marks the end of the British Raj in the Subcontinent. The departure of the British from the subcontinent led to the creation of two independent states, Pakistan and India. The division was based on two 'nation theory' with the argument that the Hindus and the Muslims cannot live together as one nation since both have distinct social, cultural and religious identities. The Muslim majority regions of Punjab and Bengal were divided, with west Punjab and east Bengal forming West and East Pakistan, and India in the middle of the two (Hassan: 1993). This resulted in massive and violent migration of the people across the divide. Muslims moved into Pakistan, and Sikhs and Hindus moved into India with the prospects of peaceful and better living, with their own religious as well as ethnic identities.

Ironically, this mass scale migration entailed crimes of unprecedented violence, murders, rapes and bestiality. It is very difficult to give an exact account of the people who became the victims of the partition trauma but its "impact can be compared to that of great war on Britain or the second world war on Japan and France" (Roy: 2009). Describing the monstrosity of the situation, Urvashi Butalia (1998) says that the partition left one million dead, 75000 women abducted and raped, and turning twelve million displaced into refugees status.

Unfortunately, the split between Pakistan and India served to heighten each other's hostilities instead of bringing peace in the region. Civil tension continued mounting for months: thousands of families were split apart, homes burnt down and villages abandoned. Some women were so embarrassed of the sexual humiliation that they refused to return home and opted for suicide. The destruction of families through murder, suicide, and kidnapping caused grievous partition trauma.

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