Close to 70 years after our independence, there is still a wound that hasn’t quite healed. And maybe it never will. The partition of India and Pakistan was a dark time in our history that brought with it blood and pain in plenty, left millions homeless and lost. Most of us who have been lucky enough not to have witnessed the violence that riddled the event, may never truly understand its true implications.
And that is why this Reddit AMA held by r/irahulkapoor on behalf of his grandmother who migrated from Lahore during the partition, is an illuminating look into one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history – from a very personal point of view.
Did she witness any Hindu-Muslim riots?
“A lot. Many times it happened outside her house. Rioters would fight all through the nights. There was blood all around. Some people would bang their doors to drag them out but eventually since her father was considered a good man was let off. Once when they were returning from Ludhiana to Shimla, a train which was carrying Hindus was attacked by Hindus itself by mistake. The railway station was all covered with blood and the bodies were then taken out from the train. The train was washed and they were forced to travel to Shimla in the very same train. Too scary, and the memory of the same is still fresh in her mind.”
Does she ever wish to go back to see, visit or even live in, her old home in Lahore?
What was more painful for her, leaving her homeland or seeing Hindu-Muslim riots?
Was there anything you respected about the British at that time?
How difficult was it adjusting to her new life after fleeing to India?
What was her reaction and her family’s reaction when the news of Gandhiji’s assassination broke out? How did she hear about it?
Looking at the present state of Pakistan, is she happy that it is not a part of mainland India?
We live in difficult times; not just in India, but all over the world, religion is becoming an issue for one reason or another. In light of that, what is her advice to the current generation. How do we make sure history doesn’t repeat itself?
I want to know about her feelings when she first heard about India’s freedom.
Did she think the partition was temporary when it happened?
Was the common man more interested in his life than in the freedom struggle at that time? Except a few people like in the present who decide not to vote and hardly invest their time for the country.
Do you have an opinion on the partition? Was it necessary?
We thank you, dadi, for giving us a true feel of the heartache that our land may never really recover from. Thanks for helping us understand the pain that we never experienced, but still share in as a nation.
Design credit: Utkarsh Tyagi