Train to Pakistan as a partition novel

 

           Train to Pakistan is a magnificent novel in which Khushwant Singh describes the tragic tale of the partition of India and Pakistan and the events will be remembered as one of the blackest chapters of human history. He has designed the novel to explore the brutal and hypocritical image of man. The novel is set in the fictional village Mano Majra, a small village in which Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs have loved each other as brothers and lived together in peace.

            The novel is divided into four sections─ the first is “Dacoity”, the second is “Kalyug”, the third is “Mano Majra” and the fourth is “Karma”. Khushwant Singh clearly builds the turbulent days of partition in these four sections. In the first section, the murder of Ram Lal by a gang of dacoits from a neighbouring village sets the main theme of the tragedy to the event. Dacoity has caused mutilation and has made some innocent persons victims of the action. Police arrest Juggut Singh and Iqbal suspecting them for the murder. Thus, the sleepy village awakens to life and slowly joins the tragic storm outside. The sudden activity in the village brings history in motion and the peace of the village slowly disappears.

            The second section, “Kalyug” describes that the novel has a cosmic vision. All the dead bodies carried by train from Pakistan to be cremated at Mano Majra advocates a sign that the old world has died. The incident of mass cremation completely destroys the peace of the Mano Majrans. Everybody in the village takes the train as a prognostication of evil times. Even Meet Singh said to Imam Baksh, “This is kalyug, the dark age”.

            The third section, “Mano Majra” is revolved around a changed Mano Majra. With the arrival of a ghost train stuffed with corpses, Mano Majra loses its ideal isolation and gets involved in the national demolition. The head constable divides the villagers into two groups ─ Sikh and Muslim. The Sikh refugees shared their cruelty meted out to the Sikhs and Hindus in Pakistan. The chaos prevails in Mano Majra. Despite that, villagers still pledge to protect their Muslim brethren. The Lambarder assures Imam Baksh, “This is your village as much as ours” Imam Baksh is overwhelmed by the expression of affection when he says, “What have to do with Pakistan? We were born here. So were our ancestors. We have lived amongst you as brothers”. But the fire of hatred blew its extreme. All are afraid of the angry and aggrieved refugees from Pakistan. The irony of fate is revealed when forces beyond the control of the Mano Majra take over and the warmth of the relationship between Sikhs and Muslims for generations is blown out. The state of mental agony and conflict between Hindus and Muslims is thus unveiled. The houses of Muslims are robbed.

            The fourth section is, “Karma” which describes the novel as a metaphysical dimension. In this section, the story reaches its devastating dramatic end with Juggut Singh sacrificing his life to save the lives of other Muslims as well as his girlfriend Nooran. The novel closes with an ironic reversal of the order of things in which the dacoit Mali becomes a custodian of Muslim property and Juggut Singh sacrifices his life. In this section ‘Karma’ takes hold of the man, but a man under his own free will fights against his fate and tries to retrieve his last soul.

            At the time of independence, India was partitioned with a great disturbance in the whole continent. Independence brought in its wake one of the bloodiest carnages in the history of India. During this period, the people of the Mano Majra village passed from a state of happiness and stability to that of bitterness and disturbance.

            Train to Pakistan describes the troubled relationship between the Muslims and the Sikhs. The situation of the country intensified miserable in the wake of the partition. The effect of this was that twelve million people had to flee leaving their homes; over a hundred thousand women, young and old, were abducted, raped, and assassinated. Thus, thousands fled from both sides of the border seeking security and refugee. The sinister and venomous impact of partition and the indignation provoked by Singh have been realistically expressed in a devastating irony in Train To Pakistan.