Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
Book Review
Khushwant Singh was a renowned author in the history of India. I picked his book “On Love and Sex” and admired his profound knowledge on both topics as a man. He was so upfront and blunt in his approach.
The second book I picked was “Train to Pakistan” and I am dead sure I am going to pick his other work as well. I already have this one based on the Life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Coming to the book “Train to Pakistan”, it tells you a story about undivided India before the partition of 1947. It came as a jolt for all the people when the government and leaders decided to divide India forming another country named Pakistan and how Hindu’s and Muslims even Sikhs were on the mercy of others.
The hell broke loose when people started fighting over the piece of land, raping women, killing children and nobody knew the future ahead. The only place where people were seeking peace away from the atrocities of the goons was one such village known as “Mano Manjra” on the border of India and Pakistan.
Khushwant Singh tells us about how one day a train full of bodies of refugees of thousands of Hindus and Muslims reach this village’s station and things never went back to the same old era. It also tells about how people from every religion used to live peacefully here until this train reached and some of the dacoits looted the village killing others. It also puts light on the romance of a Sikh man and a Muslim girl and how their love faced the ravages of war but still endured everything.
A famous movie with the same name has been made on the book because it was a highly acclaimed novel showcasing the life of people when partition took place and how millions of people were asked to leave their abode in a fraction of seconds and were given no time to pack their belongings. Some were looted and killed, properties were destroyed and handed over to others and communal riots took place in front of great pathetic leaders.
Khushwant Singh has become one of my favorite authors because his language was simple and natural way of writing. He wasn’t a fake author rather he wrote things as if everything was happening in front of your eyes. He was honest in his approach and didn’t try to cover up things. I felt like as I was standing in the village of Mano Majra and everything was happening the way he had described.
I am sure atrocities have taken place in other countries as well so if you are someone who would wish to explore more about how the partition left India torn into pieces then Train to Pakistan is a must-read for you. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed at all.
Gurpreet Dhariwal is the author of “My Soul Rants: Poems of a Born Spectator.” Her eBook is now available at Google PlayStore, Amazon, and Kindle. Connect with Gurpreet on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Youtube.