Train to Pakistan
by
Khushwant Singh
(Summary)
The
summer of 1947 was different in India. The Partition of India was like a
surgical operation leaving both Pakistan and India profusely bleeding. This
began a violence at the hands of fundamentalists in Pakistan and Hindu fanatics
in India. The Two-nation theory had become a reality. It was the most
unfortunate diplomatic and political conspiracy by the then rulers the Congress
and the Muslim League. It was a trilateral phenomenon and the darkest spot in
Indian history.
The
aftermath of the Partition stands witness to the monstrosities, atrocities,
murders, loot, incendiarism and mass exodus of millions from either side of the
border. Humanity was shocked to see the blood bath. The writers wrote out of
shock and trauma about the Partition and the misfortune that followed.
Bhishma
Sahani depicted the sinister scenario in his book Tamas, Yash Pal did it in
Jhutha Sach. Sardar Khushwant Singh came out with his novel Train to Pakistan
in the year 1956. It is a classic. It is one of the best sellers of all novels
in English. The novel has as its locale Mano Majra village which is situated on
the bank of the Sutlez river and happens to be the last railway station in
India as one travels to Pakistan across the Sutlez. The story of the novel is
how a train of living Muslim passengers crosses the bridge over the Sutlez
river to carry them into Pakistan. This was the time when blood hungry Muslim
were killing the Hindus and the Sikhs in Pakistan, and a ghost train came to
India in which every passenger was a corpse.
They
are buried en masse in Mano Mazar. There was a railway bridge across the Sutlez
river. Juggat Singh, Mali and his gang had earned the notoriety to disgrace all
finer human values. Hukum Chand was sent as a magistrate to establish law and
order, and apprehend the culprits and anti-social elements in the area. The
story of the novel gains its momentum when a dacoity is committed at Lala Ram
Lal’s house one night. The whole village is crouched in fear.
One
social worker, a young man, happens to visit the village. Mali is released from
jail while Juggat Singh and Iqbal- the visitor- are arrested. It was rather
strange that Mali, who was accused of looting the Muslims going to Pakistan,
was set free. Lastly a young man saves the Muslim passengers crossing the
Sutlez by train, sacrificing his life. He actually cut the cables and the network
set to stop the train and kill the Muslims en masse. The plot of the novel is
divided into four chapters- Dacoity, Kalyug, Mano Majra and Karma. The village-
Mano Majra remains the place of all incidents. Towards the end the novelist
doesn’t name the person who sacrificed his life to save the hundreds of lives
of the Muslims leaving for Pakistan by hacking the rope with his kirpan on the
railway bridge. The novel ends in suspense and mystery.
The
main characters in the novel Train to Pakistan are Juggat Singh or Jugga, Bhai
Meet
Singh,
Lambardar Banta Singh, Malli, the dacoit, social worker Iqbal. Sardar Khushwant
Singh’s art of characterization is remarkable.
Nooran-
the Muslim Imam’s beautiful young daughter, the musician girl Haseena, Jagga’s
affectionate mother are women characters. Nooran is Jugga’s flame. The
characters with virtuous moral conscience are worried to realize what has been
happening in the succulent village. For centuries, Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims
have been living here apparently peacefully but now the winds of destruction
are blowing as thieves, robbers, cut throats and murderers are at large like
wolves on the prowl. The villagers deliberate that they were better off under
the British. They didn’t know that the conspiracy of the Partition was hatched
by the outgoing British rulers and that Lord Mountbatten, the Governor General
of India, was the chief architect of the Partition.
Sardar
Khushwant Singh has employed the language of common parlance; it is neither
stilted nor unnecessarily ornate and rhetorical. The novelist has succeeded in
depicting the atmosphere of terror, horror, insecurity and tension. The
communal riots and nefarious acts were reported all over India and newly
created Pakistan. The novel underlines how the so-called peace-loving Sikhs,
Hindu and Muslims became blood hungry hounds and vampires overnight forgetting
all cultural ties.
Summary
Mano
Mazra was a village in which families of many castes lived. Lala Ram Lal was a
Hindu money-lender. There were Muslim and Sikh families in equal number. There
were some Christian and untouchable families too. The Hindu shrine, the Sikh
Gurudwara and the mosque were situated in a triangular space with a peepal tree
nearby. There were several flat-roofed mud huts with a dusty path, and a pond
of water at the end of the village was surrounded by keekar trees. There was a
railroad bridge near the railway station on the Sutlez river and a small colony
for vendors, shopkeepers and hawkers was in sight to cater victuals in short
time to the passengers of trains. In the darkness of the silent night the
whistling, puffing and iron couplings of engines were heard. Aluminium lamps
lighted all night. The people of Mano Mazra awoke by listening to the whistling
sound of the Lahore Mail train. The Mullah said his prayer at the mosque while
the temple priest lay in bed. At 10.30, the passenger train from Delhi steamed
in. By this time, the villagers settled down to their routine. When the evening
passenger train from Lahore came, everyone got to work again. Earthen hearths
blazed and kindled for cooking. The goods train passed non-stop saying
goodnight to the village folk. This was the time when the mullah said the
evening prayers in the mosque.
On
one fateful night in August, five robbers emerged from a keekar grove, moved
silently towards the river armed with spears and carbines slung on their
shoulders and flicked torch light while talking about the booty- the robbed
jewelry, garments to be robbed. They had masked their faces with eyes
uncovered. They happened to knock at the door of Lala Ram Lal’s house shouting
“Lala” and fired a gun in air. They broke the door open, threatened his family
with serious consequences if they didn’t part with the ornaments and precious
materials. They caught hold of Lala Ram Lal crouched under one of the charpoys.
Women were beaten up and Lala was ruthlessly manhandled and murdered. The women
cried for help but nobody came to rescue them as the villagers were scared of
their lives. The robbers went away with the rich booty laughing and shouting
triumphantly and challenging the villagers. They came to a small hut, making a
jubilant appeal to Jugga. Having divided the booty among themselves they went
towards the river while the goods train whistled in the dark.
Juggut
Singh had left his hut an hour earlier having got the signal of the whistle of the
passing goods train for the rendezvous with his beloved Nooran. His mother had
stopped him from going out lest he should meet the same fate as his father did:
He was hanged for dacoity. Juggut Singh didn’t listen to her. His mother apprehended
her misfortune. Jugga walked cautiously to reach the pond and reached up to the
sandy bed of the river. His beloved Nooran was there. After nocturnal romance,
the girl went back to her house where her father said prayers for her wellbeing.
When
the robbers were passing flicking torch lights after the robbery, Juggat Singh
and Nooran saw them. Jugga recognized Malli flicking torch light. The whole
village was awake after the robbery. The dogs were barking in the streets and
women stood on the roofs. Everyone talked about the robbery. Nobody tried to
face or chase Malli’s gang.
There
was a rest house at Mano Mazra. It was a bungalow made of brick. There was a
god-forsaken garden near a row of servant quarters. Many officers used to stay
there overnight. After the dacoity in Mano Mazra, the rest-house was tidied up
as an important officer was coming. One sub-inspector, two constables and
orderlies arrived. They were clad in white, red belts around their waists, white
turbans with broad-bands; their uniforms were pinned with brass-emblems of the
government of Punjab. Several villagers carried files and baggage to the rest
house as the Sahab was coming on his official tour.
Hukum
Chand gave patient hearing to the sub-inspector of police who briefed him about
the law-and-order situation. Hukum Chand knew that Hindu women were being
tortured assaulted and murdered in Pakistan. He wanted that the Muslims should
leave the Indian soil peacefully and go to Pakistan. The sub-inspector
discussed the situation in Mano Majra: Hukum Chand was told by the sub-inspector
that the Lambardar reported the latest situation to him regularly. No refugees
had come in the village so far. Moreover, the people of Mano Majra were an
ignorant lot: they had heard of Gandhi but not of Mohammad Jinnah.
Hukum
Chand asked the sub-inspector if there was any bad character in the village.
The sub inspector informed him that Jugga, son of dacoit Alam Singh, was a
notorious character. The magistrate was acquainted with Jugga’s affairs with Mullah
Imambuksh’s angelic daughter Nooran. The magistrate enjoyed his lunch and asked
the sub-inspector to make arrangement for the evening for his pleasure. The dak
bungalow had already been tidied up with great fanfare to accommodate Hukum
Chand’s aristocratic tastes. The evening party was a grand musical performance.
There were two women singers: one was a middle aged singer chewing betel leaf
accompanied by his young beautiful daughter. The girl sang film-songs and
Punjabi songs of Hukum Chand’s choice. Hukum Chand was gulping pegs of whisky.
The music and dance performance being over, Hukum Chand went to his bed room
with Haseena- the young singer.
Next
morning a new man came to Mono Majra. The young man looked well educated and he
went straight to the village gurudwara. The young man met Bhai Meet Singh and
requested to accommodate him there for two or three days. Meet Singh cautioned
him not to tamper with the sanctity of the place and allowed him to stay. The
visitor felt quite relaxed in the small room which had a charpoy,
some
furniture and the calendar with Guru’s portrait and name on the wall. Meet
Singh having completed the washing of clothes and his bath at the well, came to
the visitor ‘Iqbal’ who impressed him with his gentle behaviour. The young man
was clean shaved, He was a social worker who had come to stop bloodshed and
violence which spread in the area in the wake of the Partition.
Mano
Majra happened to be a very sensitive place as it was situated at the border
and had a bridge over the Sutlez to cross into Pakistan. Iqbal told Meet Singh
that he belonged to Jhelum in Pakistan but he was a student abroad and had come
back to act as a social worker. He was a bachelor still and subsisted on petty
amount of money. Meet Singh heard him aptly on religious matters. He told that
the people in India quarreled over religion. Meet Singh watched him eating his tiffin
and his sophisticated ways. Iqbal commented on the police saying, that they
ill-treated people and thrived on bribe and corruption. Meet Singh briefed him
about the dacoity which had been committed last night at Lala Ram Lal’s house
and the police were investigating as the dacoits had taken away precious
jewelry, and large cash. Iqbal as a social worker could not resist the
temptation of going there as there was a murder too. But Meet Singh advised him
to take rest at the gurudwara. Iqbal was rather tired as he had travelled
overnight in a crowded railway compartment. Iqbal tried to sleep but he could
not as there was no cross ventilation and flies were buzzing all around. He
recalled to his mind the scene of the railway compartment- breast feeding
children in mother’s lap, passengers being seated on their luggage, bedrolls
and the bare floor. The passengers had noticed that Iqbal had the book in
English, thinking that he must be an educated man. They asked him several
questions out of curiosity and his book was circulated in the whole
compartment. Meet Singh came to him talking of ‘Kalyug’ and utter downfall of
morals. The dacoity committed at Lal Ram Lal’s house last night had stimulated
his moral thinking. He talked about Jugga who was a notorious criminal. Meet
Singh remarked that a snake could cast off its slough but not venom. Similarly,
Jugga could not give up committing crimes. Meet Singh briefed Iqbal about the
police officials who had not arrested Jugga yet. Iqbal wanted to walk around
the place but he was told that Lambardar Banta Singh and Mullah Imambuksh were
coming to see him.
Iqbal
could see the gates of Lala Ram Lal’s house wide open, villagers sitting there
and women wailing inside. Some village folks were napping under the peepal tree,
and children played in sand, while the Lahore passenger train whistled shrill
and crossed the bridge. The whistle of the train was like a sigh of relief as
it was out of Pakistan and had crossed into India. Iqbal tried to go to the
side of the dak bungalow: a Sikh guard stared at him. He turned towards the
railway line and saw that they were carrying Lala Ram Lal’s corpse. Iqbal recollected
the mad rush of Bombay traffic. He noticed a world of difference between the
jostling and suffocating crowds of Bombay and the succulent village. In the evening
he got up, brushed and arranged his clothes. It was the time of prayer in the
mosque and the temple. When he went to sleep on the roof, Lambardar Banta Singh
and Mullah Imambuksh came to meet Iqbal. Iqbal welcomed them and talked to them
on whatever was happening in the world. These innocent men were ignorant of the
Partition and its consequences. Iqbal told them that the British masters were
leaving India. They exchanged ideas on religion, morality, Gandhiji etc. When
they had left after deliberations, Iqbal slept on the charpoy.
The
very next morning, the policemen searched his room in the Gurudwara, and he was
arrested while he got up rubbing eyes. Bhai Meet Singh didn’t like Iqbal’s
arrest. Iqbal left his hold-all in care of Meet Singh. He was handcuffed. The
police arrested Juggat Singh (Jugga) too. His mother tried her best to prove
his innocence in the dacoity at Lala Ram Lal’s house. She brought the glass bangles
which the dacoits had thrown into the courtyard to insult Jugga as he was not a
party to the dacoity.
Surprisingly
enough, Jugga and Iqbal were imprisoned in the same room. The sub-inspector was
under the impression that Iqbal was a member of the Muslim League. Iqbal
threatened the sub-Inspector that if he was not released in 24 hours, he would
move a habeas corpus petition and expose in the court that he was unnecessarily
framed. The sub-inspector retorted that he should better apply to go to
Pakistan but Iqbal denied because he was not a Muslim. Jugga deeply respected
Iqbal as an innocent man. When the police threatened Iqbal in the murder case
and use third degree methods, for confession, Jugga appealed to the
sub-inspector not to harass the innocent man.
In
the month of September, the goods trains became ghost trains. One day when an
empty train arrived at Mano Majra, the station was full of armed policemen.
Mano Majra was characterized by Imambuksh- he had lost his wife and sons rather
early. He lived with his daughter Nooran and made his living as a teacher of
Koran to the children. Banta Singh was the leader of the village folk. Bhai Meet
Singh, Lambardar Banta Singh and Imambuksh discussed “Kalyug” uttering ‘Vahe
Guru’, or ‘Allah....’ Suddenly two policemen came calling for lambardar Banta Singh.
There were empty trucks to be loaded with wooden bundles immediately. The
villagers watched from the roof tops going to the railway station. There was a
cloud of dark smoke from the railway station but the northern horizon was blood
red with flames and fire and the breeze blew smelling of kerosene and human
bodies. The villagers knew that a ghost train had arrived from Pakistan and the
passengers were corpses.
Hukum
Chand was trying to sleep but he could not. He could sense the unfortunate consequences
of the monstrosity of Hindu-Muslim communalism. At night he saw nightmarish
scenes of loot, murder and nefarious acts. He was scared of his life.
Next
morning, he woke up in fresh mood. The police sub-inspector came to brief him
about the ghost train and the disposal of the corpses. These were heaps of
ashes, skulls and bones littered near the railway station. The villagers were
not allowed to come to the railway station. Some refugees had come from nearby
border villages of Pakistan. They were lodged in the temple of Mano Majra and
the villagers were providing them with food. Overall, the law-and-order
situation was under control. When Hukum Chand asked about Lala Ram Lal’s
gruesome murder, the sub-inspector told him that it was the act of Malli and
his gang and that Jugga was not a party to them as he was busy in his
rendezvous with Nooran- the beautiful daughter of Mullah Khudabaksh. Hukum
Chand ordered the sub inspector not to release Jugga and Iqbal and arrest Malli
and his gang. The sub-inspector having left the dak bungalow, Hukum Chand began
to think of the problems which were to follow in the near future. The
girl-Haseena- was of course there.
Jugga
was so deeply influenced by Iqbal’s knowledge and scholarship that he pressed
and massaged his feet submissively telling him that he wanted to learn English
words and that he was interested in Hindi and Gurmukhi. He told him that he was
not a party to Malli’s gang and had nothing to do with Lala Ram Lal’s murder.
The police arrested all the five murders including the kingpin Malli.
On a
rainy day many ghost trains arrived. The corpses were summarily disposed of.
There was an uneasy calm in Mano Majra: the Hindus and Sikhs were on one side,
and the Muslims, on the other side. Both the groups suspected each other’s
intentions. The Sikhs were infuriated with the Muslims and there could be
communal riots, murders, and loot any time. Hukum Chand was sitting on a
volcano which could erupt any time. All Sikhs of the village happened to meet at
lambardar Banta Singh’s house. Meet Singh also attended the meeting. Bhai Meet
Singh stated that Iqbal was a Sikh as he wore an iron bangle around his wrist
and abstained from smoking. Moreover he had come to Mano Majra after Lala Ram
Lal’s murder. Meet Singh’s statement was very well received. Every one accepted
him as a Mona Sikh whose full name was Iqbal Singh. They planned to kill Muslims
as a vindictive action to counterbalance what was happening to Hindus in
Pakistan. While the meeting was going on, the village Muslims came with Imam
Buksh saying ‘Salaam’ and ‘Sat Sri Akal’ and asked what their decision was
regarding their leaving Mano Majra. Lambardar Banta Singh advised them to go to
the refugee camp for a few days and when the situation improved, they could
come back to live in the village. With great warmth they embraced each other
with sobs and tears welling up in their eyes. Imam Buksh agreed with the
decision. Lambardar Banta Singh volunteered to look after their houses and
cattle. Imam Buksh and his fellow Muslims left the meeting. It was a tearful
farewell.
Imam
Buksh went home and awakened his daughter Nooran to pack up their belongings, clothes,
utensils, etc- as they were going to leave the village. She got up most
reluctantly and went to Jugga’s house at midnight while all the Muslims of Mano
Majra were busy packing. Nooran told Jugga’s mother that she was pregnant for
two months and would deliver Jugga’s child when it was due. Jugga was not at
home. The old woman softened as she heard these words and assured her all
necessary help. Nooran went with a heavy heart thinking that she would come
again in the morning to say “Sat Sri Akal” if time permitted and if she got a
chance. She packed her belongings and cooked something for the next day and
slept on charpoy.
Next
morning two Pathans and some Sikh officers came with a dozen trucks and police
force. They ordered the Muslims, who were willing to go to Pakistan, to carry
with them their luggage but not heavy articles like charpoys, large boxes, etc.
They were given only ten minutes to board the trucks. It was once again a heart-rending
scenario as the Sikhs and Muslims wept under the grip of emotion. Their
property was looted on the way by Malli’s gang. Hukum Chand had ordered to set
them free from prison for the vindictive action to react against what was
happening to Hindus in Pakistan. The refugees and the accompanying officers
were lazy lookers on lest they should be shot dead by Malli’s gang.
The
monsoon clouds rained profusely. It was all muddy in Mano Majra. Malli’s
gangsters looted cattle, property, hens..... etc. The Sutlez was flooded.
Lambardar Banta Singh and other villagers almost forgot about the misdeeds of
Malli’s gang and the Muslim refugees; they were preoccupied with the flood
situation. Suddenly they heard the painful cries for help and rushed to the
bridge. They saw in swirling water, some carcasses of cows, bundles of clothing
and it appeared that some village had been swept off in the flooded river.
After some time, they heard the whistle of a train in darkness and it passed
the station. The train was from Pakistan.
Next
morning, the sun rose in its full glory. The villagers noticed corpses of
children, women’ bones and skulls, dismembered limbs. Many corpses were
floating on the surface. The sky was full with kites sweeping over the place. A
few days later a train arrived from Pakistan during daytime with many soldiers
and the police force. They ordered a bulldozer for dragging the corpses to a
common burial spot. The work was in progress till sunset, and having buried the
dead, they all went by train. In the evening, Gurudwara at Mano Majra was
thronged with all the villagers. They offered prayers for God’s mercy. The
people were scared of their lives: they slept in the Gurudwara seeing nightmares.
They wept in sleep, cried and wailed. Suddenly, they were all awakened by the
beep of a jeep and they heard loud voices. The visitors were asking whether
anyone lived there or all were dead. They asked lambardar Banta Singh whether
it was the Sikh village. Banta Singh responded in the positive. The visitors
told the dazed villagers about the ghost trains carrying the corpses of Sikhs
and Hindus from Pakistan. They instigated the village folk to loot the Muslims,
ransack their property and houses and send one train load of dead Muslims to
retaliate and avenge the atrocities and monstrosities by Muslims on Hindus and
Sikhs in Pakistan. Bhai Meet Singh was mortified to hear a young man on the
loud speaker saying, if the Sikhs of Mano Mazra had the guts, they could
butcher all the Muslims going to Pakistan and a train full of them would cross the
Sutlez bridge the very next day. It would be the most opportune hour to take
revenge against the Pakistani boarding Muslims and their misdeeds. None of the
passengers, of the said train, cross the Sutlez alive. Meet Singh knew, that
the Muslims from Mano Majra would also be boarding that train. When he remarked
about the Muslims of Mano Majra travelling by that train, he was told that it was
enough for them to be Muslims. Mallis and his gang volunteered to execute the
nefarious plan. The young leader on the loudspeaker said “bravo” and made a
ceremonial prayer in Guru’s name. The village folks were instigated to pounce
upon the Muslim passengers in the train. They readied themselves with loud and
collective “Sat Sri Akal” to make the venture an admirable success. The young
leader showed them the map of the bridge and located the exact spots to attack
the train by stretching a rope at a particular height across the bridge so that
the passenger sitting on the roofs of the bogies would fall down into the
river- struck by the rope. The rest would be shot dead or butchered with swords
and that Sikhs would have an extra advantage of night darkness. Hukum Chand
gave liberty to the sub-inspector of Chandan-nagar to murder the Muslim
refugees who would board the night train. The Sub Inspector informed Hukum
Chand that Muslims had left Mano Majra. Mullah Imambuksh had also left with his
daughter Nooran.
Hukum
Chand ordered that Malli’s gang should be released to reach Mano Majra before
the night train carrying Muslim refugees left the station. Jugga and Iqbal were
also released but Jugga was as angry as a lion as Nooran and Imambuksh had been
forced to leave Mano Majra. Naturally they must be leaving for Pakistan by the
night train. The sub-inspector arranged a tonga for them up to the village. As
the tonga reached near the Sikh temple in the village, Jugga jumped off the
carriage and disappeared in pitch dark. Many villagers were staying in
Gurudwara and Iqbal joined them in prayers. Meet Singh briefed on him on the
latest situation. He came to know that villagers were going to kill the
Muslims. This disappointed him beyond measure. When the villagers were sleeping
in the big room of Gurudwara, Jugga came to see Meet Singh, listened to some
holy lines of Guru Granth Sahab and left for his plan unknown to any person in Mano
Majra.
The
signal was given for the night train taking Muslim refugees to Pakistan. Many
men who were in ambush close to the bridge became alert with their guns, spears
and swords. They were ready to attack the train as it would be passing over the
bridge. The darkness was so horrible that they were not in a position to recognize
anybody. One man climbed up on the steel span near the middle point of the
rope. The gang leader thought that some body was checking the tightness of its
knot. As the train approached, the gang leader shouted at the man to climb down
and save himself but the man would not listen: he was hacking vigorously in the
middle by his kirpan. The gang leader shot him but the bug nabs had done the
job. He slid off the rope as it snapped and fell down and the train passed over
him, crossing the bridge and went on to Pakistan.
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