Train to Pakistan - Hardcover

Khushwant Singh

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0837182263 ISBN 13: 9780837182261

Publisher: Praeger, 1975

Synopsis

"Train to Pakistan" is the story of this isolated village that is plunged into the abyss of religious hate. It is also the story of a Sikh boy and a Muslim girl whose love endured and transcends the ravages of war.The Partition in history is a record of a point in time when the country was split apart along religious lines. It is an abstract piece of history for most people. While many books have documented the Partition and the violence surrounding it, most have focused on the social and political causes, and analyzed it as a collection of abstract data. Train To Pakistan is one of the books that focuses on the human drama, the real suffering of the people caught in the middle. Mano Majra is a village that suddenly becomes part of a border between two countries. The population of the village is predominantly Sikh and Muslim. When news of communal riots and killings reach the village, the different communities express their support for each other and swear to defend one another. However, external influences are just waiting around the corner to disturb this idyllic harmony. A train filled with the massacred bodies of Hindus and Sikhs arrives at Mano Majra. Slowly, passions gets stoked up, especially by the influx of refugees from the newly created Pakistan. They have tales of horror to tell, and the passions of Sikhs and Hindus of the village are stirred up. Vested interests, including that of the village magistrate s, stir up the flames. Hindus and Sikhs who just recently swore to stand by their Muslim neighbors now turn against them. Caught in all this are Juggut Singh and Iqbal. Juggut is a criminal, while Iqbal is a western educated intellectual who is on a mission to reform society. The common thread that binds them together is that they are both thrown into jail as suspects in a murder. Ram Lal, a local moneylender, has been murdered. Ram Lal was a Hindu and this is used by subversive elements to incite violence against Muslims. The police, in a desperate attempt to divert attention, arrest Iqbal and Juggut. Meanwhile, as the violence escalates, a train arrives to take the Muslim population of the village en masse to Pakistan. But the rioters have no intention of letting the Muslims leave in peace.

About this title

Review:

An Authentic Version on Partition Manomajra, a tiny villages slumbers without much din of the urbane suddenly comes alive with fanaticism takes hold of the innocent villagers. The amity and goodwill give place to rancour and so the majority, the Sikhs on knowing the horrors let loose by Muslims in Pakistan on their brethern Sikhs, would like to let out their rages on their fellow villagers- Muslims. It is cast against a love story between a Sikh and a Muslim girl for whose sake the rustic makes a sacrifice thereby allowing her and the rest of the Muslims on their journey to the Promised Land, Pakistan. --Dr V Pala Prasada

read Train to Pakistan years ago, right back when I was in college. I can still never forget the novel, which is undoubtedly one of my favourite Indian novels in English. Khushwant Singh is a daring story-teller. He manages to remain one of the few who refrain from much of the linguistic pomp, glamour, and political pretense that dogs Indian English writers. His language is simple; his message is startling. The novel is based on the time when India won independence, and when the partition took place. Singh blends satire and compassion with heart felt anger: at the hypocrisy and cowardice of social activists, and at the bureaucracy and corruption that permeates Indian politics. The climax of the novel is the message of the story: action is never political; it is only personal. Nobody is going to get up and do a thing for anyone else unless it's for someone they love, unless it's something that comes from the heart. This book is an absolute must read for every single person who cares about Hindu-Muslim harmony. --Supriya Thanawala Nov 19, 2011

Khushwant at his best... A must read for all english prose readers... read this book many years back.. but still i remember each and every character of the novel... Gud narration, story set in the backdrop of partition of india.. describes love,lust,burtality of humans in a simple way.. --Santhosh Tarikere Devananda Dec 2, 2011

From the Back Cover:

It is a place, Khushwant Singh goes on to tell us at the beginning of this classic novel, where Sikhs and Muslims have lived together in peace for hundreds of years. Then one day, at the end of the summer, the 'ghost train' arrives, a silent, incredible funeral train loaded with the bodies of thousands of refuges, bringing the village its first taste of the horrors of the civil war. Train to Pakistan is the story of this isolated village that is plunged into the abyss of religious hate. It is also the story of a Sikh boy and a Muslim girl whose love endures and transcends the ravages of war.

About this edition

• Publisher: Praeger
• Publication date: 1975
• ISBN 10: 0837182263
• ISBN 13: 9780837182261
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 181