Partition Reflections: Stories of Loss and Longing

She threw one kid to the river and the very next second she realised what wrong thing she did. Out of the two kids, she was carrying, she was supposed to throw the one who is no more and not the one who is alive.

She got dumbstruck and then opened up with harsh cries, which literally made everyone around to shiver.

This narration from the film “Mammo” directed by Lt Shyam Benegal left me shocked to the core.

There are umpteen number of stories/tragedies around the India Pakistan partition.

So many books written, movies made, to show what both the nations had suffered and how it still haunts many.

Who is wrong and what is right is not be discussed here.

The aftermaths are even worst and we saw this in many stories.

Its shown brilliantly in the movie, “how difficult it is to leave the soil in which you grown up and the keenness to come back”.

Practical decisions are necessary in case of a country and for the betterment of her people. Going emotional is never an option.

Then as they say, when two elephants fight, the grass suffers.

Don’t know how many families had to leave their homes, their wealth, the people and mainly the memories.

The ease, the comfort we get when we come back home from a long trip. The desire to go back not only comes from the people, family but also the walls, doors, the corners, the balcony from where we see to the world and thinking a world-full of things.

Physical things won’t matter, how the walls made up of cement and stones so important, but I think otherwise.

Whenever I visit my native almost at least once in a year and though I lived there for a very brief time, I feel whenever I visit, something touches to my soul.

The kind of calmness in those dilapidated stair case, worn out walls, broken doors and in everything. I can’t even word it.

Few things are beyond expression and I think it’s even better.

Those who are away from the homeland only can understand. I may not be able to put what I want to because of even thinking of leaving someplace, you born in, is really difficult for me.

This is aptly put in the few lines from a song from Hindi movie Kabuliwala –

Tere daaman se jo aaye, un hawao ko salaam,

Chum lu mai, us zubaan ko, jis pe aaye tera naam,

Sabse achhi subah teri, sabse rangi teri sham,

Tuz pe dil kurbaan

I salute to the winds flown from yours

Let me kiss the those, who takes your name,

The most beautiful is your morning and the most colourful is your evening,

I am devoted to you.