14th August: Chhata Darya (The Sixth River) by Fikr Taunsvi (1948)

Today is 14th August. On this day, in 1947, Pakistan, came into being, cleaved out of India. And today to observe what the Indian government has now declared as Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas (Partition Horrors Remembrance Day), I finished reading Fikr Taunsvi's Chhata Darya, translated into English as The Sixth River: A Journal from the …

Being Sindhis in India: Rita Kothari’s The Burden of Refuge

The Partition of India in 1947 was one of the darkest hours in the history of the sub-continent. As communal forces gained strength and boundaries were re-drawn according to religion, tens of thousands of people found themselves on the wrong side of the borders. People had to leave behind their homes, families, friends, means of …

15th August: Daag Daag Ujala

15th August always brings with it conflicting emotions. While on the one hand, there is a celebration of Independence, on the other, the shadow of Partition always accompanies it.Perhaps the words of Faiz describe it best:Ye daag daag ujaalaa, ye shab-gaziida sahar,Vo intizaar thaa jis-kaa, ye vo sahar to nahiin,Ye vo sahar to nahiin jis-kii …

The Pain of Partition: K.K. Khullar’s Yellow Rose

"I thought it was time to spin the story, weave the tale. The result is Yellow Rose and 19 other roses of different colours titled differently."I had enjoyed reading K.K. Khullar's biography of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, so when I saw a book of short stories written by him, I picked it up with great expectations. …