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| Tamas by Bhisham Sahni |
There have been quite a number of books written on the theme of the partition of India and Pakistan. And of whatever I have read so far, I would recommend 'Ice-Candy-Man' (Bapsi Sidhwa), Pinjar (by Amrita Pritam, translated into English by Khushwant Singh) and Train to Pakistan (Khushwant Singh). (And to some extent, even 'What the Body Remembers' by Shauna Singh Baldwin was also written in the backdrop of partition but its plot is more about the two women in the story rather than the partition. Well, that's a different story altogether :P)
'Tamas' (meaning darkness in Hindi) by Bhisham Sahni is another very good novel written on this theme, but it differs from the other novels in that while the others were quite graphic in recounting the communal holocaust during the partition time, there is hardly any depiction of violence in Tamas and yet so biting and touching is the portrayal of the exodus of the Hindus and the Sikhs from the Muslim dominated areas that it will at once leave one pained. It's so riveting that you are immediately drawn into their trauma and pain, the characters stay with you long after you have put the book down. Sahniji's unadorned prose and straightforward narration stand out.
And what makes this book special is the timelessness of the message that the story carries ~ how sanity is easily forgotten and feelings of brotherhood ignored during such communal riots; how neighbours who were once like families, turn into enemies overnight, baying for each other's blood!
Almost six decades have passed on since our independence and the partition, but not much has changed. Some political leaders still continue to succeed in inflaming communal feelings and hatred among various communities. These leaders continue to influence and incite impressionable minds to indulge in massacres -- all for their own material gains! Unfortunately we, the populace, have not learnt anything from history even today and continue to make fools of ourselves.
