Critical Analysis of the Oral Testimony of Maya Rani on the Partition of India

“India has never been a symbol of unity of Hindu-Muslim civilization. It is not possible for the British Government to create homogeneity between Hindu and Muslim culture and civilization as the two systems are distinctively opposed to each other. There is no way other than the partition of India”

Kashmir is the history of struggle, oppression, displacement, killing, murder mystery, rape etc. It was an independent state, having its own prime minister until 1953. The book details, how in the 1990s conflict and war in Kashmir, providential and innocent families crumpled, how their life became a hell, how young boys were arrested and disappeared, how mothers and wives were not allowed to meet their sons and husbands in jail, and how they were molested, raped and tormented. How families went from pillar to post in search of their relatives but walked back with ‘ big No’, how every politician consoled them, how others even don’t listen to them and how mothers, like Haleema, went to look for their sons till their last breath.

Reciprocity is very important in Pakistani communities. As covered in A. Shaw’s ‘A Pakistani Community in Britain,’ the term lena-dena literally means ‘taking and giving’ and itself implies the obligation of exchange.

There was a high food shortage in 1946 and this caused many to ration. World War II left a deep wound in India as two and a half million Indian soldiers were sent to aid the allies and 24,000 killed. Many were unemployed as they lost their jobs after the war since there was no need for war production. Gandhi’s party, Indian national congress, created in 1885 seemed it would be the power that ruled after Britain left. This changed, however, as the All Muslim league became popular during World War II. Muslims were a minority compared to the Hindus. The Partition of 1947 created Pakistan, where the Muslims would live, and India, where the Hindus would live.

For the bloodbath in March-December 1971 - when the Pakistani army executed a largely unarmed Bengali population in the then vital part of Pakistan’s state known as “East Pakistan”, in an effort to suppress the region’s demand for independence - was at the time the biggest story in the world’s media.

As a society many are not aware that development can be more compelling through knowledge about other society’s life experiences. Even when becoming aware, societies continue with the lack of knowledge. This results in consequences in these societies and with international relations. There are tremendous forms of ethnocentrism that can cause crucial social problems, such as ethnic cleansing, colonialism, and racism. Many of these views are destined by world communities, however many frequently see the cases.

Many people believe that in the 1940’s most of India’s problems involving independence was to do with divisions within India rather than British imperialism. In this essay I will be looking at both points of view and finally giving my opinion. I will be using three sources also to help me show both sides of the story. I will also be using my further knowledge to add a wider range of knowledge.

Hamid shows Changes perception of individuality. People like Changes suffered a lot in America and got interest to know native identity. Native culture and identity is awesome for every individual. Changes worries that even after all the sacrifices and services of Pakistanis has never treated Pakistan as ally or friend. There is probability that Americans might have encouraged Indians to envy with Pakistanis. Hamid painfully conveys that Americans never treat non- European Counties as their friends and they treat like tissue papers.

An event that has relation to war today is the tension in the northern region of India, Punjab, where the Sikh holy book was ripped up and thrown. Many Sikhs gathered in a peaceful protest, trying to bring to justice the people who were responsible, but the police ended up shooting and killing two peaceful protestors. Simran Jeet Singh, is one of the authors, who writes on this topic. He takes up this topic, because it represents part of the unjust that happened to Sikhs in 1984 where they were killed and murdered in the thousands by the Indian government. Singh says, “I was born in the United States in the summer of 1984, during the height of the anti- Sikh violence in Punjab” (Singh 1). He goes on to say how he feels the pain of his Sikh brothers and sisters who were killed in the year 1984, for their religious beliefs. Background about Singh shows us the importance of mediated narratives, as they show that Singh is trying to raise awareness about the issues going on in Punjab in an attempt to try to avoid the destruction that happened in 1984. Another one of these authors is Nirmala Ganapathy, who is part of The Straits Times. She takes up the same interest as Singh, as she works to raise awareness on the issues affecting her homeland of India. She writes about why Sikhs have been blocking major roads in India and the influence this has. Her curiosity is what has

In this conversation, Lilia is admonished for her naiveté towards issues concerning her parent’s mother country and for her lack of worldly exposure at school. As time passes, and Mr. Pirzada’s visits become routine, Lilia begins paying attention to the evening news that he and Lilia’s parents watch. At one point, her mother points out, “See, children your age, what they do to survive”(31), which makes the situation directly relevant to Lilia and forces her to reflect on how fortunate she is compared to those like her in Bangladesh. Suddenly curious to learn more, Lilia finds herself at the library checking out a book titled “Pakistan: A Land and its People”(42). Mr. Pirzada’s presence acts to bring Lilia closer to her Indian culture by getting her to take an interest in the partition of India and Pakistan and by giving her a more relevant context to view the situation.

In contrast, Malala’s attempt to create social change was far more dangerous. Malala and many other girls in Pakistan are denied the right to education when the Taliban seize power in the Swat Valley, Pakistan. Malala’s struggle takes place in contemporary Pakistan where speaking out is considered very dangerous. The memoir revels the destruction of Pakistan founder, Ali Jinnah’s original vision of a ‘land of tolerance’ by increasing Islamisation; two military dictatorships ; corrupt politicians, poverty, illiteracy and the rise of the ‘forces of militancy and extremism’ exemplified by the Taliban, who was led by Maulana Fazlullah and the imposition of terror and fear under the guise of sharia law. The repression of individual freedom made people fearful to speak out. The Taliban had banned women from going ‘outside without a male relative to accompany (them)’ and told people ‘stop listening to music, watching movies and dancing’. The Taliban had ‘blown up 400 schools’ and had held public whippings demonstrated the consequences of disobedience, as did the execution of ‘infidels’ like young dancer, Shabana, whose body was dumped in the public square. Both texts, however more so Malala than Rita reveal that speaking out in a volatile and dangerous political environment does involve more risks, but is essential for change to occur.

In the short story “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine,” Jhumpa Lahiri depicts the theme, that understanding of others personal experiences is crucial because, then, you will better understand their actions. This is exemplified when, near the start of the story it was discussed that, she only learned about American history at school. Therefore, she had no idea about what was happening in Pakistan. Her dad would attempt to teach her about how Mr. Pirzada was Pakistani, and what was happening in his country, saying, “As you see, Lilia, it is a different country, a different color”(Lahiri 26). Before her dad had talked to her the narrator was oblivious to the situation in Pakistan, even

In the short story “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” by Jhumpa Lahiri, Lilia, her parents, and Mr. Pirzada react differently to Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 because of the different cultures in which they grew up. Lilia is a ten-year-old girl growing up in Boston, Massachusetts. The civil war affects her vicariously when she sees her parents and Mr. Pirzada upset. Lilia’s parents are from India and moved to Boston before Lilia was born. They show concern when watching the news of their homeland in peril. Mr. Pirzada is from Pakistan and moves to Boston for one year on a research grant while his wife and seven daughters still live in East Pakistan. The civil war affects him the most because it is his personal property and his direct loved ones that are in the midst of it all.

The Partition of India in August, 1947 was a significant event in history that accounted for the separation of one of the world’s oldest civilization into two, independent nations – Pakistan and India. Like many other wars in history, The Partition of India was instigated by religious, political and social conflict. This resulted in violence, discrimination and the largest human displacement in contemporary history. While the Partition was well-studied, much of our understanding was focused on the political side of history, not the human side of it. This was why oral history played an important role in manifesting the complexity of a historical event. Our focus here is Maya Rani’s testimony from Butalia’s book, The Other Side of Silence:

Before the Partition of India, in 1947, India was considered a country with a reasonably peaceful history. However, during and after the Partition, sexual violence, both towards men and women, escalated, resulting in the rape and abduction of over 80,000 women. Cracking India, by Bapsi Sidhwa, tells a story that highlights these violent acts by both Muslims and Hindus, through the eyes of a disabled young Parsi girl named Lenny, who witnesses first hand the violence of Partition when she mistakenly participates in the abduction of her ayah, Shanta. Throughout Cracking India, Lenny observes as the religions involved in Partition become increasingly violent towards both men and women, within their own religions and against others.