Artistic depictions of the partition of India
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The partition of India and the associated bloody riots inspired many creative minds in India and Pakistan to create literary/cinematic depictions of this event. While some creations depicted the massacres during the refugee migration, others concentrated on the aftermath of the partition in terms of difficulties faced by the refugees in both side of the border. Nearly 60 years after the partition, even now once in a while fictions and films are made that relates to the events of partition. Some of the books and films are discussed here. However, the list is far from being exhaustive.
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[edit] Fiction
[edit] Pinjar
Pinjar is a novel written by Amrita Pritam which deals with the story of a woman in the post-partition atmosphere, and how she brings a change in the man who rapes her. It was adapted for the screen in 2003 under the same name.
[edit] Kingdom's End and Other Stories
Kingdom's End and Other Stories (1987) is a collection of stories written by Saadat Hasan Manto, published by Penguin Books India (ISBN 0-14-011774-1). The majority of stories by this Punjabi writer revolve around the end of the Raj, Partition and communalism. His stories include Thanda Gosht, Khol Do, Toba Tek Singh, Iss Manjdhar Mein, Mozalle, Babu Gopi Nath etc. Some of his characters became legendary.An online translation of Toba Tek Singh is available.
[edit] Train to Pakistan
This saga by Khushwant Singh was first published in 1956. Singh’s version of the Partition is a social one, providing human accounts in a diverse, detailed character base where each person has unique points of view, pointing out that everyone is equally at fault and that placing blame was irrelevant. Interwoven with this point are the subtle questions of morality which Singh asks through his characters, such as whether or not the bad needs to be recognized to promote the good, and what constitutes a good deed.
Train to Pakistan (1990). Grove Press; ISBN 0-8021-3221-9.
[edit] Tamas
Penned by Bhisham Sahni, Tamas depicted riots in a small Indian town. The fiction was later adapted into a TV series. Tamas - Penguin Books India. ISBN 0-14-011477-7
[edit] Midnight's Children
Salman Rushdie wrote this famous surrealistic fiction full of satirical references to the event of partition and independence. The "midnight" alluded to in the title is the moment at which partition and independence became official.
Midnight's Children (1980). New York: Knopf, 1981; ISBN 0-394-51470-X.
[edit] Purbo-Paschim
Purbo-Paschim (East and the West) is an epic Bengali saga by Sunil Gangopadhyay. The narrative deals with a particular family that had to migrate from East Pakistan to West Bengal, and their fight against the tide.The story stretches from a pre-independence period to early 1980s and reflects the socio-economical changes that this region went through during this long period of time.
[edit] A Fine Balance
Written by Rohinton Mistry, the story is set in 1975. However, the Partition plays a dominant role in the narrative.
A Fine Balance.(2001). Random House ISBN 1-4000-3065-X
[edit] Ice-Candy Man
Bapsi Sidhwa wrote this story in the backdrop of the riots in Lahore. Later the story was made into a film, called Earth. Ice-Candy Man (1989) ISBN 0-14-011767-9, later published as Cracking India (1991). ISBN 0-915943-56-5
[edit] Interpreter of Maladies
Jhumpa Lahiri was awarded the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Interpreter of Maladies, a collection of short stories some of which involved the aftermath of the partition.
Interpreter of Maladies(1999). Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-92720-X
[edit] Azadi
Semi-autobiographical novel by Chaman Nahal.
[edit] Feature films
[edit] Garam Hawa
Directed by M. S. Sathyu, Garam Hawa (1973) was Balraj Sahni's last major role.
Garam Hawa at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] Meghe Dhaka Tara (The Cloud-Capped Star)
Directed by Ritwik Ghatak, Meghe Dhaka Tara (1960), never explicitly mentions the Partition, but takes place in a refugee camp in the outskirts of Calcutta, and concerns an impoverished genteel Hindu bhadralok family and the problems they face because of Partition.
Meghe Dhaka Tara at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] Komal Gandhar (E Flat)
Directed by Ritwik Ghatak (1961), the protagonists suffer from the same anguish: the separation from their home, on the other side of the border.
Komal Gandhar at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] Earth
Directed by Deepa Mehta, Earth (1998), an India/Canada co-production, is a thoughtful examination of a circle of friends and acquaintances affected by the Partition. A scoundrel uses communal violence as an excuse for retaliation against a romantic rival. The film is based on Bapsi Sidhwa's Cracking India; Sidhwa co-wrote the screenplay with Mehta. Contains brutal scenes of communal carnage.
Earth at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] Hey Ram
Kamal Haasan wrote, directed, and starred in Hey Ram (2000) film about the Partition and the assassination of Gandhi. Meandering, but strong production values.
Hey Ram at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] Gadar: Ek Prem Katha
Directed by Anil Sharma, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), is a sensationalistic and nationalistic Indian movie about the Partition; notable for shocking scenes of riot and massacre. A major hit.
Ek Prem Katha at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] Khamosh Paani: The silent waters
Directed by Sabiha Sumar,Khamosh Paani: The silent waters(2003), depicts the partition ironically and shows the present situation of Jihadis in Pakistan.
[edit] Pinjar
A movie adapted from the novel by same name, it released in 2003 and had Urmila Matondkar in the role of the protagonist.
[edit] Partition
Directed by Vic Sarin Partition (to be released 2007), is a Canada/UK/South Africa co-production. A retired Sikh military officer (played by Jimi Mistry) helps and falls in love with a Muslim teenaged girl (played by Kristin Kreuk).
Partition at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] Fiction
- Lahiri, Jhumpa, "Interpreter of Maladies" (1999). Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-92720-X
- Manto, Saadat Hasan, Kingdom's End and Other Stories (1987). Penguin Books India. ISBN 0-14-011774-1. The majority of stories by this Punjabi writer revolve around the end of the Raj, Partition and commmunalism.
- Mistry, Rohinton, A Fine Balance (2001). Random House ISBN 1-4000-3065-X (though this book is set in 1975 Partition plays a dominant role in the narrative)
- Rushdie, Salman, Midnight's Children (1980). New York: Knopf, 1981; ISBN 0-394-51470-X.
- Sahni, Bhisham, Tamas. Penguin Books India. ISBN 0-14-011477-7
- Sidhwa, Bapsi, Ice-Candy Man (1989) ISBN 0-14-011767-9 later published as Cracking India (1991). ISBN 0-915943-56-5
- Singh, Khushwant, Train to Pakistan (1990). Grove Press; ISBN 0-8021-3221-9.
[edit] Feature films
- Garam Hawa, directed by M. S. Sathyu (1973), IMDb entry
- Meghe Dhaka Tara, directed by Ritwik Ghatak (1960), IMDb entry
- Earth, directed by Deepa Mehta (1998), IMDB entry
- Jinnah (film), directed by Jamil Dehlavi (1998), IMDB entry
- Hey Ram directed by Kamal Hassan (2000), IMBD entry
- Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, directed by Anil Sharma (2001), IMDB entry
- Partition, directed by Vic Sarin (to be released 2005), IMDB entry
