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. Even now, more than 60 years after the partition, works of fiction and films are made that relate to the events of partition. Some of the books and films are discussed here. However, the list is far from being exhaustive.
Entitled Hoshyar Pur say Lahore tak in Urdu, it is a true story based on a train journey from Indian city of Hoshiarpur to Lahore in Pakistan. It is written by a Police officer who traveled in this train.
Ali Pur Ka Aeeli in Urdu is an autobiography of Mumtaz Mufti that includes his narration on the account of bringing his family from Batala to Lahore on a truck.
Khak aur Khoon is a historical novel by Nasīm Hijazi that describes the sacrifices of Muslims of the Sub-continent during the time of partition in 1947.
When a portion of the Muslims from the various regions of India were trying to get to Pakistan, some faced attacks from Hindu and Sikh groups, during their journeys, that involved snatching of money, and jewellery of their wives and daughters.
The Broken Mirror, a Hindi novel by Krishna Baldev Vaid, portrays the psychological and sociological transformations in a West Punjabi village in the phase leading up to the Partition, with emphasis on commensal taboos and hardened community boundaries.
Half a Village, a Hindi novel by Rahi Masoom Reza, represents the experiences of subaltern Indian Muslims in village Gangauli, and their distinctive take on the vacuity of 'high politics'.
The Weary Generations, an Urdu novel by Abdullah Hussein, tracks the prehistory of the partition through the experiences of the main character, Naeem, a veteran of the First World War who faces up to the futility and meaningless of the partition.
Basti by Intizar Hussain is an Urdu novel that focuses on the partition as memory, through the lens of protagonist Zakir, a historian who seeks to come to terms with this memory in the context of the happenings in 1971 in Pakistan leading up to the formation of Bangladesh.
The Dark Dancer is a novel by Balachandra Rajan that portrays the experiences of an Indian educated abroad who returns home to face the horror of the Partition.
A Bend in the Ganges is a novel by Manohar Malgonkar that features some of the graphic violence that occurred during the partition.
Sunlight on a Broken Column is a novel by Attia Hosain which depicts the experiences of the protagonist, Laila, a young woman from a taluqdari family of Oudh, in the years leading up to the partition.
Pinjar is a Punjabi novel written by Amrita Pritam which is the story of a horse that goes for a walk with a girl called zoe the same name.
Dastaan is a drama on hum channel Pakistan based on razia butt novel [bano] which is the story of a muslim family in Ludhyiana india and two lovers Hassan and bano those got separated in partition. Its Heart breaking story of the division of india
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 Urdu writer from Punjab 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.
Raavi Paar and Other Stories (2000) is a collection of stories by Sampooran Singh Gulzar that deal with the partition of India and Pakistan. The book was published by HarperCollins Publishers India ISBN 81-7223-275-6.
While Vikram Chandra's 2006 novel Sacred Games is not about partition, it does contain a long and graphic chapter describing the main character's mother's flight as a young Sikh girl from what would become Pakistani Punjab, during which her beloved older sister was abducted.
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. It was adapted into a Hindi film by the same name by Pamela Rooks in 1998. [1]
Train to Pakistan (1990). Grove Press; ISBN 0-8021-3221-9.
Penned by Bhisham Sahni and the winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1975, Tamas depicted riots in a small Indian town. The fiction was later adapted into a TV series by the same name for Doordarshan, and later a one-off four hour feature film. Tamas - Rajkamal Prakashan Pvt. Ltd.. ISBN 9788126715398.
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. It was later adapted into a film by the same name by Deepa Mehta.
Midnight's Children (1980). New York: Knopf, 1981; ISBN 0-394-51470-X.
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.
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
Bapsi Sidhwa's 1988 novel, written in the backdrop of the riots in Lahore, re-released in 1991 as Cracking India. Later the story was made into a film, called Earth by Deepa Mehta.
Ice-Candy Man (1989) ISBN 0-14-011767-9, later published as Cracking India (1991). ISBN 0-915943-56-5
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
Semi-autobiographical novel by Chaman Nahal.
A novel by Amitav Ghosh, that reflects the hollowness of the partition through its character Thamma. The book is written in English. It is a Sahitya Akademi award winner book. It was published by Oxford University Press.
Directed by M. S. Sathyu, Garam Hawa (1973) was Balraj Sahni's last major role.
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
Directed by Ritwik Ghatak Komal Gandhar (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
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
Kamal Haasan wrote, directed, and starred in Hey Ram (2000) film about the Partition and the assassination of Gandhi. Hey Ram at the Internet Movie Database
Directed by Anil Sharma, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001), is an Indian movie about the Partition; notable for shocking scenes of riot and massacre. It was a major hit. Ek Prem Katha at the Internet Movie Database
Directed by Sabiha Sumar, Khamosh Pani (Silent Waters) (2003), depicts the partition ironically and shows the situation of Jihadis in 1979 Pakistan.
Pinjar was a 2003 film, adapted from the novel by same name by Amrita Pritam, and had Urmila Matondkar in the role of the protagonist, Puro.
Directed by Vic Sarin Partition, 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
Based on author, Bhisham Sahni's acclaimed Hindi novel, Tamas (1987) depicted the makings of riots in a small Indian town, and its aftermath, first shown adapted into a TV series by Govind Nihalani for Doordarshan, and later shown as a one-off four hour feature film.
Richard Attenborough's film on Gandhi's life has several scenes dealing with the lead up to partition, the violence, and Gandhi's reaction.
Gandhi at the Internet Movie Database
Jamil Dehlavi's film on Jinnah's life has several scenes dealing with the lead up to partition, the violence, and Jinnah's reaction.
Jinnah at the Internet Movie Database
A feature-length documentary which explores the history and current climate on both sides of the Indo-Pakistani divide (2007).