Witnessing History
A glimpse of Indian Partition through a grandmother’s eyes
Prisha: You have often said that the Partition of India was an event which impacted you, but we have never talked about it at length. Let’s start from the beginning.
Grandma: At the time, I was very young, but I still remember those days. In East Bengal (present Bangladesh), most people had landed property, but my family did not own much of it. My father, however, was a well-educated man and he chose the option of coming to India to start afresh.
Though, in the beginning our lives seemed to go on normally, we soon began to receive hordes of relatives at our home, those who were fleeing East Bengal to take shelter. It was then that I realized the magnitude of what Partition had truly meant for so many people.
I heard horrifying stories of how, during riots, people had been brutally killed and tortured. At the same time, I also got to know tales of survival, for there were many who had helped each other during this crisis.
Prisha: Did moving away from East Bengal upset you?
Grandma: Well, I was only in kindergarten before all this had happened. In fact, at school, I had observed how the teacher of Class 1 would hit children and make them stand outside the classroom.
I would fervently wish that I would never have to go to the same class. That is also the time when my father finally decided to move from there and my wish was granted! So, you see, everything happens for a reason and turns out for your own good.
Prisha: Is there a particular memory that is ingrained in your mind?
Grandma: It was like any other day and all of us were playing outdoors when the news arrived that Mahatma Gandhi had been shot. Everyone started panicking that rioting could start any moment.
I remember the uproar and the chaos, with each person yelling and shouting at the other to get back inside their homes and stay safe. At that time, I did not know who Gandhiji was or understand what had happened, so that day I just went back home. But now I look back and realize the enormity of the news.
Prisha: And is there some person from that time you still recall?
Grandma: Yes, we had a 19-year-old helper named Sharad. His commitment towards our family was evident in every little thing he would do for us. I remember that, when he realized I wasn’t receiving a proper education due to the instability all around us, he took it upon himself the task of teaching me the Bengali alphabet.
In fact, he was even reprimanded by my mother, because according to the Bengali tradition, education starts in front of the idol of Maa Saraswati and that hadn’t happened for me! Later, we got to know that Sharad had also reached India, and my father searched for him, but we never saw him again. To this day, I miss him. In fact, so many people were separated from their loved ones, but everyone helped each other in starting a new life.
No one thought of the other person as a burden. Perhaps, the bigger picture here is how I was also witness to the better human traits of resilience and compassion during these turbulent times.
Prisha Dubey is pursuing her senior school at Amity International School, Saket, a prestigious school near Delhi, India. She has written a number of articles for the school newspaper, The Global Times. She has a knack for writing and spends her spare time writing, painting, knitting and reading avidly.
