The Story of novel centers around a partition of India and Pakistan which was in 1947. Train to Pakistan is sublime novel by Khushwant Singh which recalls the story of fictional village Mano Majra, located in a border of India and newly created Pakistan.
TRAIN TO PAKISTAN BY KHUSHWANT SINGH
Summary of Train To Pakistan By Khushwant Singh
The Partition of India in 1947 was one of the most terrible times in Indian recent history. The Partition of India was the division of the country into Indian Hindu and a Muslim Pakistan. The novel has captured the crucial human damage and misery between Hindu and Muslims. Muslim turned against Hindu. Hindu turned against Muslim. From the point of Muslim, claim that the Hindu had planned and started killing.
According to Hindus, the Muslims were to criticize. But the reality is both sides killed. Both shot and stabbed and speared and clubbed. Both abused. Both rapped. Hundreds of thousands of Hindus and Sikhs who had lived for centuries on the Northwest Frontier abandoned their homes and fled towards the protection of the mainly Sikh and Hindu communities in the east.
It was the summer of 1947 when the formation of new state of Pakistan was methodically announced, around 1 crore people – Hindu, Sikh and Muslim were in flight. By the time of rainstorm broke, around millions of them were dead, and all of northern India was in arms, horror or in hiding.
In 1947 around 1 core Sikh, Hindu and Muslim left their home to cross the border, a border which was newly created between India and Pakistan. The story of novel sets in Mano Majra, a small village which was located in the border of India and Pakistan. In village there was one Gurudwara and one Masjid. Gurudwara was taken care by priest name called Meet Singh. Masjid was take care by Mullah Imam Baksh.
In village, there was only one Hindu family, a family of Lala Ram Lal. There was a one robber in village name called Juggut Singh also known as Jugga, who was very dangerous man in Mano Majra. Jugga had a love affair with Muslim girl name called Nooran. Nooran was a daughter of Imam Baksh. He used to meet Nooran in ambush. One day when Jugga was with Nooran he heard the fire sound of gun. Jugga followed the sound of gun and saw 5 man crossing the river. He recognized one man who was the leader of this gang name called Malli. Jugga used to work for malli gang.
In village there was one District magistrate name Hukum Chand. He came in village one day before the robbery. He asked sub Inspector about the village. He didn’t know that people in Mano Majra live peacefully with no caste discrimination. The people of Mano Majra, don’t even know that now India is divided into two country India and Pakistan.
Hukum chand asked inspector about criminals in village . Inspector give him one name Juggu Singh. In evening when Hukum chand was in his room he heard the sound fire of gun till then robbers killed Lala Raj ram for robbery in his house.
In next morning a crowd was gathered in Railyway station, one person came from Delhi to Lahore train name called Iqbal Singh. Firstly Iqbal went to Gurudwara to ask Meet Singh for few days stay in Gurudwara. Till then Jugga was arrested by Police officers. Iqbal went to village he was new in village people used to ask him one question, why Britisher left India. The next morning by mistake police officer arrest Iqbal Singh and Jugga was also arrested.
Hukum chand orders sub Inspector to name Iqbal sing as Mohammed Iqbal and make an arrest warrant for him. Jugga Singh was brutally tortured by Police officers to name the murderers of Lala Ram Lal.
By the time of monsoon broke one train came from Pakistan in morning but nobody came out from train. The train was completely silent. In evening time Hukum Chand went to see train out of curiosity, in train he saw dead bodies of Men, women and children. When the train was coming from Pakistan it was fired by putting Kerosene oil in it.
Next day Sub inspector came to Hukum Chand to tell him that around 40 to 50 refugees come from Pakistan. Hukum chand asked Sub Inspector about the Murderer of Lala Lal Ram. Sub Inspector told him that Jugga singh was a member of Malli gang but he is not guilty for Lala Ram Lal murder. Hukum chand ask him about the caste of Malli gang. He told him they are Sikh.
Actually Hukum chand wants Malli gang to be Muslim so that he can easily make Iqbal Singh member of Malli gang by naming him as Mohammed Iqbal. His plan is to spread rumor among villagers that Muslims are not good for their village so he can send all Muslim to Pakistan.
One night lots of Sikh gathered in a house of Banta Singh who was the local headman of their village. They all decided for few weeks they should send all the Muslim of their village in a refugee camp and till then we will take care of their houses. Imam Baksh went to his home and told her daughter Nooran to get ready for refugee camp.
Nooran was in love with Jugga and she don’t want to leave Jugga. Nooran has only one way to live in village, she went to a house of Jugga to meet his mother. When his mother came she gets irritate by watching Nooran because she is Muslim and she don’t want a Muslim wife for his son. Nooran told her that she is pregnant with Jugga’s child. Due to her pregnancy condition Jugga mother agrees and she told her to wait till Jugga come out from jail . In next morning refugee truck came to take Muslim from village.
All the Muslim are leaving their home and the custody of their home was given to Malli a leader of robbers gang. In evening all the sikh gathered in Gurudwara to pray for the dead people. A group of young Sikh boys visits the Gurudwara and incites the Sikh people to take revenge and kill all the Muslim of their village who are still waiting at refugee camp for the train to Pakistan.
Meet Singh tried to calm down the people and tell them that Muslim are their brothers and they used to live peacefully with them in Mano Majra. Banta Singh goes to Magistrate Hukum and informs him about the Sikh plans to kill all the Muslim in refugee camp. Hukum Chand ask the Sub Inspector why he did not inform him about the plans of Sikh to kill Muslim. The Sub inspector says if the train won’t leave on time, then the sikh will kill all the Muslim of refugee camp.
Hukum Chand decides to take the help of Jugga and Iqbal, he immediately released both of them from jail. Jugga is worried about Nooran and decide to save her. He learns about the plans of Sikh to derail the train of Pakistan by using a strong rope.
As the train come the Sikh tried to derail the train. However as the train moves they saw a big strong man climbing on the steel span of bridge through which they have tied the rope. The leader of Sikh gang realize what this big man is doing he tried to stop Jugga. He shouts at Jugga to come down but he did not listen, Jugga was trying to cut the rope with his kirpan.
He started shooting at Jugga but still he continues to cut the rope. He shot Jugga and his kirpan was fall down but he cut the remaining rope with his teeth. The Sikh man fires at him again and he falls down on the railway track with a rope. The train passes by at the same time and goes over his body.
About the Author
Khushwant Singh is India’s best-known writer and columnist. Khushwant Singh was a Member of Parliament from 1980 to 1986. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1974, but returned the decoration in 1984 in protest against the storming of the Golden Temple by the Indian Army. In 2007, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan.
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