India got its independence from British rule on 15th August, 1947. This independence however came through the most fearful incident which is named as ‘Partition’. This partition is one of the most painful incidents in Post-Independence Indian history. Partition divided the nation into two parts – one is named as India and the other is named as Pakistan. In 1947, during the partition, the trauma aroused from the partition in North West was inflicted upon the people of Punjab. Some prominent works like Ice-Candy Man by Bapsi Sidhwa, Clear Light of Day by Anita Desai, Azadi by Chaman Nahal and Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh are the reflection of the same experience. Khushwant Singh is one of the pre-independent writers who lived through the trauma of partition and grew up amidst the torment, suffering and terror and horror of partition. Singh’s inner experience is reflected in his 1956 novel Train to Pakistan. In the novel we can see how the people of Mano Majra were living happily; they didn’t recognise themselves as Hindu or Muslim; rather they called themselves as brethren. Partition divided those people into two religious communities. Train to Pakistan represents the way partition gives people trauma and makes them feel traumatic which perhaps would never be cured. It would always remain in the heart of the people and the psyche of the people during their whole life. There is a close relationship between Partition and Trauma. Khushwant Singh’s Train to Pakistan clearly depicts how in the name of ‘Freedom’, the partition played a dirty trick with people. The intention of this paper is to explore Singh’s representation of and his version of the relationship between partition and trauma.
Department of English, Biswa Bangla Biswabidyalay, Shibpur, West Bengal
