PostColonial India: Second Half of the 20th Century

1.Write a short note on: The refugee problem arising from the Partition (1947). 

Answer: In the context of the horrific communal riots and the partition of 1947, the refugee problem took a severe turn in the first five years of independence. Millions of refugees who came from West Pakistan mainly took shelter in Punjab in North and West India. On the other hand, refugees who came from East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) took shelter mainly in West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura for the sake of life and livelihood. Providing shelter and rehabilitation to the huge number of refugees who came from East Pakistan was a very difficult task due to security concerns, similarities in religion and culture, and comfort in the Bengali language. The huge population, infrastructure problems, and some indifference at the central level further exacerbated the refugee problem. Initially, a large number of refugees took shelter in stations, pavements, under the open sky, and in various refugee camps. Later, however, these uprooted people built colonies on their own initiative, and in some places, arrangements were made for their rehabilitation with government assistance. The helplessness, suffering, terrible memories of the refugee people, and the sweet memories of their former villages or cities have been captured in their autobiographies, memoirs, and contemporary literature. The women who were the burning witnesses of this partition, riots, and migration also recounted their horrific memories, pain, and above all, struggles in writing or conversations.

2.How are the memories of Partition described in autobiographies and memoirs?

 Answer: The immense sorrow, suffering, uprooted lives, taking refuge in various camps, and rehabilitation after the Partition have found a place in the autobiographies and memoirs of many contemporary intellectuals.

The poignant notes of the pain of Partition have echoed in the autobiographies, memoirs, or novels such as ‘Udvastu’ by the then Refugee Commissioner Hiranmoy Bandyopadhyay, ‘The Marginal Men’ by Prafulla Kumar Chakraborty, ‘Supuri Boner Sari’ by Shankha Ghosh, ‘Keya Patar Nauka’ by Prafulla Roy, ‘Chhere Asa Gram’ by Dakshinaranjan Basu, ‘Sediner Katha’ by Manikuntala Sen, and ‘Autobiography of an Unknown Indian’ by Nirod C. Chaudhuri.

How the minority community became victims of communal riots, violence against women, looting, etc., after the Partition and were forced to leave the country has been truly reflected in various contemporary literatures. The real and heart-touching picture of how the exodus caused separation among relatives, friends, and family members has been depicted in various memoirs. Poet Shankha Ghosh wrote – “Scars of endless self-reproach on my face / Memories of fleeing, of fleeing and fleeing more, across the country, in my heart.”

Indeed, Partition is the most devastating event in the history of modern India. The example of such a large mass exodus is rare in world history. The small part of that indescribable sorrow and suffering that has been revealed to us in written form as autobiographies and memoirs is truly painful.