"Train to Pakistan"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how Khushwant Singh wrote "Train to Pakistan" in 1956 when the painful memories of 1947 Partition were still fresh and the wounds hadn't yet healed. It looks at how the book reflects the true emotions that people felt when they were forced to abandon their homes in both India and Pakistan to move north or south according to their religious beliefs. It analyzes how religion was the biggest cause of this partition and it was what forced people to give up everything they previously had including their old identities.

From the Paper:

"Muslims knew that if they did not take such a step, they would be forced to become slaves to Hindus majority that was already more educated and hence more suitable for various positions in the government. Muslims had been living a life of complete self-complacency and came to see their position in true light only when last Mughal Emperor was forced to relinquish control of India. All these political reasons were also grounded in religious differences. Muslims and Hindus were two different nations with separate beliefs, different values, different calendars, and hence they felt it was impossible to live together in one land after the British were driven out. Singh writes, "Where on earth except in India would a man's life depend on whether or not his foreskin had been removed?" "

More papers on "Train to Pakistan":

• Book Review # 111858 : "Khushwant Singh's "Train to Pakistan"
• Analytical Essay # 42365 : "The Train to Pakistan"
• Comparison Essay # 112342 : "Identity and Opportunity"

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