Crossing the Sutlej in '47
Idon’t remember the exact date of my birth but I was well into my late twenties when the partition of the country took place. This one incident in history changed the fortunes of so many lives forever. Now only frayed memories remain.
I remember the time when I got married to Inder Singh of Sahu Chilli village in Sialkot district in Punjab province of what is now Pakistan. It was a matter of great pride for me that my husband was fifth standard pass in Urdu language. He was among the very few literate persons of his village.
Most inhabitants of the village were poor. My husband’s family owned about 20 acres. Though not all of it was cultivable, but it was enough to feed our family of seven persons. Life was going on well and I gave birth to a daughter. But she was barely four months old when rumours about Partition started spreading, though at that time we didn’t take these seriously.
The news that India would be divided on the basis of religion shattered the joy of the country attaining Independence after nearly 200 years of British rule. It is sad that politicians take decisions without considering the effect it would have on the lives of millions of people. With a heavy heart, my husband told me that it was no longer safe to stay in a land which was our very own. Even comprehending a life in an alien land was tough for us, but when reports of murders of Hindus and Sikhs started coming, we decided to leave the country for good.
It was a challenge to bring the entire family, which included my aged mother-in-law, father-in-law, two brothers-in-law and a sister-in-law, safely with us to India. I was worried for the future of my daughter, who was barely five months old. There were already reports of massacre of Hindus and Punjabis taking place in trains. To avoid engaging in a bloody scuffle with the Muslims, we decided to take the relatively difficult river route against the government advisory. Arrangements were made to get a big boat that could withstand the strong currents of Sutlej river, which flowed near our village.
My village and its lanes were the only place we had ever known. That afternoon, as we stepped onto the boat, we knew our lives would never be the same. We had taken some essential household items and about 10 tolas of gold ornaments with us, but many of the household items had to be thrown into the river to accommodate more people. We were 10 to 12 persons on the boat, mostly relatives.
The nearly hour-and-a-half boat ride wasn’t easy. There were moments when it seemed that the turbulence and strong water currents would result in the boat capsizing, and none of us would be able to make it alive to the other side of the river. All the time, we kept praying. Luckily, we landed safely on the other banks of the Sutlej to a new life. The initial few years were tough. For two to three years, we kept moving from one village to another in search of work. We worked on dihadi (daily wages) till we got 5 acres of fertile land from the Indian government and we finally settled in Ghubaya village in Fazilka district of east Punjab. It has been nearly 60 years since we have been living in this village.
Life has been kind to me. We were blessed with six more daughters and a son. I do not remember the total number of our family members spread in and around the village, but it should be more than 100. My husband passed away a few years back. The death of my son two years ago brought back the painful moments. I live with my daughter-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I haven’t gone back to Pakistan ever since 1947 nor do I wish to revisit the country from where we had to flee for our lives. I have had a full life, complete with joy and sorrow. This land has given us shelter and I am grateful to the people here for accepting us and giving us love and hope.
Earlier, a cross-border meeting would be held every year on Independence Day at Sadiqi border outpost in the Fazilka sector. At the joint check post, the separated residents of the two countries would come, meet and hug each other, reliving memories of the happy times they had spent together. The practice was stopped more than a decade back due to security reasons. I wish the meeting gets restarted so that there is some connect with our friends and families there. It was the only way to relive the past.
My old age pension was discontinued a couple of years back for reasons best known to the authorities. I’m perhaps Punjab’s oldest woman voter and never miss a chance to cast my vote. After a news report published in The Tribune mentioned that my pension had been discontinued, a few officials came to meet me and took details of my case. However, nothing has come out of it yet.
My age has been failing me. I have no vision in my right eye and I’m hard of hearing too. I am over 100 years old and I find it tough to go and cast my vote at the polling station, but in every election, I never miss casting my vote. Who better than our generation, which had sacrificed so much to attain Independence, can realise the importance of keeping democracy alive?
(As told to Praful Chander Nagpal)
