Octogenarian Pak woman remembers childhood days in native Hisar village

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, August 13

An elderly woman, Naseeban Bibi, who is currently living in a village in Multan district of Pakistan, still has vivid memories of her childhood days at her birthplace in Jewara village of Hisar district.

Jewara villagers, too, have heard the stories of Partition from their elders, who recalled the emotional atmosphere on the night when the Muslim families started their journey to migrate to Pakistan 75 years ago.

Naseeban (86) shared the stories about how the Hindu families not only remained awake throughout the night, but also prepared eatables such as ‘kasaar and suhali’ for their Muslim brethren’s long journey ahead. They even lit diyas in their houses in the hope that these families would return someday.

Talking to The Tribune, Naseeban’s grandson Mohammad Alamgir, a government employee in Pakistan, said his grandmother was still eager and excited to share the stories about her birthplace. “She remembers many people with whom she used to play as a child. She even claimed that she could identify their house and agricultural land if she gets to visit the village today,” he said.

“She recalled the names of people from different castes and communities, but had a special mention of one Kesar with whom she used to visit Shiv Temple in the village and also used to prepare seviyan during Eid and spin thread on the spinning wheel,” Naseeban told her grandson.

Alamgir further said she still reminisces about her last few days in Jewara village, when after the orders from the area thanedar, the Muslim families decided to leave. “Local Hindu families stood guard for days. But when they realised that the departure was imminent, the entire village remained awake till 3 am when the Muslim families started their journey towards Pakistan. Villagers prepared eatables, while some offered milk and ghee, etc,” she recalled. He said her grandmother often recalls a Jat woman, who was fond of her as a child.

Rajbir, a panchayat member of Jewara village, said his grandfather, Rangi Ram, and another person, Mehar Singh, had helped four-five families who insisted on staying back. “These families are still residing in the village in absolute harmony and in sync with the culture despite having different religious beliefs,” he added.