Trials and tribulations of Partition unravelled at literature festival
The fourth day of the 9th Amritsar Sahitya Utsav and Book Fair began with the Head of Punjabi Department, Khalsa College, Dr Atam Singh Randhawa inviting Punjabi thinker and critic Dr Ravi Ravindra, who quoted poems and literary pieces on the theme of ‘Love and Patriotism’.
“The Partition of the country was a tragic phenomenon which affected the social, political, religious and economic fabric to a great extent. It was a cunning political move on the basis of which some mutually selfish decisions of both the parties led to a conspiracy. Taking lessons from this division, have we become aware that this kind of phenomenon does not happen in future,” he asked, beginning the session with a statement. Comparing the Partition of India with holocaust, he said that despite the years, the event is never represented through a global perspective.
Referring to various writers, who have expressed this suffering, people born after the partition, who suffered the tragedy, are still connected with this phenomenon on an emotional level. “There is a dearth of literature on mutual love and association in the context of the country’s Partition. Literature related to tragedy was mostly written and read in Hindi, Urdu and Bengali. What happened to the various affected parties related to Partition such as the disabled, poor, Dalits is an issue to consider,” he said.
Renowned playwright and director Kewal Dhaliwal, speaking with reference to the play he directed, ‘Yatra 1947’, said it is a representation of the sufferings of Partition at the human level. “Such emotions have been an integral part of life of every generation. The issue of Partition of the country is not only limited to physical division but is also connected with emotional connection. This is the reason why we mention this event again and again. The question to consider is whether we have learned any lessons from the tragedy of Partition or not? Have we understood the tactics of the ruling class or not? The need is for us to become wise so that we do not have to face such phenomenon again. Literature cannot be read or understood without pain, sensation and consciousness. Such events are vital to understanding the causes and effects of partition,” he said.
Chief guest Parminder Sodhi said humanity is the special religion of man. “The basic mantra of human behaviour is equality. If people do not reject mutual religious bigotry, then the possibility of such situations may arise again.”
Dr Kuldeep Singh Deep, speaking with reference to theatre, said freedom is our catharsis when it makes us feel the pain of the events that happened to us. “Its presentation is being done through theatre and in films. The literature associated with partition blows away our mind. Literature creates awareness by connecting us with our heritage. .” The theatre and film production department, Punjabi University, Patiala, and the Youth Welfare and Cultural Activities Department presented the play ‘Evam Inderjit’ by playwright Badal Sarkar in the open air theatre marking the culmination of the evening.
