Train To Pakistan

What a superb,concise account of the partition of India in 1947. Every page of this novel was almost perfect, the balance,the narrative,the message. Khushwant Singh has managed to convey the horror of 1947 in the Punjab with clarity and venom as the communal violence spreads along the borders of the new states. He uses the voices of his characters to give some account of the bloodletting and violence that caused peaceful communities to implode. The trains in the novel are at the centre of the message as they carry refugees back and forwards past a little Punjabi village by the banks of the Sutlej river. New Delhi seems a world away from the chaos enveloping the region, the neat incisions of the political cartographers are revealed as gaping wounds. The Sikhs and Muslims in this novel are the victims of the horror,Singh portrays the inter-faith traditions of the village and the difficulties that result as their awareness of the horror in Pakistan is revealed. The stories of the local bad boy Juggat Singh and a party worker back from england are woven into the fabric of tragedy and terror. The martial Sikhs facing daily murder and violence,the muslims who don't want to go to Pakistan,there are many confused people here as the new order comes into being. A lot of the blame for this horror lies with the unhealthy speed at which the British pulled out of India and the obvious danger of splitting a religiously mixed region (the Punjab) into two different nations. The Sikhs possibly suffered worst during that summer of 1947 but nobody living along that border will ever forget the communal hatred and massacres that burst upon them and scarred the creation of Pakistan for ever. 5 stars.

very well written but obviously one side view.

It is a fine read, engaging. Captures horrific events followed by the independence of india best possible fashion. Kushwant singh is one of indias finest writers

What a loss Khushwant Singh has been to the world, who later lived to 100, a rare humanist amongst the sea of religious dogma. This novel is essential reading for anyone wishing to evoke the horror of partition and the lives caught up in it. Realistic and unsanitised, especially for its time, I inherited a copy from my father , who kept telling me to read it, but it was a long time before did: after he died in fact. Now I give copies of this to folk wanting to know more about India and this time.

Train to Pakistan is a wonderful book that shows what happens to a community when external forces start to act. The sense of impending doom mounts throughout the book as indeed must have happened during that dreadful time around the independance of India and the establishment of the state of Pakistan. This is well worth reading for its descriptions of life in another country and another time but ultimately it is worth reading for it's belief in the goodness of people. Most enjoyable.

Loved this book! Short and sweet read, but evokes emotion. Although written by a Sikh, paints a non-partisan picture of the partition of India. As a person of Pakistani heritage, I would say this is essential reading for any descendant of India.

There is nothing to dislike, although it is based on the tragic historical facts of the partition of India.

India on the Pakistan border during partition. Well developed and interesting characters, a fascinating insight into the lives and beliefs of villagers and officials during a time of great trauma.

インド・パキスタン分離というのは小説の題材としては一つの定型なのでしょうか。そういえば、 A Division of the Spoils (Raj Quartet 4) の最後にもこの題材が扱われています。１９４７年の夏という凝縮された時間、通常では考えられない移動の規模、そこで流された流血、残虐行為の非合理性、そこにすべてインド亜大陸の歴史的な矛盾が自然発生的に凝縮されて噴出したかのようです。そういう意味では、いつまでも変わらない小説特に悲劇のイマジネーションを刺激するのでしょうか？ 本書は１９５６年の作品です。まだ悲劇の具体性が消え去っていない時期です。これがもう１０年たつと悲劇は歴史的な題材としての抽象性の刻印を帯び始めますが。題材は一般的なものですが、著者の特性が小説のディテールにははっきりと表れています。選択されたパキスタンとの国境沿いの町は、多数のシーク教徒と少数派のイスラム教徒が居住する町なのです。ここにはマスとしてのヒンズー教徒の存在は見当たりません。もっともサブ・プロットは、ヒンズー教徒の金貸しの家への強盗（dacoist)の襲撃に始まるのですが。ヒンズー教徒の存在を消すことによって、悲劇の不可避性のイメージを弱めようとしたのかもしれませんが。 この作品には主人公はいません。複数の中心となる人物が、この町を超えたところで起きる予想外の事態に、翻弄されて行く展開が主題となります。この町自体には、惨劇を引き起こす歴史的、個人的な必然性は存在していないのです。ある者は、状況へ機会主義的に対応することになり、この惨劇の後に来るであろう政治の世界での地位の確保を目的としています。ここには、体制側の人物だけでなく、社会主義革命を夢想する反体制側の者も含まれます。ある者は、過去の継続と暴力の非合理性にこそ、宗教の本質を見出します。 しかしながら、インドの現実は、この凝縮された時間の中では、様々な感情の噴出や思い出の想起や政治的な操作を可能とします。そして現実に、パキスタン側から送られてくる「死の列車」は、生半可な理想の維持を不可能とします。この現実に立脚しない「高尚な理想」の提唱（ The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture And Identity とすさまじい現実の交錯こそが、インドの本質なのです。 小説なので種明かしはできませんが、結末の部分の評価は難しいところです。このような結末のつけ方こそ本質的な問題のintractabilityを如実に示すものなのではないでしょうか。そもそもなぜ同じ村に住む人々の宗教がどうして別れてしまうのか。このような「ノーマル」ではない状況が日常的に存在してしまう歴史的な経緯こそが、インドの現実なのです。

Me gustó que llegó en el plazo previsto, tenía partes subrayadas con fosforito y algún post-it, pero todo perfecto relación calidad-precio. Muy buen libro sobre la partición de la India-Pakistán.

I was about to buy some other book and ended up buying Train To Pakistan. It was my brother's choice. When I read some of the reviews about this book, I became curious and wanted to read this. And yes, it really exceeded my expectations. I just couldn't keep myself away from the book since I started reading. I finished the book in 2 days. The story captures the real life of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs of India during the partition of India. It doesn't reflect any politician's view but narrates the story of any other Indian. This story gives us a reason to think how we could avoid the cultural discrimination. The plot Mano Majra which is devoid of any political influence and the partition gets itself destroyed by the interference of armed forces. Iqbal who is an educated man comes to Mano Majra for bringing peace and to prevent Mano Majra from getting influenced by the partition. The Sikhs and Muslims in the Mano Majra lives there happily until a train from Pakistan comes along with thousands of dead bodies. It changes the lives of people in Mano Majra too. Though the Sikhs were ready to protect the Muslims of their village, the Muslims were forced to leave the village and their belongings because of the intruders like the magistrate and the police. It show how such forces can affect the life of a whole village. The villagers who always did everything to protect their fellow villagers became each other's enemy. The Sikhs were ready to attack the train carrying Muslims even when they were aware that their Muslim friends were also present in the train. The story ends with the prevention of that attack by the village's bandit Juggut Singh for his lover, a Muslim girl. The story at first tells us how to treat others with equality. The head of both Sikhs and the Muslims were always generous to people. And they were always clear about their views and opinion which proves their leadership. But the bandit gang of nearby village creates problems among people. The other characters like the magistrate, police and the dancer girl etc. too makes the story memorable. The story portrays both the good and bad sides of the partition and its effects on ordinary people. The book is really a page turner. It is a book worth reading and is worth morally too. It tells us how friends can turn into enemies within minutes. The way the author has narrated the story should be appreciated. Every single thing is detailed. Some people may think it's over descriptive but it's not much. The detailing gives us a clear picture of the story. This would be a gift to future generation who won't be aware of the partition of India and its effects in both India and Pakistan. I'll give 5 stars to it. The narrative style and the description is to be appreciated. The book is just awesome. This would be a treasure to anyone who likes to read historical events.

This book tells the human side of the partition of India and the impact of migration of a once peaceful border town. The writing is timeless leaving the reader with the sense that what occurred decades ago could have taken place in the present.

Amazing read, very well written. A profoundly deep story.