Punjab’s partition had started before British came: Jakhar

Jakhar stressed how folklore was a true reflection of society and said, “When Baba Nanak died, there was a dispute between the Hindus and the Muslims, both who revered him over whether to cremate his mortal remains or bury them

In August 1947 British India was partitioned, but the division of Punjab had started even before the British had arrived here, said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Sunil Jakhar during an event held by the department of defence and national security studies, Panjab University (PU), to commemorate Partition Horrors Remembrance Day on Monday.

Jakhar described how his own village in Fazilka had been saved by a small alteration otherwise it would have gone to Pakistan and he would have also become a refugee. (HT Photo)

Jakhar stressed how folklore was a true reflection of society and said, “When Baba Nanak died, there was a dispute between the Hindus and the Muslims, both who revered him over whether to cremate his mortal remains or bury them. The legend goes that when they checked, the mortal remains had been replaced by a shroud. It is said half of this shroud was cremated, and half of this shroud was buried. This shows where the partition of the Punjabi society first started.”

Jakhar also described how the Radcliffe line had been inhumanely made by a Britisher who had never visited India before and made the divisions in five weeks with an undertaking that they will not be altered. Jakhar described how his own village in Fazilka had been saved by a small alteration otherwise it would have gone to Pakistan and he would have also become a refugee.

He added that rather than ‘othering’ different religions or communities, it is important to look within ourselves. Even today the violence in Manipur and in Nuh is a fight between two communities and an example of ‘othering’.

“This sense of blaming others arises from our insecurities. We may blame the British for the partition but it started with us and they just exploited it,” he said, adding “While celebrating Independence Day on Tuesday we must free ourselves from this sense of hatred and ‘others’ and look within ourselves.”

To further describe the insanity of the partition he urged everyone to read the short story Toba Tek Singh by Saadat Hasan Manto which encapsulates the madness that happened during the partition.

The short story by Manto was also referenced by keynote speaker professor ID Gaur who spoke about the sense of ‘Punjabiyat’ and how Punjab had evolved into what it was before the partition. He spoke about saints like Baba Farid and Bulle Shah and also called it a tragedy that had the partition happened earlier, in just a night Baba Nanak would have become an Indian while his accomplice throughout his travels Bhai Mardana would have become a Pakistani Muslim.

PU vice-chancellor Renu Vig shared her own family’s experience with partition and described how both from her mother’s side and her father’s side her family had come and how they described there was only radio at that time and it was used to inform which family was staying at which camp as people crossed the border to restart their lives in India.

Dean student welfare (DSW) women Simrit Kahlon, who conducted the event, quoted poems by Amrita Pritam and Faiz to describe the hurt that people felt. A panel discussion was also conducted later in the afternoon.