Part 1 : Sisakti Sarhadein
Delhi,
August 1950
Vashma :
The Most Tragic event in the History of Mankind, the Partition of India clocks Three Years.
The Aftermath of the Destruction has left us with
Broken families,
Haunted Homes,
Ghosted Schools,
Destructed Localities,
Vandalised Eerie Colonies,
Bloodied Hands,
Brutalised Innocents,
Radicalised Mindsets,
Poisoned Rivers,
Shattered Relations,
Orphaned Children,
Widowed Females,
Trains Full of Dead Bodies,
Destructed Infrastructure,
Destroyed Economy.....
{ Meri Ankhon mein Hai Nami
Jaane kaisi hai ye Kami
Na Hi Sar pe Mere Aasmaan
Na Hi Pairon Tale Zameen }
{ Haal kaise sunawan
Rog kaise nibhawan
Rabba Qismat mein Rona kyon Likha }
To conclude it All hell broke loose & The Country was Left Tortured, Shattered, Bruised & in Ruins....
{ Sari Khushiyan Gham Bani Jo
To Gila Bhi Kar Naa Sake
Aye Mere Khuda Tu Itna Bata
Kyun Mera Naseeb Hai Aisa Likha }
The Whole India Burnt in the Fire Raged by Communals & Sepratists....
{ Ek Boond mein Dard hain Lakhon kehta hai Aankh ka Paani
Marham se bhi Na Bhare gi Apne Zakhmon ki Nishaani }
For me they Belong to No Religion because No Religion Teaches Hatred & Destruction....Their's is No Religion....
They are the Followers of Devil & Destruction is the Leftover of their Deeds....
{ Rabba dil ye sadaa de
Naa tu Aaisi Sazaa de
Raba Qismat mein Rona kyun Likha }
The flames of Enimity which were Fueled by the Winds of Hatred during Partition are Slowly reducing bit by bit but I Have No Idea if It is ever going to be Fully Doused OR the Communal Card is going to be Played time & Again......
It was An Event in Which Each and Every Family of India Lost One thing or the Other be it Health, Wealth, Relations, Relatives Or Anything....
{ Rabba teri Khudai Haye Yaad he Aai
Dil ye deta Duhai
Gham se de Tu Rihai }
Death Danced a Really Horrible Dance....
Not a Single Soul Was Happy in That Period....
It was As If All the Calamities Transcended on the Earth Together to Engulf it in Extreme Darkness, not just Darkness, But Bloodied Darkness,......Not a Single Ray of Happiness or Positivity Could be seen till the Farthest View......
{Jaane kis ki Hame Lag Gai hai Nazar
Iss Sheher Mein Na Apna Thikaana Raha }
People Wondered "Will this Darkened Night of Sorrows Ever End, Will we Get to see the Shining Bright Sun of a New Morning of Prosperity ".
{ Dekhe the jo Khwaab
Sab toot gaye
Woh Keh rahi hai aankhon se
shayad meri Bebasi }
Hope No One Ever Goes through What we went Through.....
We All Can Never Forget Whatever we Endured During the Partition But Now,
{ Jo Hona Tha Hua hai
Ab baaqi Kya Bacha Hai
Choota hai haath se Sab
Kuch Haasil Na Hua }
We Try to Live in the Hope of a Bright Future with Our Kids....
We The Sahanis Are Living in Delhi.... Since I Left Home with Uday, Aman & Radhaji.....
________________
I still Remember that Train Journey of 1947 :
The Train Journey was one of a Kind :
Uday took Aman & me on the Train, But as he lost contact with Radha just before Entering the Train ,He left us on the Train & Stepped out to Find her before the Train would Start Moving...
I sat In A corner cradling Aman & Waiting for Them to Arrive....
The Wait grew Longer & Longer, The Train Started Moving.....
My Heart Sank,I tried to get down from the Train but some people Didn't let me Saying it's too Risky.....
I Sat Crying with Aman for an Hour ....It was as if I Lost my Everything.....
I Cried Inconsolably....
People around me told me to keep hope.....
But I wasn't able to do so....
The Train was Speeding & So were my Heartbeats .....
I was Switching between Praying & Crying....
{ Chann se jo toote koi Sapna
Jag Soona Soona Lage
Koi Rahe na Jab Apna }
Many Hours Passed , I was Exhausted & Broken....
Sitting Numb Clutching the baby to my Chest....
The Train Stopped at a Station to pick more people....
People Started Coming in .....
& Me in my Semi Conscious state was looking towards the Door & The rush of people coming In....
My Eyes were Nearly closed when I Heard a Scream " VASHHMAAA "
It was Uday , I Gathered all my Strength & Stood up,
He.....he was Standing right infront of me, with Radha by his side....
The Dam of my Tears broke down, it was As if All my Prayers were Unexpectedly Answered...
I ran towards him holding Aman....
It was still Unbelievable....
The Moment I hugged Him....
It sinked in that I found my Soul,My Reason to Live Again, I found him, Unexpectedly after losing all my Hope.....
It was a Surreal Feeling....Unlimited Happiness.....
{ Dil Ki Ay Dhadkan Teher Ja
Milgayi Manzil Mujhe }
I Scolded him for not Coming back & Leaving me Alone....
He explained that he Found Radha & Then took some Milk for Aman & Some Fruits and Eatables for the Journey, When the train Started moving......
He immediately made Radha climb the train & He too climbed on the train ....
He knew that I would be waiting sitting on the place where he left me.....
So, when the train stopped at the Station, He immediately got down & Reached the Coach in which he left me, to Be With me.....
He couldn't have changed the Coach Whilst the Train was Moving.....
My heart was at ease after being with him & I relaxed Like Nothing happened at all....
Aman was Sleeping in Radha's Lap & I slept in Uday's Clutching to him like a Baby, Forgetting all my worries....
The Whole world might be Hell but his Lap is where Peace Resides....
The Gates of the Coaches of the Train were Bolted from Outside to Protect the Passengers from Extremist Killers Roaming around.....
The Driver of our Train Decided, He won't Stop the Train & Take more people as it was already Crowded, He would Stop Only upon reaching Delhi Station....
We could see deadbodies being ferried from the ghost Trains .....
Blood, Deadbodies were the only visuals coming in on Station Platforms....
We were safe but 3 coaches of our train derailed & were left behind while the train kept moving..
We were Clutching to Each other, praying for our Safe Arrival at Delhi...
Hours Passed & we were Praying for the Journey to end soon....
Finally the Driver applied the Brakes & the Deshelved & Broken People were hit By a Wave of Happiness & Hope....
The Chants of " Delhi Aagaya","Hum Delhi Pohonch Gaye "
Filled the Air....
As soon as the Train Stopped.... The gates were unbolted,Thrown Open,......
The People inhaled the Fresh Air, Felt like Being reborn & Walked out As Free Birds ready To Fly Again, In a Sky Of INDEPENDENCE .....
______________
I,Uday & Aman are living Together now....
Radha used to live with us till a Few months Ago....
She Doesn't Live with Us Now, She Lives with her Husband....
Actually Last year She Got Remarried to a Kind & Wealthy Punjabi Widower Chaudhary Khushwant Singh who lost His Wife in the Partition....He Has two Kids Meher Aged 6 & Nihaal aged 9....
Radha Herself sent the proposal to be his Wife & the Mother to those Kids which was Graciously Accepted.....
Uday did her Kanyadaan & We Tearfully bid her an Emotional Goodbye....
The Family Has Accepted her Whole Heartedly & She is Very Happy living there.....
Uday has Relaxed that she is Finally Settled in Life....
{Magar Yeh Dua Hai meri
Khush Rahe Duniya Teri }
We Sometimes Visit her place & Sometimes she Comes with her Hubby & Kids....
They Are One Adorable Ideal Family...May God Protect them Always.....
___________
Yesterday We Got Abrar Bhaijaan's Letter Addressed to Uday Sahani The Well Known Hockey Player of Team India Which Won Gold in 1948 Olympics & Me, his Baby Sister...
{ Chitti aayi hai
Watan se Chitti aayi hai
Bade Dinon Ke Baad
Hum Bewatnon ko Yaad
Watan ki mitti Aayi hai }
He Stated he regretted Supporting the Two Nation Theory.... He Apologised for Mistreating Uday.....
He Thanked Uday for taking me & Aman away as we were Safeguarded from the Following Massacre & Riots which killed Thousands....
He wrote: They were in Amritsar....Abbu Had been Busy Selflessly Treating Patients All Around him but Ammi Passed Away, Actually she was Wounded trying to protect Me from the Sepratist Killers & her Wound refused to Heal No Matter how Much Abbu Tried....
He mentioned a Kind & Caring Vaidji Did so much to heal Ammi, Regarding her as his Sister.....It made Abrar think that the Religion doesn't Matter, What Matters is HUMANITY & we being HUMANS are ONE, Nothing & No one Can Divide us..
I am so Happy for This New Reborn Brother Of mine for having Accepted the Ultimate Truth
I Missed Ammi soo Much & Cried that I Can never see her ever Again....
Abraar Wanted to Meet Us & Wrote that He would Try to get Abbu to Meet us Because Abbu was Heartbroken on Losing Ammi & was Spending his Days Being Busy Treating the Patients at Refugee Camps...
He was Already in Pain About Losing Lahore,His Beloved City, Our Home, His Friends & Everything his Life Revolved Around....
Abrar asked me How I & Uday Were & How was Life in Delhi...
So, We Wrote him a Letter :
As soon as we reached Delhi ,We stayed for a week at a Kind Couple's Home & After that we Got a room in a Haveli on Rent...
Uday used to Go for Training at the Camp & I, Radha & Aman stayed at home.....
It was very hard to Adjust in the Beginning.....
Our Neighbours, The Singhs of Amritsar, The Khan's of Peshawar, The Kauls of Kashmir, The D'souza's of Goa, who All Lived in the Same Haveli with us were all very Loving & Supportive People....
We all Stood with Each other through Thick & Thin....
The Sorrows of our Hearts Bound us Together & we tried to give Happiness & Hope to Each other & Everyone Around us,.....
Life was Slowly getting better....
Uday was Earning better with Each match being Won....
& In 1948 he Went to London to participate in teg Olympics & The Team Defeated The British In Britain & Returned Victorious with a Gold Medal....
That Changed our Life for Better & He got his Much Deserved Success & Recognition....
We have now Moved to the Government Quarters Allotted to the Victorious National Hockey Team....
This Locality is very Serene & Harmonious with lots of Facilities.....
Aman Has Turned 3, How I wish he Could Grow up with His Nana, Naani, Maamujaan & All the Elders.....
Miss u , Miss Abbu
{ Koi shikwa Nahin Magar Maula
Kya Karun Dard Kam Nahin Hota }
Plz Try to Bring Abbu & Come Meet Us....
It's been ages since we meet anyone of our Own....
Have Already lost Too much
Don't want to lose you & Abbu
Please Inform when You are Coming, We Will reach the Delhi Station to Receive you
Till then Take Care of Yourself & Abbu
Yours Loving,
Vashma Baig Uday Sahani
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