SECRET FILES OF TOBA TEK SINGH

NAME: SUNAINA.K

ROLL NO:20SJCCC355

INSTAGRAM PAGE:https://instagram.com/secret.files.of.toba.tek.singh?igshid=184x3aea0rcsx

                                                                 REPORT

My story is set against the backdrop of the Partition of India in the year 1947. It was that time when the Hindu-Muslim tensions were at its peak. Passions ran high on both sides of the border. Communal riots, murders, thefts and robbery being a common sight then, people lived in constant fear of losing their lives, properties and families. There was mass killing of people regardless of who they were or where they hailed from. The only thing that mattered to them was their religion. Trains carrying dead bodies of millions of refugees travelled to and from both the countries. The grief of losing their loved ones only added fuel to the fire. People from both the sides now sought revenge for the loss that they had suffered. There were conspiracies that were being planned on both the sides of the border. 

Amidst this chaos, it was the contribution and sacrifice made by many a good Samaritans that helped India restore her order. Indeed, the struggle for India’s independence is a story that most Indians cherish and pride about. However, what we often fail to remember is the struggles of the many that paid a heavy price in the course of helping build independent India into a strong and self-reliant nation. The character that I have made out of Toba Tek Singh is of one such valorous soul whose secret intelligence served a big asset to India’s military necessities post partition. 

I have tried to make my story as authentic as possible by describing the lives and agony of the people during the period of partition. I have also tried to keep my readers at the edge of their seats by not giving in the entire story at a glance. Instead, I have given clues of what the next part of the story might hold by adding posters.

Fictions help reinvigorate interest in historical events and facts. This has been the primary motivation of my story. Even though my character is fictional, the factual background against which the character breathes and functions is historically verifiable and worth remembering. I have chosen Instagram as the platform to sketch out this story so that my work can get all the attention that it deserves. Because Instagram is the new hub for young minds and is emerging as one of the most used social media platforms, I believe it serves my purpose- i.e., to keep alive patriotism in times such as today when polarization has drifted us all away from what it meant to live in a free India. I wanted my story to reach as many people as possible because I believe that people should be aware of all the challenges our ancestors faced to buy the freedom that we take for granted today. The stories of freedom fighters that run in the generation’s memory are a select few that have made it to the hall of fame. However, there are many more stories worthy of being heard, many more leaders worthy of being praised and many more sacrifices worthy of being revered; and my story is one among them. 

Since time immemorial, literature has immensely contributed towards reimagining entities, persons and nations, and thereby charting their future course of movement. For instance, it was the creative expression of Jawaharlal Nehru in his book The Discovery of India that helped the drafters of our Constitution reimagine and re-envision India as a free country that upheld values of liberty and equality, despite the fact that for the most part of history India was ruled by monarchs. It was the traversing back in time to reimagine the country in a much better light that enabled our founding fathers to build the India that we see today. Thoughts that dare to retell history have had the potential to bring about revolutions and social transformations and it is creative mediums like stories and poems that give the platform for their expression and communication.

There are moments in history where it all comes down to a person and his/her single act that is capable of changing its entire course. That is how significant the character of Bishan Singh is, in my story. He could very well have chosen to stay back in India and lived a life bereft of risks. But his dedication and loyalty for his country trumped it all.  If he was not willing to go to Pakistan as a spy under the disguise of Toba Tek Singh then India would have suffered a great loss. The valuable information which the Research and Analysis Wing received from Toba Tek Singh is something that it will always remain indebted to. If Bishan Singh hadn’t cared to risk his own life for the sake of his country, his fate would have been completely different and he wouldn’t have had to go through the trauma that he faced. After all what could be more devastating than losing one’s own sense of self and identity.