The Pity Of Partition-the religious massacre.

The Pity Of Partition-the religious massacre.

 Name :Shamitha Venkatesh

1BCOM D

Roll no:  20SJCCC375.

 Creative presentation(Short Film)  : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syETTbjmR1w

                                                                     Report

There are various modes of creative expression such as poetry, sound bite ,posters, short film and so on. But I chose a short film to convey the history of partition. Short film is the art of communicating ideas and emotions through visual imagery. Short films not only recreate the history of partition by  evoking the viewer’s emotions but also builds partition-like atmosphere, making the audience feel that they have  revisited India during the partition.

 I would prefer watching a movie about partition than reading it from my text book. The concrete images of films are easier to remember long after their display. I felt if the partition history was portrayed through a film people can remember it for a longer period of time as visual imageries stays longer in the viewer’s mind than the content that has been learnt textually. If it was a poster ,people could have only seen  it .On the other hand, if I would have chosen  sound bite people could have  only listened to  it. But movies make use of both visual and auditory imagery which would give a real feel about partition. This is the reason I chose short film as my creative mode of expression.Moreover,Films have a far reaching effect on vast audience. Films can change the prospective of people and can stir their feelings and emotions .So I felt short film can be a better tool for conveying the consequences of this major historical event of partition, helping us understand the complex relationship between India and Pakistan.

The partition history can be better understood through a creative mode of expression. I personally don’t like theory subjects especially history as it sometimes gets boring. But learning history through a creative expression would make it more interesting and moreover engages the viewer. If given a choice  between  reading  the history text book about partition and watching a movie on partition I am sure most people would have chosen the latter option. The current generation kids enjoy learning through a film rather than the text book. It is very important for each one of us to have  the knowledge about the partition .So to enable each one to have an insight about the India’s partition, it is important to reimagine the partition‘s history through a creative mode of expression.

The historical context that I have chosen in  the short film is India’s Partition. In my short film, I have spoken about the place Toba Tek Singh and how it got its name. It was named after a Sikh religious leader, Tek Singh who was inturn  addressed as Toba Tek Singh. Initially in the story I have addressed Toba Tek Singh as a  place  and gradually the audience is made to view Toba Tek Singh as a person. He lived happily with his family and treated all people equally irrespective of their caste, creed or religion. Meanwhile ,due to some mental illness he was admitted in the asylum in Lahore. He receives a letter from his daughter which gives the audience an insight about the entire history of partition. But what was  fishy was that the letter is left incomplete after the Rawalpindi village  attack indicating that something worse has happened. Toba Tek Singh is asked to leave the asylum immediately to see his dead daughter. Not aware of the fact that his daughter was  dead,Toba Tek Singh is extremely happy that his is going to meet his daughter after a very long time. But in the climax of the story we see that Toba Tek Singh’s expectations completely go in vain. He is taken to the Wagah border, where he sees his daughter on the opposite side. She was lying on the ground speechless and motionless.Toba Tek Singh never understood why his daughter never came to him happily calling him ‘papa’ as she always does. Only when the nearby security staff tells him, he comes to know that his daughter ,Roop Kaur was raped and brutally killed by the Muslim mobs at the Rawalpindi village attack that took place in March 1947 .No sooner did he hear the security guard’s words than he fell horror stricken  on the ground.He could not digest the fact that his daughter ,whom he loved so much was no more .He too falls down on  the ground.He lay dead opposite to Roop Kaur’s body. What separated the father and the daughter was the border drawn to separate India and Pakistan. Alas!!Even during death Toba Tek Singh and Roop Kaur  were separated .

The question is that did the border really separate the India and Pakistan? Did it separate the Hindus and the Muslims ? or Did  it separate the father and the daughter?  Did it separate the everlasting friendship between two good friends? Did it separate two families belonging to different religion? Who were the reasons for partition? In my opinion, it was not the Britishers who separated us. It was the lack of common sense and rational thinking that separated us.We blindly followed what others said without giving it a thought if partition was really necessary. And even if partition was necessary ,it could have happened in a much more organized way without claiming the lives of millions of people.

In my story ,I have portrayed the history of partition through the eyes of Toba Tek Singh who lost his daughter due to the violence of the partition. Similarly there are many fathers, mothers ,children who lost their loved ones during partition.

If partition would not have happened ,  then Roop Kaur would have lived happily with Toba Tek Singh. Punjab and Bengal would not have been divided.No families ,friends, relatives would have been separated from their loved ones. There would not have been any  confusions as to which place belongs to India and Pakistan. There would not have been any disputes on Jammu and Kashmir. The Undivided India would have been a much powerful country with diverse culture and rich cultural heritage. We would have enjoyed India's Independence as Indians irrespective of  our religion. We would have had only one Independence day on August 15th.JAI HIND!!