A Season of No Return

 (e-content developed by Prof. (Dr) N. A. Jarandikar)

“A Season of No Return”

“A Season of No Return” is a short story written by Gurudial Singh, a Punjabi writer who received The Jnanpith Award in 2000. The story deals with the mental and emotional crisis (मानसिक आणि भावनिक पेच) of the protagonist and sheds light on the problems of communication and loneliness in modern times. It also discusses family tensions due to changing family patterns.

Kauri is a central character in this story. She is a middle-aged Punjabi woman. Santokh is her elder son. The story revolves around Kauri. Kauri is shifted to a metropolis (महानगर) after Santokh’s marriage. Santokh is an engineer. His wife is a teacher in one college. Kauri comes to this place when her daughter-in-law is pregnant. Kauri has come there to look after the baby.

Right from the beginning of the story, it is seen that Kauri is feeling restless (अस्वस्थ). The reasons for her restlessness are gradually (हळूहळू) explained. Santokh’s father had opposed this marriage because Santokh’s wife belonged to a lower caste, but this is not the reason for Kauri’s restlessness. The daughter-in-law respects Kauri, and Santokh takes care of his mother. There seems to be no reason for Kauri to complain against Santokh or her daughter-in-law.

Kauri suffers from the problems of communication and loneliness. In Santokh’s house, both the husband and the wife are busy in their daily routines and have no time for Kauri. Kauri’s problem intensifies when she recollects (आठवणे) her village life and the family of her younger son. She longs (तळमळणे) for the colourful seasons of her village, while in the city, there is only one monotonous (एकसुरी/कंटाळवाणा) season. Kauri compares this boring season with her uninteresting city life. She is trapped (कात्रीत सापडणे) in the tension between the joint family and the nuclear family.

Kauri’s problem is resolved at the end of the story, but in a dramatic way. Observing Kauri’s situation, Santokh and his wife assume (गृहीत धरणे) that her condition will worsen (खालावणे) in the coming years. The daughter-in-law does not want to take any responsibility, so they decide to send Kauri back to the village. This unexpected (अनपेक्षित) decision marks the end of the story, with Kauri departing (निघून जाणे) for her village.

The major setting of the story is a city, and most of the events take place within twelve hours. The story is narrated through a flashback technique. The overall atmosphere in the story is serious. The title, “A Season of No Return,” aptly suggests that a permanent season of gloominess (खिन्नपणा) will be Kauri’s fate as she will never return to Santokh and his family.

Train to Pakistan (Mano Majra)

 (e-content developed by Prof. (Dr) N. A. Jarandikar)

Mano Majra

Mano Majra is a fictional village in Khushwant Singh's novel Train to Pakistan. It is set against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition of India. It is located on the banks of the river Sutlej. It is a tiny village. Around 70 families live in Mano Majra. These families belong to Sikh and Muslim communities. Sikhs are the landowners, whereas the Muslims are the tenants. There are only three brick buildings in Mano Majra – Lala Ram Lal’s home, the gurudwara and the mosque. Lala Ram Lal is the moneylender and the only Hindu family in Mano Majra. The rest of the village is a cluster of flat-roofed mud huts.

Mano Majra is known for its railway station. It is also a very small railway station. Not many trains stop here. Express trains do not stop here at all. Only two passenger trains stop here. The only regular customers are the goods trains. The whole routine of Mano Majra is bound with the schedule of trains.

By the summer of 1947, the whole of northern India was grappled with violence and turmoil due to the partition of India. Ten million people—Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus were in flight. The riots had become a routine. But Mano Majra remained an exception to this. It was unaware of the turbulence going on in other parts of India due to partition. Here, the Muslims and Sikhs were still living harmoniously.

As the plot of the novel is unfolded, Mano Majra becomes centre stage. Unknowingly and unwillingly, the whole village becomes a victim to the sufferings of partition.

In this way, Mano Majra serves as a microcosm (छोटी प्रतिकृती) of the larger religious and communal conflicts (धार्मिक संघर्ष). It symbolizes the upheaval (उलथापालथ) and tragedy that the partition brought to ordinary people living in peaceful coexistence. The village becomes a powerful backdrop (पार्श्वभूमी) for exploring the larger themes of religious conflict, communal violence, and the human cost of historical events during that turbulent (अशांत) period in Indian history.

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A Train to Pakistan_Plot

 (e-content developed by Prof. (Dr) N. A. Jarandikar)

   

Characters in the novel:

·         Jugga/Juggut Singh: the hero of the novel; lover of Nooran; dacoit (डेकॉइट: दरोडेखोर)by profession

·         Alam Singh: Jugga’s dead father; dacoit by profession

·         Nooran: beloved of Jugga; daughter of Imam Baksh

·         Imam Baksh: father of Nooran; a blind weaver

·         Iqbal Singh/Iqbal Muhammad: a social worker; came from Delhi to inspire the villagers to participate in political actions

·         Malli: another dacoit from the village; rival of Jugga

·         Lala Ram Lal: the money lender; the only Hindu family in the village; the novel begins with the death of Lala Ram Lal; Malli and his gang murder Lala Ram Lal

·         Bhai Meet Singh: priest in the Sikh temple

·         Banta Singh: the lambardar (the village headman)

·         Hukum Chand: the magistrate (Judge) and deputy commissioner

·         Mano Majra: The name of the village where the events in the novel take place

 

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Plot of the novel:

Introduction: A Train to Pakistan is a novel written by Khushwant Singh. The novel takes place in 1947, the year in which India gained independence from England and the new nation of Pakistan was created from the Partition of India. Around 14 million people were displaced by the Partition. The Partition led to chaos and violence. Hindus and Sikhs were made to move to India, and Muslims were forced into Pakistan.

The tragic experience of the Partition forms background for the novel A Train to Pakistan. The novel is published in 1956. The novel is divided into four parts: 1) Dacoity, 2) Kalayug, 3) Mano Majra, and 4) Karma. The events in the novel take place in a village, Mano Majra. Mano Majra is one of the few remaining peaceful villages on the border. Sikhs and Muslims live peacefully in Mano Majra. 

Beginning of novel: The novel begins with the murder of Lala Ram Lal, the only Hindu in the village. A dacoit named Malli and his gang kill Lala Ram Lal. But the police wrongly arrest two men, Jugga and Iqbal Singh. The badmash, Jugga is a young man. He is the lover of Nooran, the daughter of the village imam. Iqbal Singh is a social worker. He has come from Delhi to inspire the villagers to take political action in the new India.

The magistrate, Hukum Chand instructs the sub-inspector to keep Jugga and Iqbal in custody, and to continue the search for true killers. One day, a “ghost train” from Pakistan arrives in Mano Majra. It is full of dead Hindus and Sikhs. The villagers are shocked by this event.

 As Jugga informs about the true killers of Ram Lal, Hukum Chand orders the arrest of Malli and his gang. He also tells the sub-inspector to contact the local Muslim refugee camp and arrange for the evacuation of the Mano Majra Muslims.

Hukum Chand’s plan: As a part of Hukum Chand’s plan to convince Mano Majra to evacuate (रिकामे करणे) its Muslim villagers, Malli and his gang are soon released. They are taken to the Sikh temple in the village. They stand by the head constable who refers to Iqbal and Sultana, a group leader of Muslim dacoits in connection with Lala Ram Lal’s murder. After sending these doubts through the village, the sub inspector announces that all Muslims in Mano Majra will be taken to a local refugee camp.

When Imam Baksh tells Nooran they are leaving Mano Majra, she runs to Jugga’s house. Jugga is still in custody. She talks to Jugga’s mother. Nooran tells her that she’s pregnant with Jugga’s baby. Jugga’s mother calms her down. She convinces Nooran that Jugga will find her wherever she is.

Transformation of Mano Majra: The next morning it becomes clear that the Muslims aren’t staying at the camp, but will be sent to Pakistan. Terrified people wonder what will happen to the Muslims’ property. But it is Malli who is left in charge of the property. Once the Muslims are out of sight, Malli and his gang raid and loot the Muslim property.

Later that day, the Sutlej River begins to rise due to flood. The lambardar arranges a night watch to monitor the river. At that time, the people hear a train arrive at the Mano Majra station. But no one gets out from the train. Meanwhile on the river, dead bodies come floating down. In the morning, the men can clearly see the bodies of murdered men, women, and children in the river as well as in the train.

At night, the atmosphere in Mano Majra is sad. All of the remaining villagers are gathered at the gurdwara. A group of militant Sikhs enter the temple. They ask the Mano Majra men to help them to loot the train and kill Muslims moving to Pakistan. The train is coming from the refugee camp, which means Mano Majra’s Muslims will be on it. Surprisingly several villagers, along with Malli’s gang approve this plan.

Jugga, the hero: After their release from custody, Jugga and Iqbal reach Mano Majra. Jugga goes to look for Nooran. He comes to know about Nooran’s departure to Pakistan.

As per the plan, that night, the Mano Majra villagers take the position at the bridge. As they hear the train, they notice a man, climbing the bridge. He is Jugga. Jugga pulls out a knife and begins to cut the rope. The rope is there to kill the Muslims sitting on top of the train. The mob begins to shoot the man. Just as the train reaches the bridge, the bullets cause Jugga to fall. The rope breaks with him. The train rolls over him and continues on the way to Pakistan. In this way, Jugga sacrifices his life to save Nooran.

Jugga-Nooran love story: The novel begins with Jugga-Nooran’s love story and ends with the same. The writer has very skillfully handled the love story in the novel. After the arrest of Jugga, the focus of the novel shifts to the gruesome experiences of partition. The novel talks about the dramatic transformation in Mano Majra. Most of the part in the novel is dedicated to the partition theme. But coming to the end of the novel, once again Jugga comes to centerstage. His sacrifice is a powerful slap to communal tensions and violence. It very effectively gives the message that only love is a true religion which knows no boundaries, which is really universal.

 

 

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Shroud

 (e-content developed by Prof. (Dr) N. A. Jarandikar)

“The Shroud” is a short story written by Premchand, a major Hindi writer. “Godan '' is his famous novel penned by Premchand. He often deals with the common people, and his short stories shed light on the harsh realities of life. “The Shroud” is about the inhuman tendency and highlights the harshness of poverty.

The story features three characters: Budhia, Ghisu, and Madho. Budhia is Madho’s wife, and Ghisu is Madho’s father. This is a very poor family residing in a village.

Both Ghisu and Madho belong to the Chamar caste, but they are notorious for being lazy and shameless. They only work when they are on the brink of starvation. Budhia is the one who brings some moments of happiness into their lives through her hard work.

The story begins with Budhia suffering from labor pains, but Ghisu and Madho pay no attention to her. They are more concerned about the impending birth of a new baby. Tragically, the next morning, Ghisu and Madho discover that Budhia has passed away. They are so impoverished that they cannot afford the proper funeral rites for Budhia, so they resort to begging for money.

The zamindar and the villagers take pity on Budhia and contribute some money. As a result, Ghisu and Madho manage to gather a sum of five rupees.

The climax of the story arrives when, instead of purchasing the shroud, Ghisu and Madho go to a liquor shop to celebrate the evening. Madho inquires about the shroud, but Ghisu reassures him not to worry. According to Ghisu, people will take care of Budhia. He further explains that Budhia is now free from the web of Maya.

In this manner, Premchand portrays the harsh reality of human life. Ghisu and Madho are victims of poverty, and their only problem is that they don’t seek an escape from this trap. Although there are only two main characters in the story, Ghisu and Madho, our whole sympathy is for Budhia. Budhia is a character that can be found anywhere, anytime.

The story’s primary setting is an unnamed village, which could represent any village in any culture. The story is narrated in the third person point of view. The tone of the story is dark and serious, as indicated by the apt title. Right from the title, we can infer that the story revolves around someone’s death, setting a serious tone.