(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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