The sights... the sounds... the unheard voices... the bloodshed... the victory... the satisfaction... the smiles... the blessed feeling...
All we can do, perhaps, is empathize. Empathizing may seem pretty far-fetched. I don't how far we can really imagine as to what went in the minds of people who witnessed the fight for independance.
For some it hardly mattered. Bond-labourers attached to a particular landlord for generations wouldn't have literally cared for it. They still remain under a particular thakur. What would their thoughts be when somebody tells them that the country is free henceforth? Maybe they could not have celebrated the much-needed sense of belonging. There could have been no reason for them to.
What could connect us is, probably, literature. I think that reading something will touch me more than i seeing the same on television or even hearing it from others'..
Amongst the very few authors that i've read, i remember Gulzar's Ravi Paar vividly. It is partition time, this family is on their way from Pakistan to India. They cross the river Ravi in an overloaded boat. The lady has a small infant in her arms. Amidst the scuffling, the young one stops breathing. The boatmen find it hard to keep the drowning boat afloat. Noticing that the baby has stopped breathing, they assume it be dead.
In order to keep the boat steady, they drop the child into the swirling waters of the the Ravi. On it's way to death, the baby emits a howl. The parents freeze.
10 comments:
thats a very sad story to recite during the independence day :(
That was a very depressing story indeed!
Mouna,
That was a very, very depressing story.
Your take on the bonded laborers is interesting. I have personally seen a some villagers in the 80's, who thought that Indira Gandhi was the daughter of Mahatma Gandhi. It did not matter to them, anyway!
ankur,
this is another part to the independance day, a sad note.
bit hawk,
true.
parijata,
that is one super mean trick that the gandhi family played on the entire country. i saw this on tv yesterday, a few daily-wage workers voiced the same opinion. some things haven't changed. just hope it will, inshallah!
mouna ...
i've seen some villagers who worship the gandhi family (i mean the indira,rajiv,sonia gandhis) that they used to believe the government means nothin but the government of the gandhi family. Whn asked whom they'L vote for, they said they'L vote for the government (which simply meant the Congress). Its sad tht every political party ends up mis-using this so called blind trust of the people !!
The story was really horrifying...
suhas,
that's so true. it's so convenient to fool an entire popluation for one's benefit. one rises after stepping on somebody. manipulation, big time!
'Stories' have such a powerful effect on mind!!! I cease to comemnt more...
agree with December stud..each story has a powerful meaning behind it...
ds and priya,
u are correct. stories can impress a person to a large extent. they can also be great teachers.
Post a Comment