Train to Pakistan by Khuswant Singh

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mano Majra is a typical pre-independence village in the Indo-Pak border. It is occupied the hardy Punjabis. Some of them are Sikhs and some are Muslims. While there is probably and underlying tension between the two communities there is no explicit animosity. The caretaker of the Gurudwara and the Imam at the Mosque are close friends and enjoy friendly debates along with the motley crowd that they attract.

The village a railway station which becomes a hub of activity whenever a train halts there before crossing over the bridge in to what would become Pakistan or after it crosses over the bridge the other way round. There are very few trains that stop. Most activity goes on in the night when the varied goods trains pass through the darkness one way or the other.

All this changes when the division of India and Pakistan is announced. A local rich Lala is murdered by a gang of dacoits who also loot the riches in his house. A communist comes to stay at the local Gurudwara. A magistrate is sent over to the nearby town of Chundennagar to ensure that there is no trouble in this area.

The book elaborates on the local characters like the son of the dacoit who is having an affair with the young nubile daughter of the Imam, the local inspector of the police who has to make all sorts of arrangements for the magistrate.

Two trains with Hindus massacred in them arrive at the station. The army and the police take control and first time they burn the bodies and the second time they get an earth mover to dig a large grave and bury the dead. The villagers are simmering, refugees from the other side are wanting a revenge and the dacoits are just looking for some action. After a long debate the Muslims of the village are asked to join the refugee camp in Chundennagar. The others promise to take care of their belongings till they return. But much the chagrin and helplessness of the villagers the dacoits and the refugees take over the household vacated by the Muslims.

News trickles in that a train with a load of Muslim refugees is expected to cross over to the the other side in the darkness of the night. The refugees, some of the villagers and dacoits hatch a plan to hack down as many of the refugees as they would pass over the bridge. The son of the dacoit comes to know that the Imam and his daughter would most likely be in the train.

The denouement is the best part of the book. Read the book to enjoy it.

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