i dunno how many of you have heard of this story, it’s news to me but it must be really well-known.
It’s a true incident, based upon the occurrences in the life of one Boota Singh, during Partititon. He had served in Burma under Mountbatten (i think?). Subsequent to the war, he returned to his village. This was around Partition. One day, he saw a Muslim girl [Zainab] running upto him screaming because she was being chased by a group of Sikh youths. To make a long story short, Singh saved the girl’s life by buying her from the youths for about 1500 rupees - pretty much his life savings i think; they got married; had a daughter (who was later renamed Sultana), and were residing in the village for a few years before one of Singh’s nephews (i think) told the authorities on them. There was some sort of policy at that time, negotiated between India and Pakistan, that all females who had been abducted by either side, would be returned to the ‘right’ country upon discovery, regardless of whether or not they were married. Zainab was taken away to a refugee camp while her family in Pakistan were being located; subsequent to the family’s whereabouts being learned, Zainab was transferred to Pakistan minus her daughter and husband.
Boota Singh reverted to Islam (yes most likely it was for convenience’s sake) and with their only daughter went off to find Zainab. He tried to convince the authorities that since he was now Muslim, Zainab was his legal wife and as such she should go back to India with him and their daughter. Around this time, he discovered that Zainab’s family had arranged for her to be married to one of her cousins. Her family threatened Zainab that if she went back with Singh, they would kill him and Sultana. Boota Singh even took it upto the court level where he pleaded with a judge to allow Zainab to come state in public that she was his (Singh’s) wife… The judge felt sympathy for his situation and allowed Zainab to attend the court, but - perhaps because she was under immense pressure from her family and due to the threats - she told the judge that she did not want to return to India. At this point in time, Singh - perhaps now finally accepting of the situation - offered to give Sultana upto her mother. But Zainab refused to take their daughter, probably knowing that her family would never accept a daughter whose father was Sikh and would be ostracized her whole life.
End of the story: subsequent to the court occurrence, Singh took his daughter in his arms, went to a train platform, and committed suicide by jumping in the path of an oncoming train. Somehow, Sultana survived with few injuries - apparently she lives in Libya and is married with three children.
It was Singh’s last wish to be buried in Pakistan, in the same village that Zainab had begun her new life in with her second husband. However, not many of the village’s Muslims at that time were enthusiastic about the idea. To make a long story short (again), he was buried close to the village; after his grave had been desecrated by some Muslims, groups of sympathetic Muslims resolved to defend his final resting place and rallied for him to be re-buried there, where he rests today. Apparently, it’s become a ‘favourite’ spot for people to visit - i dunno what it’s called now, there’s a specific name of the location.
If you type up Boota Singh in google, you’ll find some links for this. The whole story is discussed in some detail in the book “Freedom at midnight” (D. LaPierre and L. Collins) from where i initially learned of it.
Anyways. Long ramble. i just wanted to share it to gauge how other guppies feel about it. i found it so sad when i first read it… We can pass judgements however we like on his convenient reversion to Islam, on the marriage between a Muslim lady and a Sikh man, yes admittedly those things were not right at all.
Neither was it morally correct in any way to force Zainab not to accept Sultana - what crime did the young child commit in order to deserve that ? It’s not her fault that she was born of a Sikh father and a Muslim mother. Every time i think humanity has reached a new low, i’m always corrected.
If you guys want to read more about it, check it up on google or check the book. i think there’s also a movie out on it but i haven’t seen it and don’t plan to.
.. na i dont think the movie gadar was based on that story, but it has many similarities.. i actually didnt see the whole thing cus i thought it was a pathetic attempt to show the problems near partition… ChannMahi.. sorries 