Going through the popular column of journalist Vivek Shukla ‘Dilli dil se’ in a Hindi daily of Delhi provides enormous profit and immense pleasure. It is simply engrossing and enlightening. His pen portraits of the historical places and the history of Delhi leave an indelible mark on the mind. It is the simplest way of recounting history. However, the stories of the monumental tragedy of the partition of India in 1947 grip any reader with extreme sadness, agony, anguish, and anger. Partition of India of India, without doubt, was the most incredible human catastrophe in which lakhs were killed, millions were uprooted, and properties worth billions were destroyed. The biggest onslaught was faced by women who were raped, ravished, and killed by devils.
‘Train to Pakistan’ by Khushwant Singh and ‘Jhhotha Sach’ of legendry Yashpal or ‘Tamas’ of Bhishma Sahni has given a vivid picture of death and destruction that was caused by the division of our motherland. It is true that the refugees, who came from the western part of undivided India to settle down on this side of India were more adventurous than those who came from the eastern part of the country. And within a few years, they got acclimatised to the new atmosphere and started contributing in a big way to the development of the country.
It is only through his columns, that most of us have come to know that big hospitals in Delhi like Ganga Ram, Moolchand or Kapur had their roots in Lahore. The assiduous efforts that he makes in presenting and reliving history are commendable. One has to wade through the emotional pangs of partition which is found in abundance in his columns.
Refugees from both sides of the border have been settled in different parts of the country. A large number of Sindhi refugees can be found in Sagar, Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh), Mumbai and Delhi. The trauma of their predecessors leaving Sindh should be brought to light. Similarly, those who came from the eastern side have been largely settled in Odissa, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh. Local newspapers would do well if they let the local population know the pains and sufferings, that the forefathers of the refugees had undergone while leaving their homes and hearths to entirely places.