Train to Pakistan

TRAIN TO PAKISTAN, by Khushwant Singh, first published in 1956, is something of a classic in India, but I ran across it quite by accident. I'm glad I did, as it offers a quick and surprisingly entertaining - and educational - glimpse of the bloody civil war that erupted between the Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims in 1947 during the partition of a newly independent India. During this time distrust, fear and hatred ran rampant, causing formerly peaceful neighbors to betray and even murder each other over religious and political differences. Singh used the tiny, remote village of Mano Majra, situated near the border of the newly created state of Pakistan to illustrate how quickly things could change. The author's famously agnostic views play a show more prominent part in his story, particularly represented by Iqbal, the "stranger in town," an educated "social worker" whose questionable religious /ethnic identity leads to his arrest following a murder in the town. There is also an understated "love story" between Jugga, a Sikh petty criminal, and the daughter of the local Imam, which figures in. Singh's feelings about organized religion are stated thusly -

"India is constipated with a lot of humbug. Take religion. For the Hindu, it means little besides caste and cow-protection. For the Muslim, circumcision and kosher meat. For the Sikh, long hair and hatred of the Muslim."

And he has more to say - about Christians, ethics, philosophy ("muddleheadedness"), Yoga, reincarnation, etc. But you get the idea. There are generous helpings of sly humor and sarcasm here too in its portrayals of minor officials and religious clerics. But what takes center stage by story's end is the wholesale butchery and horror of this awful conflict, with its trains full of bodies going both ways across the border in those early days of the partition.I

TRAIN TO PAKISTAN is Singh's best known book, and was also successfully adapted to the screen. It is a powerful little novel, no question. Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER show less

This will be one of the few times I complain that a book wasn't long enough. A breezy read, and Singh portrays an absolutely heartbreaking, gorgeous picture of small-village living India during the partition. It didn't quite go where I was expecting, or perhaps where I wanted it to. In the end, I was left wanting more; I wanted to learn more about the details of it, the major players that were responsible and a more sweeping epic. I've rarely read a historical fiction novel about a subject that only made me want to learn even more, so for that I give it 4 stars.

The final 30 pages completely ramp up everything; the tension, the dialogue, the hate and the horror. Some of the images depicted are so vile and terrifying yet Singh only uses show more these passages sparingly, and to great effect. Terrific ending, one of my favorite in recent memory. I'm really glad I was recommended this one by a good friend. show less

This is a book that is set in the times of the Partition of India. It is set in a small village called Mano Majra, where Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims have lived side by side for centuries, even being linked romantically. Khushwant's description of daily life, the summer and the monsoon is masterly. So is his description of how the village is drawn into the horrors of the Partition, and how the harbingers of hate divide the village and change the character forever.

It is a beautifully written book. While being sparse in its style, it is an extremely emotional book. He portrays perfectly how far the common folk were from the great leaders of the day - Nehru, Gandi, Jinnah - and yet so very horribly affected by all of them.

It is a book for show more those times. It is a book for the times in which we live today. It is a modern-day masterpiece. show less

This book is short and easy to read, but packs an incredible emotional punch. It's the story of a small village which is on what became the border between India and Pakistan. Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists have been living there for generations, and at the beginning of the story, they publicly, sincerely, and emotionally declare that the political situation won't change that. But step by step it does, and it becomes inevitable that there will be mob violence, looting, and murder. It's chilling, and all too easy to imagine the same thing happening in other settings.

Capturing the essence of one of the most politically and socially complex events of all time, namely the Partition of India, in a novel spanning less than 200 pages, is a daunting task. With "Train to Pakistan", Khushwant Singh conveys the ins and outs of that event as concisely as possible while maintaining the neutrality that only someone who witnessed those events firsthand could.

Written not long after the Indian Partition, Train to Pakistan serves as a time capsule that is equal parts nostalgic, authentic, and harrowing. It serves as the perfect specimen of historical preservation which is free of all the layers of ultra-nationalistic propaganda that have accumulated over these events with the passage of time. Owing to the show more fluctuating relations between Pakistan and India, there is a lack of accessibility to impartial literature focused on the Independence of India and the founding of Pakistan, and it feels great to know that Train to Pakistan, after almost 70 years of publication, is still highly sought after. show less

Train To Pakistan by Khushwant Singh is set in 1947, a turbulent time in India as the British Raj ends, and the Partition of Pakistan from India takes place. Although inequality was a way of life in India with their caste system and the various religions, the violence that came about as Muslims were forced to flee east to Pakistan and Hindu’s west toward India was unprecedented. The province of Punjab was nestled up against this new border. In the small rural village of Mano Majra Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus had lived in harmony for generations, but when a train arrives from Pakistan full of dead Hindus it proves to be the spark that leads to the clash of these religions. Outside agitators, even the local police help to stir up show more emotions. The Muslims of the village are removed to a refugee camp with plans for them to put on a train to Pakistan. Meanwhile as another trainload of dead Hindus arrive in the village plans are being made to attack the next train heading west to Pakistan.

Train to Pakistan is a tight, taunt story that captures the feelings and flavor of India at the time of partition. Records now show that over ten million people were displaced and made homeless, while one million were slain during this period. The author himself says he thinks of this, his first novel, as more of a documentary, written in part to ease his mind over the impact that these chaotic events had for him. What the author achieved was to put faces on these Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims and through this one small story bring the larger picture into focus. Train to Pakistan is a book that I will long remember for it’s believability and story-telling. show less

Nach der Lektüre seines bis dato letzten Buches, "The Sunset Club", was 2010 auf Englisch erschien (eventuell die letzte reguläre Veröffentlichung des mittlerweile 96-jährigen, in Indien verehrten und umstrittenen Autors), war meine Neugier auf "Train to Pakistan" geweckt. Ein Roman, dessen Handlung sich in den Monaten nach der chaotisch und blutig verlaufenden Trennung und Gründung Pakistans im Jahre 1947 abspielt, zugleich Singsh Debütroman, Mitte der 1950er erschienen und seit geraumer Zeit zumindest in Auszügen ein Teil des Litarturkanons an indischen Schulen.

Im ersten Drittel fühlte ich mich zunächst an den erzieherischen Impetus eines Bertolt Brechts erinnert, denn Singh entwirft recht holzschnittartig das Portrait des show more kleinen Dorfes Mano Majra nahe der Grenze des kurz zuvor gegründeten Staates Pakistan und er verdichtet den Konflikt zwischen Muslimen und Nicht-Muslimen (Hindus und Sikhs) anhand weniger Hauptfiguren. Spätestens ab der Hälfte des Romans gewinnt die Handlung an Stringenz und die Figuren an Kontur und Nuancen. Begeistert und nahezu in einem Atemzug habe ich dann das letzte Drittel "verschlungen", in dem sich die Lage der muslimisichen Dorfbewohner zuspitzt und während einer - an Steinbecks Endszenario in "Früchte des Zorns" erinnernden - Monsunregennacht in einer ausgweglos erscheinenden Pogrom zu münden scheint. Ohne falsches Pathos und mit der ihm eigenen gehörigen Portion an Ironie gelingt es ihm, sich nicht in einer oberflächlichen Dramatisierung der Handlung zu verlieren und der Geschichte um Täter, Mitläufer und unerwarteten Helden eine allgemeingültige Bedeutung zu verleihen. Als besonders faszinierend empfand ich seine kurzen, schonungslos-offenen Blicke in die "indische Seele", mit denen er letztlich auch auf die Verlogenheit und das Blut an den Händen seiner eigenen Religionsgruppe (der Sikhs) schaut.
Lehrreich, ohne oberlehrerhaft zu wirken und spannend zugleich. Und leider auch nach wie vor von trauriger Aktualität.

Gelesen habe ich dieses Buch in einer englischsprachigen Ausgabe von Penguin India.

(Deutsche Ausgabe: Der Zug nach Pakistan, Insel 2008) show less