THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

"Kissi ne punja paaniyan vich ditta zehar mila,

 Te aunaan paaniyan ditta dharti nu ditta paani laa"

It was as if the five rivers of Punjab, its source of life, were mixed with the venomous poison of religion.
That same water was then used to irrigate the Earth and hence, the Earth was poisoned with the colour of bloodshed (Translated)

- Amrita Pritam, on the state of Punjab at the time of Partition.

Our view of the Partition is, at the most, sketchy. We were not present there and we did not witness the brutality. Our memories aren't the ones tarnished with the images of the debauchery. Our little knowledge comes from the various texts, movies and reminiscence we have come across, 67 years into the massacre.

It was a time of loss. Loss of love, life and land. Loss of belonging and that of humanity. We, at present, cannot begin to fathom the grief and bereavement that must have engulfed the living beings at the time.

Normalities of everyday life were uprooted, as were the homes and families. People; men, women, infants alike; were driven to the streets with three clothes, no food, nor shelter. It was a hard struggle, which some survived and others succumbed to. It wasn't just a division of two countries, religions or communities, it was a division of hearts and minds as well.

To conclude, I cannot begin to comprehend the harrowing experiences lived and those that continue to haunt those who survived. Such, was the violence of Partition that the scars are still alive.