On Indias 75th Independence Day PM Modi declared August 14 to be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. While the announcement might seem like a tribute to those who lost their lives and dear ones to the violence — one of the worst in the history of mankind The Tribune spoke to some of the survivors of the Partition from Amritsar about their stories of pain and anguish… An address that never faded from his memory Gali Khularawali Lahori Gate Gujranwala — Octogenarian Pritam Singh Lamba one of the survivors of Partition still remembers the address of his home that he left in haste as a 12-year-old in 1947. “At that time I did not know why we had to pack everything and leave behind my friends to shift to Amritsar. With time I could only reminisce as memories were the only thing that we could bring along when we crossed the border on August 14 1947” he said. Lambas family came to Amritsar on August 14 via Sialkot. His father Mahesha Singh owned a hotel in the famous Lahori Gate area of Gujranawala. “We had a good life there. I studied in Government Primary School Gujranwala and later in King George Hindu High School. But everything was lost after the two countries experienced a brutal division” he said. His family said their goodbye to their life in Gujranwala and travelled to Ramdass in Amritsar. “I was travelling with my father Mahesha Singh and five brothers with few other members of our neighborhood. My sister and mother Chanan Devi stayed behind along with two servants and few male members of the family. We travelled by train from Gujranwala to Dera Baba Nanak and came to Ramdass where we rebuilt our lives” he shared. Remembering the tumultuous journey they undertook on the night of August 14 he said: “Before taking the train we were eating dinner at a dhaba near the railway station when we heard two explosions and a stampede occurred. Everyone held each others hands as to not get lost in the chaos. Later when my mother and sister arrived in Amritsar they had to smuggle some jewellery and valuable items in the utensils.” Years later when he was working in the Railway as an officer Lamba went to Gujranwala to visit his ancestral home. “It was not the same. Thoughts still go back in time and I wish everyone who had to face the brutality of Partition somehow find peace and closure” he said. (As told to Neha Saini) Peace the only balm to soothe that pain Harbhajan Singh Brar 79 shares his familys trauma and struggle for re-building their lives after they migrated from Multan in 1947. His family was among the many jathas that left Pakistan following violent clashes after August 15 1947. “I was born in Chakk 107 a small village in Khanewal tehsil of Multan district. I was just 3 when we migrated from our native village. My Bua ji who was then a young girl walked several kilometers while carrying me on her shoulders. As she was exhausted someone asked her to leave me behind and let the Almighty decide my fate. But she replied: “He is my blood one day he will stand for me. She crossed the border with courage. Fortunately all our family members reached safely but left acres of fertile land there. My family struggled for pennies after re-settling post-Partition.” He doesnt hold any grudges but the pain is still there. “Instead of observing Partition Horrors Remembrance Day PM Modi should assure the masses that such incidents should not repeat in future. Moreover the person who was born in any other state apart from Punjab will never be able to understand the pain of Partition victims as Punjab faced the maximum blow during the time.” Brar who was a sepoy in the Indian Army and fought against Pakistan in the 1965 and 1971 wars said peace between the two countries is still possible. “I never support jingoism between India and Pakistan and made efforts to reunite Partition victims. If Modi feels pain for the Partition victims allow them to visit their homes in Pakistan and India.” (As told to Charanjit Singh Teja) Fear horrors of that fateful night still fresh Surjit Singh Kukreja (82) while talking about his memories of Partition still cannot believe how people who lived together for so long in harmony suddenly started killing each other. The horrendous displacement during the Partition of the country in 1947 left traumatic impressions in their minds. “I was 8 at that time” said Kukreja. “We were seven children – four brothers and three sisters –who migrated from Ugoke village in Sialkot in Pakistan along with parents. We had to leave in a hurry because of some riots that broke out near our village. The truck we were travelling in met with an accident midway. My brother and I escaped with minor injuries while two people lost their lives. I can never forget having to spend a freezing cold night near the Ravi” he said. The next morning their family was transported along with other Hindu Sikh families in an army truck. “Fear was written large on every face. From a Sialkot refugee camp we were shifted to Dera Baba Nanak in a train amid tight security at night. The trains carrying bodies were a common sight at the time. That memory still sends shivers down my spine” he said. Now years later he feels that any declaration or any other move to ease the pain of the survivors will not make much of a difference. (As told to PK Jaiswar) Memories of Partition must be preserved Forced by communal tension Balak Ram Sehgal fled from his native Awan Dhaewala village in Pakistan with his two children and wife before August 14 1947. Trying his hand at different jobs to earn a livelihood he finally settled in Amritsar and found Subhash News Agency. “Until my father died in 2006 he would often talk about the horrors the Partition had caused” said his son Subhash Sehgal adding that the Partition must be remembered as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives. “It is the only way to keep the future generations mindful of the fact that communal hatred and killings should be avoided. My father always talked about his native place but never tried to visit Pakistan. Maybe he never wanted to go through the trauma again by remembering about the life they left behind. My elder brother and sister were toddlers when he came here” said Subhash. (As told to Manmeet Singh Gill) A tale of lost childhood and lost livelihood Bau Gurbachan Singh (88) of Gali Mangal Singh Wakil Wali Tarn Taran is one of those few people alive who had seen the horrible incidents of Partition with his own eyes. His family were residents of Barki village (district Lahore) before Partition. His father Chamba Singh was a Tonga puller and used to travel from Barki to Lahore every day. When the news of Partition spread the Muslim families residing nearby gave them shelter and assured them protection. “Many members particularly women and youngsters of the family left for safer places towards the Indian side. There was terror everywhere as radical elements with sharp weapons in their hands were looting those migrating or leaving their homes. All our belongings were left behind even cattle and farm animals. We arrived at Khalra village escorted by our neighbours who were Muslims” he said. He said when they reached Tarn Taran they saw burning houses of the Muslin community. “It was a sight no one can ever forget. We saw things that no one should ever see — death and destruction everywhere. Partition should be a lesson for generations that only peace can be a solution” said Bau Gurbachan Singh who retired as an administrative officer from the Education Department. He said the days of Partition were still alive in the minds of victims who either lost their lovely ones besides losing their livelihood. (As told to Gurbaxpuri)

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