Phoenixes of Partition

Aradhika Sharma

Who can better write a book on Partition than the curator and co-founder of the first-ever Partition museum, located in Amritsar. In her book comprising 21 short chapters, Mallika Ahluwalia presents unique, first-person insights into the lives of achievers, who were severely impacted by this man-made catastrophy in modern history. These men and women struggled against the odds, heavily stacked against them and emerged as symbols of excellence and success in modern India.

The people Ahluwalia has profiled are the architects of contemporary India. The line-up includes many respectable names of the country, including that of a prime minister, business tycoons, artists, lawyers, statesmen, filmmakers, writers, etc. All of them rose like a phoenix from the ashes of Partition. They went through the fires of Partition and then carved out a glorious destiny, not just for themselves but for the country as well.

Manmohan Singh, LK Advani, FC Kohli, Gulzar, Hamida Habibulla, KL Wadhwa, Kuldip Nayar, Ajeet Cour, Ram Jethmalini, Govind Nihalani (who had a catharsis in Tamas, his acclaimed work on the Partition) are a few eminent names that people the pages. In the beginning of every chapter, the name of each personality is followed by a brief description that is representative of his/her belief, experience or thought at the time of division of boundaries. 

Manmohan Singh — ‘Father Killed. Mother Safe’, Faquir Chand Kohli —‘To Look Back or to Look Ahead?’, Dharampal Gulati —‘A Refugee Who Built a Business Empire’, Kuldip Nayar — ‘A Relationship of Loss Developed between Us’, Satish Gujral — ‘There was No Compassion On Anyone’s face’ and so on are a few noteworthy examples. 

Partition triggered genocide, bloodshed, loss of honour, families, homes and wealth. It led to migration and tribulations in the refugee camps, enough to smite down a person forever. Yet, by the dint of sheer hard work, perseverance, labour and enterprise, the personalities of that generation, who are featured in the book, rose to become the leaders of a free and independent India.