Partition of India and Partition Literature

Flashcards covering the lecture notes on Partition of India (1947), Partition Literature, Faiz Ahmed Faiz's 'Subh-e-azadi', Amrita Pritam's 'Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu', Saadat Hasan Manto's vignettes and short stories, and Bhisham Sahni's 'Tamas'.

Who stated: "If you cannot bear these stories then the society is unbearable. Who am I to remove the clothes of this society, which itself is naked"?

Saadat Hasan Manto

According to Saadat Hasan Manto's quote on Page 1, whose job is it to cover society?

Dressmakers

Which theorist stated that "Writing poetry after Auschwitz is Barbaric"?

Theodore Adorno

How is the Partition of India in 1947 defined on Page 2?

The vivisection of India in 1947 into the Republic of India and the Dominion of Pakistan along communal/religious lines

Which two provinces were divided during the 1947 Partition of India?

Punjab and Bengal

Which region is described as "Undivided" in the Partition notes on Page 2?

Sindh

According to Ravikant and Tarun Saint, when did violence become commonplace in Punjab?

From March 1947

How many people died during Partition according to the official figures cited on Page 2?

One million people

How many refugees were displaced during Partition according to Page 2?

More than ten million refugees

What is the official figure recorded for the abduction of women during Partition?

12,500 women

How many times higher than the official figure of 12,500 were real abductions estimated to be?

Probably ten times this number

What are the primary themes and motifs of Partition Literature listed on Page 3?

Disillusionment, nostalgia, shock, and loss

What phrase is used on Page 3 to describe the immediate literary outpourings of Partition?

"Pornography of Violence"

Which writer is highlighted on Page 4 for negotiating writing about the unspeakable during Partition?

Saadat Hasan Manto

What transportation motif is specifically associated with Partition Literature on Page 4?

The train

How is Partition conceptualized on Page 4 in relation to trauma?

As a Primordial Cataclysm

What are the lifespan dates given for Faiz Ahmed Faiz?

1910-1984

What is the title of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poem on Partition?

"Subh-e-azadi"

What is the English subtitle/translation given for Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poem "Subh-e-azadi"?

"The Dawn of Freedom, August 1947"

How is the dawn described in the opening line of "Subh-e-azadi"?

"This light, smeared and spotted, this night-bitten dawn"

In "Subh-e-azadi", where did the friends hope to find their final destination?

In the forests of heaven ("the stars in the forests of heaven")

In "Subh-e-azadi", from where did the young fellows move out?

From the mysterious paths of youth's hot blood and the impatient bedchambers of beauty

According to "Subh-e-azadi", what has already been cleft from light?

Darkness

What protocol has changed for those holding pain in their hearts in "Subh-e-azadi"?

"Joy of union—yes; agony of separation—forbidden!"

What three things remain unaffected by "this cure for disunion's pain" in Faiz's poem?

The burning of the liver, the eyes' eagerness, and the heart's grief

Who translated the version of "Subh-e-azadi" presented in the lecture?

Baran Farooqui

What is the concluding line of the translated poem "Subh-e-azadi"?

"Let's go on, we haven't reached the destination yet"

Which line from another poem is cited on Page 6 regarding value conflict in Faiz's poetry?

'mujh se pehli si muhabbat mere mehboob na mang'

What are the lifespan dates of Amrita Pritam?

1919-2005

What is the title of Amrita Pritam's famous poem addressed to Waris Shah?

"Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu"

What is the English translation of the opening line "Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu"?

"I say to Waris Shah today, speak from your grave"

How is Waris Shah addressed by the speaker in Amrita Pritam's poem?

"friend of the afflicted"

In Amrita Pritam's poem, what did Waris Shah write when one daughter of Punjab wept?

His long saga (Heer Ranjha)

Which river in Punjab is described as flowing with blood in "Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu"?

The Chenaab

How many rivers were filled with poison according to Amrita Pritam's poem?

Five rivers

What musical instrument was lost in Punjab according to Amrita Pritam's poem?

The flute

Who forgot to play the flute in "Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu"?

All Ranjha's brothers

In Amrita Pritam's poem, where do the princesses of love cry their hearts out?

In the graveyards

Who have become "the thieves of love and beauty" in Amrita Pritam's poem?

All the Quaido'ns

What concept of Punjabi identity is represented by Waris Shah and the Punjabi Qisse on Page 8?

Syncretic Regional Identity / Composite identity of Punjab

What are the lifespan dates of Saadat Hasan Manto?

1912-1955

What is the title of Manto's collection of Partition vignettes?

Siyah Hashye (Black Margin)

What was Manto's immediate first response to Partition literary writing?

Testimonials

What literary techniques and styles define Manto's Siyah Hashye?

Vignettes, journalistic reportage, black humour, grotesque, fragmentary, ironic, and atypical

In Manto's vignette "Miracle Man", why were homes being raided by the police?

To recover looted goods

In "Miracle Man", what did residents throw out of windows after nightfall out of fear?

Their 'hot cargo' (looted goods, and sometimes legitimately-acquired goods)

What stolen goods did the man in "Miracle Man" have in his house?

Two large sacks of sugar

How did the man acquire the two sacks of sugar in "Miracle Man"?

He helped himself to them when the local grocery store was ransacked

Where did the man drag the sacks of sugar in "Miracle Man"?

To the neighbourhood well

How did the man in "Miracle Man" die?

He pushed one sack down the well easily, but fell down the shaft himself with the second sack and died a few hours after being pulled out

What was unusual about the water drawn from the well the next morning in "Miracle Man"?

It was found to be exceedingly sweet

What happened at the man's grave the night after he died in "Miracle Man"?

There were prayer lamps illuminating the miracle man's grave

In Manto's vignette "Double Cross", what product did the buyer purchase?

Impure petrol at black-market prices

What complaint did the buyer make in

"Look, this is hardly fair. You sold me impure petrol at black-market prices and not even one shop could be put to the torch."

In Manto's vignette "Out of Consideration", what plea does a father make to the killers?

"Don't kill my daughter in front of me."

How do the killers respond "out of consideration" to the father in Manto's vignette?

"All right, all right. Peel off her clothes and throw her in with the other girls!"

In Manto's "The Benefits of Ignorance", what happens when the trigger is pressed the second time?

The bullet punctures the water-carrier's goatskin, causing him to fall on his face while his blood mixes with water across the road

Who is felled by the fourth bullet in "The Benefits of Ignorance"?

An old woman (she did not even scream)

What happens when the fifth and sixth bullets are fired in "The Benefits of Ignorance"?

They were wasted; nobody got killed and nobody got wounded

In "The Benefits of Ignorance", why does the companion stop the marksman when he aims at a running child?

Because the marksman is out of bullets

What is the marksman's response when told he is out of bullets in "The Benefits of Ignorance"?

"You keep quiet. What does a little child know?"

What is the setting of Manto's short story "Toba Tek Singh"?

A madhouse / lunatic asylum

What political process does the exchange of lunatics criticize in "Toba Tek Singh"?

The "scissor and paste logic" of Partition

Which political figures represent the macrocosm in Manto's "Toba Tek Singh"?

Master Tara Singh and Jinnah

Who is the central protagonist in "Toba Tek Singh" known for speaking gibberish?

Bhishan Singh

What two dimensions of site does Toba Tek Singh represent in Manto's story?

Topographical and psychological

What is the thematic atmosphere depicted in Manto's "Dog of Tetwal"?

A dichotomous divide: us vs them, Hindustan vs Pakistan, Sikh vs Musulman

What relationship exists between the soldiers on opposing sides in "Dog of Tetwal"?

Cultural similarity despite political division

What names do the opposing soldiers give to the dog in "Dog of Tetwal"?

"Chapad Jun Jun" and "Sapad Sun Sun"

What ideology of the nation-state does Manto criticize through "Dog of Tetwal"?

The absolutization of difference

Who wrote the novel Tamas, and in what year was it published?

Bhisham Sahni, published in 1974

Which historical event forms the backdrop for Bhisham Sahni's Tamas?

The March 1947 Rawalpindi Riots

What event in 1971 inspired Bhisham Sahni to write Tamas?

His visit to Bhiwandi

Who instigates Nathu to kill the pig in Tamas?

Murad Ali

What purpose does the killed pig serve in Tamas?

An ethnic marker used by politicians to incite communal violence

What victim-victimizer chain involving a hen is described in Tamas on Page 15?

Dev Vrat -> Ranvir -> hen

What victim-victimizer chain involving a scentseller is described in Tamas on Page 15?

Ranvir -> Inder -> Scentseller

What morning ritual/procession is featured in Tamas?

The Prabhat Pheri

Who is the British Deputy Commissioner in Tamas, and who is his wife?

Richard (Deputy Commissioner) and Liza

Which Hindu communal organization is specifically mentioned in the study of Tamas?

The Hindu Mahasabha

Which Muslim and Hindu characters are paired together on Page 15 of the Tamas outline?

Shah Nawaz and Milkhi

Where are Sardar Teja Singh and the Sikhs located in Tamas?

Sayyadpur

Which Sikh couple's displacement highlights the consequences of violence in Tamas?

Harnam Singh and Banto

What tragic collective action by Sikh women is portrayed at Thoa Khalsa in Tamas?

The mass suicide of Sikh women

Which male character and female character are listed under consequences in Tamas on Page 16?

Iqbal Singh and The Hindu girl

Which female characters represent saviours and heroism in Tamas?

Rajo, Liza, and Nathu's wife

What phrase does Janet Powers use to describe the characters in Tamas?

"Conglomeration of Participants"

According to Page 17, how does Partition Literature reconfigure histories?

Through fragments of memories

How is Partition conceptualized as an ongoing phenomenon on Page 17?

As "Unfinished Business"

What term is used on Page 17 to describe Partition Literature as alternative evidence?

"Fictive Testimony"

How does Partition Literature challenge homogenizing hegemonic state narratives?

Through the pluralization of Partition narratives via the "local" and the "everyday"

What specific example of a subaltern state character is cited on Page 17?

Clerk at the Relief Camp

What dynamic regarding memory is highlighted on Page 17 of the lecture notes?

Revival of memories vs Collective Amnesia

Which scholar/author is cited on Page 17 regarding Partition oral histories and memories?

Urvasi Bhutalia

According to Page 17, what role do Partition Literature works serve?

They act as Memorials to memorialize the human face of our history

What question/motto concludes Page 17 regarding Partition writing?

"Writing the Wrong : Right the Wrong?"

What is the English title of Manto's collection containing short Partition vignettes like "Miracle Man"?

Mottled Dawn

In "The Benefits of Ignorance", what target does the third bullet hit?

A mud wall (the bullet missed its target and embedded itself into a mud wall)

In "Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu", what condition are the graves described as being in?

Graves are oozing with blood ("Blood has rained on the soil, graves are oozing with blood")

In "Subh-e-azadi", where lay exhaustion during the journey?

On the margin ("Exhaustion lay somewhere on the margin")