These are excerpt from my life experiences.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

AFTER PARTITION AT REFUGEE CAMP AT PATIALA (PUNJAB) INDIA

Here I pause and think that today .that is the August 14, 2007 and it is the independence day of Pakistan and sixty years has passed and all the atrocities had been dumped in the pages of History and I along so many other victims still remember those horrible days and wish that mankind should not witness all the cruelties in future. This is my sincere wish. Time is great healer
I wish and convey good wishes to my country on 15th August2007 on 60th INDEPENDENCE YEAR

Now as we had shifted to refugee camp at Patiala along with my mother and four sisters namely Kamlesh, Santosh ,Basant ,(all younger) and Pushpa ( elder sister).Here again we were in tents and the Indian police to guard us. Here all were very happy as the thought that they were citizens of free India was enough for us giving immense pleasure.But still we were not happy that our family was shattered as we not in position to find where were our father and other three brothers? A strange question was troubling whether they had reached India safe and sound? Every day was passing with tension and fear of something untoward might not happened. My mother and all of us used to inquire from relations where the persons from Kohat and Rawalpindi had been deported to India.Then we were wishing the reunion of the family in INDIA. We all used to stand in the queues to get the meals other daily items from the Langars and other social oganisation used to distribute. I still remember that ladies used to prepare roties and langar and other items. There was law and order and there no theft in the camps. All the refugee used to live in the perfect hormony.Slowly and slowly the people were leaving the camps as some of them were getting their relatives. But we were still in the dark to find the where about. of our father and brothers At last we got the message from some our acquaintances that some of the persons had seen our our father at KURUCHETRA camp and some how our father had come and took us to Shahbad Markenda a town near Ambala (INDIA).Here we all were united and our brothers also met us. All the family group from TOBA TEK SINGH took shelter in vacant house left by SAYEDS and left to PAKISTAN. This was a huge kacha building and used to be known as SAYEEDAN WALI KOTHI .Once while playing at the first building I suddenly pushed a pipe in the chimney and we found so many weapons and these must had been stored by Muslims .My father got a job at the hardware shop of some Agarwal friend. After some time we all shifted to Agra as our cousin Tayaji used to live. there. Here we not having any place to live and we all family put up in the deserted house in the CHAKKI PARA near Bus stop and opposite of RED FORT .This was half broken and there was a leather market in the lower floors and the residents on the first floor. Here we started living but the hardships were there in all of walks of life. My eldest sister started teaching us Hindi and she got admission in the Bengali Anglo School in 4th class.I still I was there to accompany her to the school during cookery classes.
Next in the chapter of DURING PARTITION OF INDIA

2 comments:

Maya Bery said...

Thank you for posting your experiences on the internet. I am writing a novel that involves Partition refugees, and your memories are invaluable for me, both as a writer and as an Indian whose family fled, as yours did, from Pakistan to India in '47.

Thank you. - Maya

Unknown said...

Very nostalgic stories, Dear Maya I am also working on that topic please contact me at janjuaharoon01@gmail.com