Personal accounts of partition

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010 Mr. S.B.Singh D.O.B: 19th February, 1929 Place of Birth: Peshawar Education: F.A Family Life & Early Years We were 4 brothers and sisters. We grew up in Peshawar. My father ran a restaurant and aerated water factory. We had a simple life, went to school in the day and  after that played hockey every evening. Sometimes we would watch a movie in the family owned cinema house. My father was earlier in the army and his last posting was Peshawar and since his brother-in-law also lived there , he decided to settle there too. Partition One of my brothers was an officer in the railways and was posted in Delhi at that time, so our family moved to Delhi and stayed with him for a while. I was a student. My studies were disrupted. Initially we did not think that this divide would really happen. We thought we would go back. Only later we moved from my brothers house and found an alternate accommodation in Kashmere Gate. Later my eldest brother and I opened a

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2010 Mrs.M. Bakshi D.O.B: 1938 Place of Birth: Rawalpindi, now Pakistan Education: St.Thomas School, Delhi, where I won lot of honours in sports                 Indraprastha College, Delhi Family Life and Early Years: We had a beautiful house in the cantonment area. We lived in a joint family. I had 7 siblings and I was the 6th youngest. My father was in the construction business. As soon as you entered the gate, there were buffaloes tied there for milk. Ahead was our personal tonga (carriage) and horse for taking us to school. We also had 2 cars. Then one entered the huge courtyard where we would play gulli-danda, chhicho, a makeshift high jump, gamp and gitta. We had a very relaxed life and no stress, unlike today. We used get up very early and then go to the Gurudwara (Sikh Temple) every morning. Only then could we have our breakfast. The whole family would be involved in everything. There was so much togetherness then. Everything was far more innocen

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2010 Mrs. R.Kapur's Account D.O.B: 23rd January, 1934 Place of Birth : Delhi, India Father: Hari Nath Mother: Rukmini Education: Convent of Jesus & Mary, Delhi                  Tara Hall, Shimla                  St.Bede's College, Shimla Family Life and Early Years I was the youngest of 5 surviving siblings. My 2 brothers and 2 sisters were much older than me. I was born at Number 8, Queen Marys Avenue, Delhi. Later we shifted to Number 12, Queen Marys Avenue and then finally to number 15 where we lived till 1952 when my father retired from Government Service. My eldest sister was already married when I was born and Vidya my other sister got married when I was 3 years old. In fact she brought me up as my mother did not keep good health. I remember being very upset when Vidya got married. My eldest brother was already in the customs in Karachi and Kailash, the brother closer to me in age, was in college when I was born and then l

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2010 Mr. R.Mehta from Ahemdabad D.O.B:  26th August 1930 Place of Birth : Ahmedabad, Gujarat Father: Chinubhai Mehta Education: St. Xavier’s school, Ahmedabad                  Law Family Life & Early Years I was the eldest amongst my brothers and sisters. I was 17 years old during this time period. The house I lived in was actually a bungalow called ‘Ramnivas’. It was later made into a mansion but when first built, in 1931 by Mr. Batley, a British architect, it had only two bedrooms. Over the years it expanded. Independence Since I was born, I was made to wear khadi (homespun cloth) only. My underwear, my socks, everything was khadi. After the 1942 Quit India movement the British government started discussing the idea of an independent India. In those discussions there were lot of different points of view. When the British arrested political leaders after the Quit India movement, many people were infuriated and started protesting. I took par

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2010 Mr.S.Sengupta's story Family Life & Early Years: I was born in Calcutta in 1929, the year of world economic depression. Now I am 81 years old. It was pre-independence age for India. It was before World War II. My childhood days in many ways were quite eventful. When I was about 10 years old the World War II started. Though we in India were quite far from Europe where the war was first hand, because England was a major party to the war, India, their colony came in the participation of war efforts. The British had major concentration at that time in Calcutta, as well as their army base.  I recall we were raided by air by the Japanese in 1939 in Calcutta. Dad packed us all, seven children, to Darbhanga in Bihar. Around 1942 when we were back in Calcutta, came the man made famine in Bengal. It was devastating. People from villages in and around Calcutta came in flocks expecting to get food and relief in dire distress. “ Ma  ektoo  fan  dao.” (

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2010 Mr.P.Kapur D.O.B.: 1925 Place of Birth: Muzzaffargarh (Now West Pakistan) Education: First batch of Doon School                  Government College, Lahore                  Banaras Hindu University (BHU) My father was the Inspector General of Police in Bikaner. We had a lot of property in Jhelum District (now in Pakistan). Partition changed my life and lifestyle- from a gentleman of leisure to having to fend for myself. I was admitted to M.I.T. but by then it was not possible for me to to study abroad. It took 19 years of court cases before we got compensation. When I was 13 yrs of age I met Gandhiji  for the first time in Shimla at Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur's house. Then again in 1939 I heard him speak on non-violence. In fact he asked me whether I believed in non-violence. I replied that if somebody hits me, I will hit them back. Later I started firmly believing in his ideals. I remember singing the national anthem prior to independence in sc

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2011 Mrs. & Mr. Biswas Mrs. Biswas was born in 1938 in Bajitpur, now Bangladesh. Education: Primary Girls School in Bajitpur, later she was sent to a school in Baranagar in Kolkatta and in 1948 she joined the Victoria Institute. In 1949 she went back to East Pakistan for a year of home schooling. Later she graduated in Science with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from Calcutta University. Family Life and Early Years: We were 5 brothers and 4 sisters. My father was a lawyer. My mother did not keep well and in 1948 she went to Bhubaneshwar , Orissa as the climate was better for her health, while I stayed in Baranagar with my aunt. She was there for 8 months before she passed away in 1948. My grandfather had a lot of property and we had close ties with our extended family. Bajitpur was a small town. Life was simple. Some days we even went barefoot to school.  We had no contact with the British as such; except I remember our school inspector wa

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2010 Captain S.N.Sharma's Story D.O.B: October, 1936 Place of Birth: Sahiwal, now in Pakistan  I am Group Captain S.N.Sharma, retired from Indian Air Force. I am a graduate of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. In the year 1947, we were in a town called Pindi Bhatian, in district Gujranwala. My father was the headmaster of Govt High School there and I was a student in 5th class. Sometime in June/July 1947 (I do not remember exactly), we left our house to spend summer vacation in our maternal grand-parents place, which is now Pak-occupied Kashmir.  But trouble was already brewing in places and we decided to stop at Gurdaspur, at a friend’s place. We were just in our holiday kit. We never went back to our house in Pindi Bhatian and lost our entire belongings. While at Gurdaspur, we young boys would see long caravans of people crossing the borders with whatever they could carry. This would go on for days, non-stop, 24 hours a day. We also heard from e

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2010 Mrs.A Kochhar D.O.B: 29th December, 1930 Place of Birth: Rawalpindi, now Pakistan Education: Metric from Camelpur                  F.A from Ambala Family Life and Early Years. My father was an advocate. I had 5 brothers and 3 sisters. Our life was simple, very disciplined. No answering back to our parents. I do not remember my father ever raising his hand against us. Half an hour in the corner was enough as a punishment. We played Gulli-Danda (an Indian game played with sticks & pike) and kite flying was a favourite. We had healthy eating habits. Partition: In August 1947 we went to Solan, Himachal Pradesh, where my brother was posted. We thought we would return home in 10 days. It never happened. We had only one suitcase. Many of our relatives who did not leave in time were killed. Some escaped to camps in Amritsar. Horror stories came back to us about young girls who jumped into wells to escape being captured, to protect their honour. We had

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2010 Mr.K.M.S.Khan from Azamgarh D.O.B: 18th June, 1937 Place of Birth: Village Mohammedpur. District Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh                                   Family Life & Early Years: My father was a zamindar and a legal practitioner who were called "Muqhtars". He married again after he lost his first wife. My mother was his second wife but my two older brothers (her stepsons) always regarded her as their real mother. I  also had 5 sisters. I studied in Shibli National Inter College and later at the Shibli National Degree College. I lost one of my brothers when he was only 22 to tuberculosis as only one type of TB medicine had been invented which was not easily available at that time and  was also very very expensive. Also as Zamindari was abolished in 1952, we had a difficult time trying to meet the costs of my brother's treatment. We can trace back the history of our village to 1080 AD. My ancestors came to India with Mohamad Ghaz

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2010 Dr. A.K.Bandyopadhyah Phd from Bengal D.O.B: 29th July, 1925 Place of Birth: Janai, Hooghly District, West Bengal Father: P.Bannerjee Mother : Shanti Devi Siblings: 3 brothers, 2 sisiters Family Life My father was an orphan. He was brought up by his maternal grandparents. He was a very good student and later worked for the Calcutta Municipal Corporation. The tradition of Government service was in our family. My maternal grandfather was a Deputy Magistrate. He built a house in Chinsura in Hooghly District in the 1930's. Education: My school “Metropolitan Institution” was started by Ishwar Chandra Vidyagsagar. My college was Fort William College later known as Government Sanskrit College. My teachers were excellent and many taught in the University at the Post graduate level. I studied Sanskrit but did not want to become a Pandit so I changed to the Christian Missionary College. It had good facilities. I had also read an advertisement in the newsp

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2010 The Story of Veena Sahgal Name: Veena Sahgal DOB: 26 June 1940 Place of Birth: Amritsar Ancestral Village: Amritsar, 41.8 kms from Lahore, 28 kms from the Indo-Pak border Education: 1944-46 Sir Gangaram High School, Lahore 1946-1952 St. Andrews Girls High School, Mumbai 1952-56 St. Annes High School, Mumbai 1956-60 St Xaviers College, Mumbai BA (Hons) Psychology 1960-61 University College, London M A Psychology Parents: Father : Amirchand Sahgal (1913-1994) – his father- Ramchand Sahgal his mother- Phulwati Sahgal and before marriage her name was Subhadra Kurich. Ramchand Sahgal was a wealthy cotton trader. His business collapsed when Indians stopped buying the British finished cotton. The family was reduced to almost penury. However being principled, Ramchand Sahgal sold all of the family’s gold to pay off the loans. As a result, his sons had to look for any job they could find- they gave tuitions to those who wanted to learn English.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010 Mr. S.Tandan from Karachi D.O.B:  7th November, 1929 Place of Birth: Jullander, Punjab Education : Karachi Grammer School,  1945 Government College, Lahore, May 1947 M.A., St. Stephen’s, Delhi University Parents: Father: In business. Was also member of a Municipal Committee Mother: Member of Municipal School Board Siblings: 1 sister, 2 older brothers Family Life and Early Years: We had a patriotic environment at home. My Nani (maternal grandmother) wore Khadi. Though as a family we were not involved in the political movement. In 1942 we went to Dalhousie. We had family friends there. A decision was taken to talk only in Hindustani among among friends  and family. My cousin however would speak to our dog Hector in English. When reprimanded, she said “Kutte ke sath kutte ki jaban main bolna chayiye” ( One should speak to dogs in their own language!) I remember in school we were not supposed to eat rotis (Indian flat bread) with our hands

Ms.S. Mehrotra Tandon from Karachi D.O.B: 13th April, 1930 Education: Hardevi School, Karachi, now Pakistan Banaras Hindu University, entered 1946 Parents: Father : Lalji Mehrotra Mother :  Saroj ? Siblings: One older brother and one younger sister Family Life and Early Years: My father was a Congress man and freedom fighter. My mother a housewife but one who helped my father in his cause. Maulana Azad, Sardar Patel, Vijaylakshmi Pandit and Pandit Nehru would come and stay with us in Karachi. They would be closeted in the drawing room discussing. People would come to visit them as they were trying to make a Congress Ministry. Sardar Patel was a very sober and serious person. He used to ignore us children. His daughter Mani Ben would however pat our cheeks. He would ask my mother "Is your shop never closed?" as food and tea were always being served, even up to 10pm. My younger sister, Asha, 4 years at that time, was a favourite of Maulana Azad. She would sit

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010 The three sisters from Lahore Mrs.S.Bhasin D.O.B. 8th April, 1933 Mrs.V.Nanda D.O.B. 20th May, 1935 Place of Birth:  Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India Education: Sacred Heart Convent, Lahore Queen Marys School, New Delhi I.P.College, Delhi Kanya MahaVidalya, Jullander (B.A. Music) Mrs. M.Choudhrie D.O.B 12th June, 1942 Education: Queen Marys School, Delhi I.P.College, Delhi Parents: Father : S.L.Suri Mother : J. Khanna Family Life and Early Years: We lived in Model Town, Lahore. Noor Jehan, a famous actress, lived nearby. Our mother had met her. Our family had a publishing business for educational books. "Ram Lal Suri & Sons" Our father was a very social man. He had a lot of Muslim Friends. He used to hold garden parties. He had met the Mountbattens. Our mother was a very gentle lady. She loved to paint. The three of ous grew up very protected. We 2 older ones  were only allowed to visit certain friends. Only a

MR.M.K.Nanda DOB: 20 th   August 1927 Place of Birth:  Kundian, West Punjab, now in Pakistan Ancestral Village: Eminabad, West Punjab, now in Pakistan Education: various schools in Kashmir, India DAV High School , Lahore, Pakistan DAV College, Lahore:  B.A left incomplete due to partition Camps College Delhi (a temporary college set up for refugees?): Completed B.A C.A.- Delhi, India Parents: Father : J.K.Nanda (posted in Forest Department, J&K. Retired as Conservator of Forests) Mother : Chandan Devi Family Life and Early Years: I had 2 elder brothers and 2 sisters. My family was anti-British. They supported Gandhiji and the Congress. My college day icons were J.P.Narayan, Bhagat Singh and S.C.Bose. In 1942 during the Quit India movement, there were lot of strikes in college, slogan shouting and not much studying!  The college was opposite the police station. The police would come and the students would hide or run away from them.  Ther