Train to Pakistan Summary

Khushwant Singh wrote the famous book Train to Pakistan, which was first published in 1956. It portrays the story of the Partition of India in August 1947 from the viewpoint of the fake border village of Mano Majra. Khushwant Singh explores a deep local priority, adding an element of identity that gives the Partition a feeling of truth, terror, and credibility rather than just focusing on the political dramas that surround it.

Author Biography

February 2, 1915, Khushwant Singh was born in Hadali, Punjab, which is today a part of Pakistan. Khushwant Singh also had jobs in politics, journalism, and law.

His humour and enthusiasm for poetry are well known. He was a multi-talented individual who gave his time and energy equally to journalism, Indian literature, and the judiciary of India. Before entering the Indian Foreign Service, he started his legal career by practising law in the Lahore High Court for eight years.After a few more years in the military, he decided to pursue a career in journalism and public media. He was recruited by All India Radio in 1951 to work as a journalist, and in 1956 he was assigned to the Department of Mass Communications at UNESCO in Paris.

In addition, he served as a writer for many renowned newspapers and magazines, such as "The Hindustan Times," "The National Herald," and "The Illustrated Weekly of India." The writings of Singh, including "Train to Pakistan" (1956), "Delhi: A Novel" (1990), "The Company of Women" (1999), "The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous" (2013), and others, earned him additional recognition.

One of its most popular columns in India is Singh's weekly one, "With Malice Towards One and All," which is published by The Telegraph and numerous other publications. The monthly article, which was audacious and adventurous and endearingly enigmatic, breathed fresh energy into the otherwise moribund desi English media industry. Despite being given the Padma Bhushan for his outstanding contributions to Indian society and culture, he refused to receive it because he opposed Operation Blue Star.

Train to Pakistan Summary

This is a narrative about the effects of relocation and religious persecution. Hindus and Sikhs were forced into moving to India during the 1947 Partition of India, whereas Muslims were pressured into moving to Pakistan, irrespective of family background. After many generations, some families were relocated to one location or another.

The refugees are always at risk of violence, which commonly breaks out when Hindus and Muslims are near together. Over time, these immigrants grow to accept death and violence as the norm. Nearly ten million people?Muslims to Pakistan and Hindus to India?are transported there by rail, but within a few weeks, approximately a million of them had already perished. People refer to the trains as "ghost trains" since they operate continuously.

Mano Majra, one of the few reserved villages on the boundary, is surrounded by the noise of misery and bloodshed. Mano Majra is made up of a variety of people, including Sikhs, Christians, and Muslims, as well as Hindus and Muslims. They coexist harmoniously and are dependent on one another. Lala Ram Lal, a moneylender from Mano Majra as well as one of the few Hindus within the area, was killed to start the "train to Pakistan."

The murder of Lala Ram Lal is committed by a dacoit called Malli and his band of thieves, but the inexperienced police in Mano Majra and the other villages mistakenly accuse two men, Juggut "Jugga" Singh & Iqbal Singh, of committing the murder and put them in jail. Jugga is a big young guy who has an awful track record but a decent heart. He belongs to a local badmash.

He has a deep hatred for Malli and is in love with Nooran, the local imam's daughter. Iqbal Singh, a Delhi-based social worker, travels to Mano Majra with the intention of motivating the locals to engage in political activism in the new India, but he instead becomes embroiled in the chaos and brutality of the border.

Jugga was having an affair with Nooran the night when Lala Ram Lal was killed, and Iqbal wasn't yet in Mano Majra. But the chief policeman still takes them into custody, somewhat to the displeasure of his superiors, who are the sub-inspector and the magistrate Hukum Chand. Hukum Chand, an honest though maybe fraudulent individual, gives the sub-inspector the order to hold Jugga and Iqbal in jail while continuing to search for the real murderers.

A "ghost train" from Pakistan shows up one day in Mano Majra. The locals are unaware that the train is filled with murdered Hindus and Sikhs till the police along with the military burn the bodies up. Nobody knows what to do when someone from the outside finally makes their way out. Hukum Chand is equally disturbed by the appearance of the ghost train and is forced to hold onto Haseena, a young Muslim prostitute the sub-inspector chose for him, as a way to get a little rest.

The subinspector reminds him that Jugga specified him with the identities of the dacoits who murdered Lala Ram Lal the next morning after he wakes up. Despite maintaining to hold Jugga and Iqbal in custody, the court authorizes the arrest of Malli and his gang. Furthermore, he orders the sub-inspector to make arrangements for the Mano Majra Muslims' departure by getting in touch with the nearby Muslim refugee camp.

Malli and his gang are taken into custody but they are eventually shortly let free as part of Hukum Chand's strategy for convincing Mano Majra to move away its Muslim people. They are escorted to the local Sikh temple where they watch as the chief constable accuses Iqbal and several Muslim dacoits of being responsible for Lala Ram Lal's death. The chief constable concludes by saying that all Muslims in Mano Majra would be transported to a nearby refugee camp after causing these reverberations across the community.

The emergence of the ghost train and these statements divided Mano Majra in two. Sikhs and Muslims start to act mindful of one another. The recent events are discussed by a group of Sikh Mano Majrans who have gathered at the temple. When someone asserts that Sikh immigrants from Pakistan could move into the village and threaten their Muslims, a young guy who is angry with and envious of his Muslim neighbors changes his attitude.

His religious prejudices are put aside in favor of his commitment to his neighbors, and he makes a promise to stand up for them. After their arrival at the temple, Imam Baksh & two additional Muslims join the gathering and argue their options. They argue repeatedly until concluding that the Muslims would move inside the camp for the time being. When the other Muslims refuse to take up their belongings, Imam Baksh exits in tears.

Nooran rushes to Jugga's residence but finds that he continues to be imprisoned when her father informs her that they must go. She informs Jugga's mother that she is carrying Jugga's child during their conversation. Her anxiety is reduced by Jugga's mother, who reassures her that Jugga will locate her no matter where she is.

The caravan from the refugee camp shows up the next morning, however, it can only carry so many belongings. Additionally, it is reported that the Mano Majrans would be sent back to Pakistan rather than remaining in the camp permanently. There is panic as everyone is concerned regarding what is going to occur to the Muslims' property. The Muslim soldiers are given just 10 minutes to gather their belongings and bid farewell by the commanding commander, who doesn't seem to care. As soon as the truck is out of sight, Malli and his gang of robbers seize the property together with the Sikh immigrants from Pakistan.

The Sutlej River starts to rise later that day, and the village's concentration turns to the risks that this pose. To keep an eye on the river in case of floods, the lambardar takes up a night watch. The soldiers can hear a train pulling into the Mano Majra railroad station as they keep watch. Nobody leaves. During this time, thatch, clothes, and dead animals are coming down the river.

The remains of dead adults, adolescents, and children may be seen clearly by the men as morning shows up. It is obvious that another atrocity occurred upstream. The guys rapidly make their way back to the village to update on what's happening at the river but discover that everyone has their sights on the railway station. This time, the deceased is being buried in a cemetery for the dead and the train that came is another phantom train.

Mano Majra has a gloomy ambiance at night. None of the surviving villagers wants to be alone, therefore they have all assembled at the gurdwara. The Sikh priest, Meet Singh, finishes his prayer, and an assembly of violent Sikhs storms into the temple. They force several Man

The lambardar alerts the sub inspector about the upcoming violence while on his way to the Chundunnugger police station. Until the subinspector informs him that Haseena will also be on the train, Hukum Chand is ignorant and replies to let the Sikhs murder the Muslims until such time as the police aren't involved. Hukum Chand completely changes his perspective in reacting to this information and sets up a strategy to save the train.

He gives the order to release Jugga and Iqbal in the hopes that they might help the Muslims aboard the train. The two men were released by the sub-inspector, who informs them that the village has experienced a major transformation since the Mano Majra Muslims have been banished. Jugga leaves Mano Majra after he and Iqbal get there in anticipation of something that Nooran has been waiting for him in the woods. Returning to the gurdwara, Iqbal is greeted by Meet Singh, who informs him of the upcoming assault.

Despite being horrified, Iqbal eventually chooses not to act since no one would be aware of his sacrifice. Before Jugga arrives at the temple to worship, he passes out while consuming alcohol. When Jugga requests Meet Singh to pray for him, he unwillingly agrees, but he is unwilling to clarify the meaning of the prayer. However, Jugga thanks the priest and requests that he bid Iqbal farewell on his behalf.

Hukum Chand regrets letting Haseena go back to Chundunnugger. He would be indifferent with the end result if she remained at with him. He is less confident in his position as magistrate and dejected when he considers how many of his colleagues have perished in acts of violence. He says a prayer as the distant sound of the train can be heard.

Men began putting themselves together on both sides of the railway tracks a little after 11:00 p.m. They can hear the approaching train. Although no one recognizes him, "a big man" descends the steel crossbar of the bridge; it is Jugga. Jugga is commanded to descend by the train's commander as it draws nearer. Jugga takes a tiny kirpan out of his bag and slices at the rope.

The leader lifts the weapon and shots after becoming aware of what he is doing. The rope is torn to pieces, yet one sturdy strand is still present. Jugga uses his teeth to break it. Immediately after, Jugga is knocked to the ground by a barrage of gunfire. He falls down with the split rope. Over his corpse, the train speeds towards Pakistan.

List of Characters in Train to Pakistan

• Malli
  a young dacoit in charge of a group from a different village. He hates Jugga, and he tries to blame Jugga for killing Lala Ram Lal. He is given custody of the Muslim community's belongings at the book's conclusion.
• Jugga or Juggut Singh
  Train to Pakistan's primary character is Juggut Singh, also known as Jugga. He is Mano Majra's "bad boy" inhabitant, a young, muscular dacoit with a kind heart. By the book's conclusion, he compensates for his wrongdoing and spares the Muslim inhabitants of Mano Majra.
• Nooran
  Nooran is the child of the Muslim handwoven of Mano Majra, who works as the mosque's mullah. By the book's conclusion, she is carrying Jugga's kid since she often engages in trysts with him.
• Iqbal/Iqbal Singh
  Muhammad Iqbal, a well-educated man from Delhi, was dispatched to Mano Majra to tell the locals about numerous demands for governmental change. Instead, he is arrested for Lala Ram Lal's murder together with Jugga and charged with belonging to the Muslim League.
• Bhai Meet Singh
  Meet Singh is a priest as well as the protector of the Sikh temple in Mano Majra. He is the only one to speak out against the gang of Sikh fanatics who arrive in Mano Majra at the book's conclusion and collect volunteers to slaughter a train carrying Muslims headed to Pakistan.
• Hukum Chand
  In the district around Mano Majra, Hukum Chand works as deputy commissioner and magistrate. He fights with several of his choices throughout the book and has dubious morals. Ultimately, he makes an effort to prevent the slaughter of Muslims in his area by releasing Jugga and Iqbal so they may halt the train atrocity.
• The Head Constable
  The policeman who detains Jugga and Iqbal is Hukum Chand's sidekick and the subinspector.