Broken Identities: The Self in Turmoil during the Partition

Abstract

Partition literature or Partition narrative has become a crucial discourse in the understanding of Indian history ever since the early twentieth century. With the final decision of creating fissures in the Indian subcontinent on the 15^th of August 1947, Indian history got marred by cries of political and human agony. Not only did Indian subcontinent attain independence from British rule, it also got divided on the basis of religious differences once the idea of creating a separate all Muslim nation-state came into being. Partition uprooted millions of people and rendered them homeless. The resulting migrations and displacements ruptured their sense of identity which was once fabricated around their nation, motherland, history, trees, rivers, lakes, and cultural traditions and practices. As an outcome, identity crisis changed how a society once felt and thought. It would be crucial to look at the impact of distancing people from their roots on their individual identity.

The works of Anita Inder Singh, Ismat Chughtai, Kamleshwar, and Sa’adat Hasan Manto highlight the trauma of broken identities that left an indelible mark on the society through their characters trapped in the inevitable harrowing conditions of the day.