Blood Ties
Dudh Da Katal
~
ਦੁੱਧ ਦਾ ਕਤਲ
Content Warning
1947 Riots, Partition, Massacre
Click to play
Recited by my Nanu,
Maj. Gen. P. K. Renjen, AVSM (Retd.)
ਦੁੱਧ ਦਾ ਕਤਲ
- ਸ਼ਿਵ ਕੁਮਾਰ ਬਟਾਲਵੀ
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਤੇ ਯਾਦ ਹੈ ਅੱਜ ਵੀ, ਤੇ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਯਾਦ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ
ਜਦੋਂ ਦੋਹਾਂ ਨੇ ਰਲ ਕੇ ਆਪਣੀ ਮਾਂ ਦਾ ਕਤਲ ਕੀਤਾ ਸੀ
ਓਸ ਦਾ ਲਹੂ ਜਿੱਦਾਂ ਕਾਵਾਂ ਕੁੱਤਿਆਂ ਨੇ ਪੀਤਾ ਸੀ
ਆਪਣਾ ਨਾਂ ਅਸੀਂ ਸਾਰੇ ਹੀ ਪਿੰਡ ਵਿਚ ਭੰਡ ਲੀਤਾ ਸੀ
ਮੈਨੂੰ ਤੇ ਯਾਦ ਹੈ ਅੱਜ ਵੀ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਘਰ ਨੂੰ ਹੈ ਅੱਗ ਲੱਗਦੀ
ਤੇ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਯਾਦ ਹੋਵੇਗਾ…
ਜਦੋਂ ਅਸੀਂ ਰੱਤ ਵਿਹੂਣੇ ਅਰਧ-ਧੜ ਘਰ ਘਰ ਲਿਆਏ ਸਾਂ
ਅਸੀਂ ਮਾਂ ਦੇ ਕਤਲ ਉਪਰ ਬੜਾ ਹੀ ਮੁਸਕਰਾਏ ਸਾਂ
ਅਸੀਂ ਇਸ ਕਤਲ ਲਈ ਦੋਹਾਂ ਹੀ ਮਜ਼ਹਬਾਂ ਦੇ ਪੜ੍ਹਾਏ ਸਾਂ
ਤੇ ਦੋਵੇਂ ਹੀ ਕਪੁੱਤਰ ਸਾਂ ਤੇ ਮਜ਼ਹਬੀ ਜੂਨ ਆਏ ਸਾਂ ।
ਮੇਰੀ ਦੁੱਧ ਦੀ ਉਮਰ ਮਾਂ ਦੇ ਕਤਲ ਸੰਗ ਕਤਲ ਹੋ ਗਈ ਸੀ
ਤੇ ਠੰਡੇ ਦੁੱਧ ਦੀ ਉਹ ਲਾਸ਼ ਤੇਰੇ ਘਰ ਹੀ ਸੌਂ ਗਈ ਸੀ
ਤੇ ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਯਾਦ ਕਰਕੇ ਅੱਜ ਵੀ ਮੈਂ ਚੁੱਪ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾਂ
ਤੇਰੇ ਹਿੱਸੇ ਵਿਚ ਆਏ ਅਰਧ ਧੜ ਵਿਚ ਰੋਜ਼ ਖੋ ਜਾਂਦਾਂ
ਮੇਰੇ ਹਿੱਸੇ ਵਿਚ ਆਇਆ ਅਰਧ-ਧੜ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਮਾਂ ਦਾ ਨਹੀਂ ਲਗਦਾ
ਤੇ ਉਸ ਹਿੱਸੇ ਵਿਚ ਮੇਰੀ ਅਰਧ-ਲੋਰੀ ਨਜ਼ਰ ਨਹੀਂ ਆਉਂਦੀ
ਮੇਰੇ ਹਿੱਸੇ ਦੀ ਮੇਰੀ ਮਾਂ ਅਧੂਰਾ ਗੀਤ ਹੈ ਗਾਉਂਦੀ
ਤੇ ਤੇਰੇ ਅਰਧ-ਧੜ ਦੇ ਬਾਝ ਮੇਰਾ ਜੀਅ ਨਹੀਂ ਲਗਦਾ
ਮੇਰਾ ਤਾਂ ਜਨਮ ਤੇਰੇ ਅਰਧ-ਧੜ ਦੀ ਕੁੱਖ 'ਚੋਂ ਹੋਇਆ ਸੀ
ਮੇਰੇ ਹਿੱਸੇ 'ਚ ਆਇਆ ਅਰਧ-ਧੜ ਮੇਰੇ 'ਤੇ ਰੋਇਆ ਸੀ
ਤੇ ਮੈਥੋਂ ਰੋਜ਼ ਪੁੱਛਦਾ ਸੀ ਉਹਦਾ ਕਿਉਂ ਕਤਲ ਹੋਇਆ ਸੀ ?
ਤੇ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਯਾਦ ਕਰਕੇ ਕਈ ਦਫ਼ਾ ਤੇਰੇ 'ਤੇ ਰੋਇਆ ਸੀ
ਤੇ ਤੈਥੋਂ ਵੀ ਉਹ ਪੁੱਛਦਾ ਸੀ ਉਹਦਾ ਕਿਉਂ ਕਤਲ ਹੋਇਆ ਸੀ ?
ਮਾਂ ਦਾ ਕਤਲ ਤਾਂ ਹੋਇਆ ਸੀ, ਮਾਂ ਦਾ ਦਿਲ ਤਾਂ ਮੋਇਆ ਸੀ ।
ਮਾਵਾਂ ਦੇ ਕਦੇ ਵੀ ਦਿਲ ਕਿਸੇ ਤੋਂ ਕਤਲ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੁੰਦੇ
ਪਰ ਤੂੰ ਅੱਜ ਫੇਰ ਮਾਂ ਦੇ ਦਿਲ ਉੱਪਰ ਵਾਰ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ
ਤੇ ਸੁੱਕੀਆਂ ਛਾਤੀਆਂ ਦਾ ਦੁੱਧ ਤਕ ਵੀ ਵੰਡ ਲੀਤਾ ਹੈ ।
ਪਰ ਇਹ ਯਾਦ ਰੱਖ ਮਾਵਾਂ ਦਾ ਦੁੱਧ ਵੰਡਿਆ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾਂਦਾ
ਤੇ ਨਾ ਮਾਵਾਂ ਦੇ ਦੁੱਧ ਦਾ ਦੋਸਤਾ ਕਦੇ ਕਤਲ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ
ਇਹ ਐਸਾ ਦੁੱਧ ਹੈ ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਕਦੇ ਵੀ ਮੌਤ ਨਹੀੰ ਆਉਂਦੀ
ਭਾਵੇਂ ਤਵਾਰੀਖ ਕਈ ਵਾਰ ਹੈ ਦੁੱਧ ਦਾ ਕਤਲ ਵੀ ਚਾਹੁੰਦੀ…
Blood Ties
~
August 15th, 1947 - not only marks India’s independence, but it also highlights the partition of a people into two states. As Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi says, it was the murder of a mother, of a nation united by language, culture, and history.
I come from a Punjabi family, with roots in Lahore (present-day Pakistan) and Amritsar (India). The partition changed, destroyed, ended the lives of thousands. This is an attempt to chronicle my family’s experience during the Partition - in their own voice.
Please play the audio clips as you go.
~
Pitaji
Mr. Satya Pal Bhasin ~ My Nani's father
He was an employee in the Railways, based in Guru Nanak Pura/Ichhra, Lahore. He sent his family (wife, 5 daughters, a son) to Delhi before the partition. He came on the 18th of August, 1947, which happened to be Eid-ul-Fitr.
He passed away in 1991. His experiences, written in his meticulously maintained journal, have been narrated by his son, Brig. J. D. Bhasin.
After his family had left for Delhi, he was called by the police one day to identify the charred bodies of his Uncle Makhan Lal Bhasin, Aunt and cousin Jung Bahadur. They had been burnt alive, while their house was locked from the outside. The bodies were unrecognisable, but he found a
part of the saree worn by his aunt unburnt, buried underneath her body. That is how he was able to
identify the family. He brought three white sheets
to cover their bodies, and took care of their final rites.
It wasn't safe for him to continue living in his own house anymore, so he moved to Mr. Ashwini Kumar's bungalow - a friend who was a police officer.
One day, he went on a tour of Lahore with
Mr. Ashwini Kumar. Many buildings, including
the Tribune Office were completely burnt. They
reached Company Ka Bagh shamshan ghat and saw
that the Nullah surrounding it was full of corpses.
It was a dreadful sight that he could not stomach.
Impacted by his recent family trauma as well, he requested for
them to turn back and return home.
Soon after, another police officer, Mr. Ahmad Khan, moved into Pitaji's house in Guru Nanak Pura. This would have kept the house safe from being looted and burnt - a precaution in case the family would ever have returned.
It was only after Independence that he was able to come to India. With assistance from Mr. Ahmad Khan, he came to "visit his family on casual leave". Carrying a gun for safety, he wore an Achkan style kurta pajamas to give the impression that he was on his way to Aligarh, UP.
A railway employee who Pitaji had helped in the past, Tajuddin, recognised him. He instructed the train driver not to stop, claiming that the commanders of the two countries were aboard the train. This meant the train wouldn't stop at Shahu Ki Gali, where the passengers were routinely massacred.
This instruction was the reason Pitaji was able to see his family again, safely.
There were some "deadly type gundas" at the railway station. The cabin controller, who recognised Pitaji, called out to him as "Bismillah Khan Sahib". He, too, put on a show, drinking water from a leather jug, and proclaimed, "Khuda ka shukr hai, paani toh mila!" This exchange reassured the Gundas, who left soon.
Devi Masi
Ms. Devi Bala Sehgal ~ My Nani's eldest sister
A 15 year old, she fled to India in April 1947 with her sisters and mother, leaving her brother and father behind at Lahore. They stayed with their uncle in Delhi as refugees.
After getting married, she moved to Thailand in 1951.
The riots were in full swing in April 1947. Without any warning, one evening Pitaji rushed his wife and daughters to the railway station and sent them off to his brother's house in Delhi. Not getting a chance to pack, all they carried were clothes for the youngest sister who was 2 months old. They left, not knowing that they would never get to see their home again.
Their aunt's reaction to seeing only the girls, not the eldest brother - you've got all the silver, but the gold you've left behind!
Every day for months, their uncle would go to the railway station hoping to see Pitaji. There were train fulls of corpses, people massacred on their journey. He would look through these dead bodies, not knowing if his brother was alive or not.
Mamaji
Brig. Jai Dev Bhasin (Retd.) - My Nani's eldest sibling
He was 17 years old in 1947. He stayed back in Lahore with his father, while his 5 sisters and mother fled to India.
In time, he joined the Indian Army. At 90 today, he still remains everyone's pillar.
From the terrace of thier house in Guru Nanak Pura, Lahore, they could see the riots all over the city. Mamaji and Devi Masi, the eldest siblings, would guard the house, taking shifts every night.
A dystopic reality, they would stand on the terrace with Ammonia Bottles at the ready, in case of an emergency.
Kanta Nani
Ms. Kanta Soni - My Nanu's Masi (maternal aunt)
She grew up in a Haveli in Phullan Wala Chowk, Amritsar. The siblings were sent to their relatives' houses in Mussourie and Haridwar during the riots.
In Amritsar, 1947, the family had a trusted driver - Manna, who was a Muslim.
One day, some people came looking for Kanta Masi's father, Dr. M. L. Chopra, to kill him.
At that time, Manna saved his life by hiding him inside the car and telling the
rioteers that he was stealing the car.
Rosy Chachiji
Ms. Rosy Renjen ~ My Nanu's eldest Chachiji
Born in Lahore, she came to Akbar Road, Delhi, in 1947 as a 12 year old. She got married at 15 as a naughty teenager. She celebrated her 85th birthday this month (July, 2020). She now lives in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh.
1947
Chachiji came from Lahore with her sisters and mother. Their train was full of people, the journey was very scary and dangerous. They weren't carrying anything with them except for the clothes they were wearing and some jewellery that her mother had tied in a dupatta and fastened to her stomach. This was their only wealth.
1950
With no earning member in the family, they moved from a refugee camp on Akbar Road, Delhi to some other tents. Neater but still unsafe, they stayed there for 3 years.
It was in those tents that she got married. They didn't have any money, so they sold the jewellery to her mother-in-law for the ceremonies.
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A deeply personal, emotional, and insightful project,
made possible with help from my family. I'm grateful.
~