Amrita Pritam's Novel : "PINJAR", A Saga of Suffering of Women during Pre-partition and Partition times

Amrita Pritam in her writing span of sixty years wrote with words dipped in blood partition Literature has received her gift of poetry compositions, short story volumes and numerous novels of Repute. She had left Lahore and migrated to India during the partition riots. Pritam has won the janpath Award, Sahitya Academy Award, Padma Shri and many other honours. Amrita Pritam is a Woman writer per excellence. She Has carved a niche for herself in The field of partition literature. The work done on Amrita Pritam Stands high especially to study The effects of partition violence And cultural dislocation in her Novel Pinjar. Pinjar was her debut novel, A saga of suffering of women during pre-partition and partition times. She elucidated on the Memory of partition and violence which kept haunting the future generations. With the sudden Division of the country, people were taken unawares and ran helter-skelter for refuge. Innumerable People were rendered homeless overnight.

Hindu girl Pooro in Amrita Pritam’s Pinjar became a victim Of cultural dislocation after she was abducted by Muslim boy Rashid of the neighbouring village Rattoval. At the same time partition violence had started. With the division of the country she found Herself in Pakistani grounds. She had to undergo pangs of separation from her family, village and Country together. Partition created havoc with her life. Rootlessness, isolation and alienation crept Inside Pooro’s mind. The abducted and rape had altered her psyche. The act of brutality left her Shattered and dejected, robbed of her bright future with her fiancé Ramchand. She managed to escape From Rashid’s clutches after fifteen days of captivity but her parents refused to accept her back. Utter hopelessness gripped Pooro.

She had no other alternative but to return to Rashid’s House. By this time Rashid had begun to love Pooro. He was burdened with heavy guilt and was Shameful for his wrongdoing on Pooro. She started living like a skeleton with no interest in life. They Shifted to a new place Sakkar. Here Pooro left like a stray calf in a strange herd of cows. A forced marriage to Rashid converted Pooro into a Muslim suddenly. There were more changes in store for her. Till then Rashid had called her by her proper Hindu Name.

One day he brought a stranger with him and asked his wife to stretch out her arm. The man Tattooed on it the new name she had been given when she was married to Rashid. From that day she was called Hamida by all. The trauma inflicted in Pooro’s psyche made her Spiritless. Her pale skin, listless eyes and smile less face gave her a stoic appearance. She was cheerful Only in her dreams when everyone called her Pooro. In reality, she was neither one nor the other, she was just a skeleton, without a shape or a name. She is haunted by nostalgic memories of her childhood and young age. When She gets pregnant she feels that her body is polluted and as if she is nurturing a worm in her womb. The impact of agony on her mind was so much that she could not even Accept her own child. Again her memories we ignited when she visits her native village along with an Old woman for cure of her weak eyesight. Nostalgia kept her alive in her life. Cultural dislocation results in a loss of identity as with Pooro’s case. She constantly felt she did Not belong to her new home in Pakistan and now the whiplash of fate had made her Muslim. This Brought tears to Hamida’s eyes. Then she began to laugh. This shows her traumatic condition of Mind.

The sufferings of Pooro made her resolute to take a stand for her sister-in-law Lajo who was Abducted during the partition riots. Rashid had a strong feeling that Lajo was abducted in her own Village Rattoval. They searched for her frantically and at last located her by her tattoo. At night Rashid Took Lajo on horseback and saved her from her abductor. This saviour act managed to lessen his guilt of Abducting Pooro. Seeds of love and respect developed in Pooro’s heart on seeing Rashid’s heroic act. She had a last chance to escape to the Indian soil during the Recovery and restoration process. As Lajo Was being handed over, an Indian soldier shouted, ‘All Hindus going over to India, come this side’. But she refused to go. She joined Rashid and clasped her son to her bosom. “My home is now in Pakistan." Whether one is a Hindu girl or a Muslim one, whoever reaches her destination, she carries Along my soul also”. When finally Pooro accepts Pakistan as her Home, she manages to come out of her trauma of dislocation.

CONCLUSION :-

The long-term disastrous effects of the tragedy of partition and its aftermath cast a spell on the Lives of victims. Cultural dislocation altered their lives forever. Amrita Pritam in her novel Pinjar (The Skelton) focuses on the growth of her female characters from submissive to independent. Pooro accepts Pain as a way of life and remains faithful to her husband who is her abductor also.

Thus, Amrita Pritam Added gleam to partition literature by providing the women’s perspective. Pooro in Pinjar a victim of cultural dislocation after partition recoils to life because of her innate resilience. It exhibits her strength In adverse circumstances.