collecting stories

In January 2007 we put out an appeal on the internet requesting stories, poems or photographs concerning what we decided to call 'Children of the Partition.' In 2007 the survivors of the Partition will have been but children in 1947 when the Partition of India began. It is those memories and stories that we are searching for, to share, to record as being just as relevant today as they were 60 years ago. To use in such a way that makes us appreciate, yet accept the sacrifices that people make, the journeys they have to undertake, the new life they have to forge through no fault of their own. We were both overwhelmed and moved by the response that we have had. Here are a few of those stories, for which we must express our gratitude to the contributors for sharing them with us.

Professor O P Juneja wrote;

Being a Child of Partition, I would be happy to share my stories with you.

They are real as I was six when my family migrated to Amritsar from a
village in Sargodha District of West Punjab, now Pakistan.
Just yesterday, I happened to meet the then young Captain (retired as full Colonel from the Indian Army about 25 years ago) who brought all of us in Six army trucks of 16 Punjab Regiment as the commnder of the Refugee Evacuation Unit.
This meeting was most touching as we shared our stories: I then a six
year old kid and he a 26 year old Captain. Comparing notes we found that it was he who single handedly arranged this operation much against the wishes of his superiors. He took this risk to rescue his father who was the Inspecor of Police stationed in Sargodha. This happened soon after India had been partitioned and the political leaders had not made any arrangements to transfer populations from either side. This young Captain was with 16 Punjab Regiment stationed in Sargodha and his father was posted as the Inspector of Police at Sargodha. When he came to know that no arrangements had been made to transfer Hindus from Sargodha, he went to his Commandent and volunteered to conduct this very risky rescue operation. The Commandant gave him six trucks, enough weapons and ammunition and soldiers and rations to start on a non stop journey of 8 long hours.

We kids were hidden among women and told not to cry or ask for food or water. After some time it started raining, the caravan had to stop to provide shelter from rain. Three boys managed to jump out of the truck for drinking water from a way side stream. By the time the soldiers jumped out to save them, one of them was killed by the enemy fire that had ambushed us. With great sorrow and moist eyes, Colonel Saheb told me that he he could not save this boy, the only casuality during this otherwise unblemished operation. I did not have the courage to tell him that the boy he could not save was my real brother, elder to me by two years. Colonel M.M. Bakshi at 83 and Professor O. P. Juneja at 65 meeting at Baroda simply could never think that they would meet each other in such a way to share this secret.

Believe me, it was a heart rendering story to share in the evening of
our lives and we are happy that we did that sharing storie is shearing the wool from the sheep making them fit once again.