~ PARTITION - 14 August 1947, over 10 million people were uprooted from their homeland and travelled on foot, bullock carts and trains to their new home, the newly-created country called Pakistan, the land of the pure. This was the largest mass migration known in world history. This Punjabi poem, by the wonderful Amrita Pritam, is mournful and spine-chilling; it speaks of the destruction of the beautiful Punjabi landscape in the horrific scenes of the Partition of India, particularly destructive to the Punjab state, which was cut to pieces, one half remained in India the other formed part of the new country Pakistan. In the Punjab to this day, the Partition is still referred to as batwaara, literally, torn apart. The poem references the classic love story composed by Waris Shah, Heer Ranjha.I really liked how they used it in the Indian film, Pinjar (it has become one of my favourite films), produced from a short story by Amrita Pritam, and would urge everyone to watch it! 
~ train to Pakistan
~ Muslim refugees travelling towards their newly-created homeland of Pakistan; note the new flag of the fledgling country
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