Amritsar Aa Gaya Hai (अमृतसर आ गया है) by Bhisham Sahni; performed by Manish Sabu

In August, 1947, when the British finally left it after 300 years of subjugation, the Indian subcontinent was divided into two independent nations purely based on religion, India and Pakistan. This abrupt partition, and the hastily drawn borders, sometimes running across people's compounds, led to one of the greatest migrations in human history. Nearly 15 million people comprising of Muslims trekking to Pakistan from India and Hindus and Sikhs heading in the opposite direction were displaced overnight. Millions never made it. The railway link between the two countries was a key medium, and was also witness to horrors beyond human comprehension.

Bhisham Sahni, a prominent writer and playwright and winner of the Padma Bhushan for literature, was known for composing many passionate and powerful accounts of these times in his stories and novels. The most famous of them all: Tamas!

Not far behind is his short story Amritsar Aa Gaya Hai that we're presenting in this brand new episode. It is a brilliant portrayal of how people are dehumanized by mass frenzy to a level that they are reduced to either limp helplessness or unreasoning rage. It portrays how, with the crossing of man-made borders, human nature could itself mutate, with the victim becoming an aggressor and the aggressor a victim. Alongside Saadat Hassan Manto's Toba Tek Singh, Amritsar... merits a place of honor in the literature of India's troubled Partition.

This episode is released on 8/8/2020, which marks the 105th birthday of this great writer.

Narrator: Manish Sabu
Music and Background Sound Credit:
Various train sounds, other objects, and "Riots" by A. R. Rahman.