Carrying the Bundle of Partition’s Pain from 1947

On 9 August, a deeply moving article by S. Gurpreet Singh Toor in Punjabi Tribune about the Partition of the country and its devastating consequences confronted me with many questions. The article felt like a text written in tears.

I too had once written a poem with the prayer that 1947 should never return:

Athroo athroo dil da vehra,
Dohan nu samjhave kehra,
Sade palle pai jande
Hauke hanjhu have.
Ajj ardaas karo,
Santali mur na aave.

Lakk lakk hoe bajre charhian,
Ravi kandhe reejhan marian,
Kisnu kaun deve dilbarian,
Addhi sadi guzar ke palle, ajj vi sirf pachhtave.
Ajj ardaas karo,
Santali mur na aave.

Chaudhar te kabaz hai gundi,
Name nu American sundi,
Ajj takk samajh na aai ghundi,
Dharam pankh la udaria etho,
Koi na labhan jave.
Ajj ardaas karo,
Santali mur na aave.

Pai gayi aurh, gayi hariyali,
Chehrian utton udd gayi laali,
Phullan ton bin sunni daali,
Is mausam vich bhala papiha, kehra geet sunave?
Ajj ardaas karo,
Santali mur na aave.

Surkh lahu vich ghulia pani,
Chaati sane udaas madhani,
Kalli tand na uljhi taani,
Jinde ji asin bandio ban gaye, raj takhat de pave.
Ajj ardaas karo,
Santali mur na aave.