Community, State and Gender: On Women's Agency during Partition

Author(s): Urvashi Butalia

Source: Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 28, No. 17 (Apr. 24, 1993), pp. WS12-WS21+WS24
Published by: Economic and Political Weekly
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4399641 .
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Community,
S ta te a nd Ge nd e r
On Wome n's Age ncy d uring
Pa rtition
Urva shi Buta lia
Forfe minists, re trie ving wome n's a ge ncy-just a s re trie ving wome n fromhistory-ha s
me a nt
re covfring
strong,
outspoke n, powe rful wome n who ca n the n formpa rt of the struggle for
libe ra tion. Howe ve r,
a s
e xplora tions
on
the e xpe rie nce s of wome n d uring Pa rtition show, it is d ifficult
to a rrive a t
ge ne ra l
conclusions a bout wome n,
history
a nd the ir a ge ntia l ca pa city. Wome n ha ve ofte n pla ye d out nmultiple
a nd ove rla pping
id e ntitie s. An
und e rsta nd ing of a ge ncy
a lso ne e d s to ta ke into a ccount notions of the mora l ord e r which is
sought
to,be pre se rv-
e d whe n wome n a ct, a s we ll a s the me d ia tion of the fa mily, community, cla ss a nd re ligion.
The focus of this pa pe r is on the re la te d que stions of wome n's a ge ncy a nd viole nce . It first
looks a t pa rticula r
incid e nts tha t took pla ce be fore Pa rtition in Ra wa lpind i, in Ma rch 1947. The se cond se ction e xa mine s how the
ne wly forme d na tion sta te d e a lt with the que stion of wome n a fte r Pa rtition a nd the third , through
me moirs a nd
pe rsona l a ccounts, the re la tionships be twe e n wome n who worke d on
be ha lf of the sta te with the sta te ,a nd the
wome n the y worke d with.
HIS TORICAL e ve nts a re d ifficult to d a te
in a ny pre cise wa y for the ir be ginnings a nd
e nd ings a re not finite . The Pa rtition of
Ind ia into. two countrie s, Ind ia a nd
Pa kista n, is a n e ve nt tha t is sa id to ha ve
ta ke n pla ce in August 1947, ye t its be gin-
nings go much furthe r ba ck into history
a nd its ra mifica tions ha ve not ye t e nd e d .
For ma ,ny of us, who we re first a nd se cond
ge ne ra tioln child re n a fte r Pa rtition,
the
e ve nt live s on in our mind s, not so much
through historica Lre cord s a s through the
ta le s tha t a re told a nd re told , pa rticula r-
ly in north Ind ia n fa milie s, of the horror
a nd bruta lity of the time , the frie nd s a nd
re la tive s who continue to live a cross the
bord e r, the visits to old a nce stra l home s,
much of\this cre a ting a ye a rning for a -
mostly mythica l-ha rmonious pa st whe re
Hind us a nd S ikhs a nd Muslims live d ha p-
pily toge the r, some thing tha t we con-
tinue d to hold on to'in the fa ce of a n
incre a singly communa l pre se nt.
S o ma jor a n e ve nt-d e scriptions of
pra ctica lly a ll communa l strife ha rk ba ck
to it ('it wa s like Pa rtition a ga in' 'we
thought we ha d se e n the worst of it d ur-
ing Pa rtition, ye t. . .) but so ina d e qua te ly
re cord e d . Wha t re cord s we ha ve look a t
Pa rtition mostly in te rms of its constitu-
tiona l history, its gove rnme nt to gove rn-
me nt d e ba te , its a gre e me nts a nd d is-
a gre e me nts be twe e n Ne hru a nd Ga nd hi
a nd Jinna h, the growing d ivid e be twe e n
the Congre ss a nd the MuslimLe a gue a nd
so on. Ha rd ly a ny a tte mpt ha s be e n ma d e
to re cord wha t ord ina ry pe ople , on both
sid e s of thibord e r, e xpe rie nce d a nd we nt
through. Within a short spa ce of time ,
pe rha ps ove rnight,-millions
of pe ople we re
turne d into re fuge e s. How d id the y cope
with this d isloca tion? Wha t d id the y ha ve
a t ha nd tha t e quippe d the mto d e a l with
the tra uma tha t must ha ve a ccompa nie d
the uprooting? How d id the y re build the ir
live s? Wha t he lo d id the sta te provid e ?
Wha t-pa rt d id such re se ttle me nt pla v in
re sha ping or cha nging the sha pe of the
citie s or villa ge s whe re the re fuge e s hia d
se ttle d ? Ind e e d , wha t, if a ny, ha ve be e n
the implica tions of this la rge e xod us or in-
flux of re fuge e s in te rms of communa l
strife ? The se , a nd a host of othe r que s-
tions, re ma in la rge ly una nswe re d tod a y.
If the se ove ra ll e xpe rie nce s re ma in
la rge ly untouche d , the re a re othe r, le sse r
known, e xpe rie nce s tha t lie be ne a th the se ,
tha t ne e d furthe r e xca va tion. The se a re the
e xpe rie nce s of wome n a nd child re n. In a
la rge r work, re se a rche d jointly by S ud e sh
Va id a nd myse lf, we a tte mpt to construct
a kind of pe ople 's history of Pa rtition. But
in this pa pe r, it is the story of wome n-
a nd pa rtia lly tha t of child re n-tha t I
would like to look a t. Much of wha t I sa y
be low is ba se d on our joint work, but the
a na lysis I ma ke or the conclusions I d ra w
a re , of course , mine .
QUES TIONS ABOUT HIS TORY
My own tra je ctory to.this e xplora tion
ha s be e n a pe culia r a nd circuitous one .
But the proce ss tha t ha s le d me to it is,
for me , a s importa nt a s the e xplora tion
itse lf, a nd one which forms pa rt of this
proje ct. I a mnot a historia n; history is not
my subje ct. But I wa s le d to this work
through a proce ss of politica l e nga ge me nt
with history, conte mpora ry communa lism
a nd a ctivismwithin wha t we d e scribe a s
the 'wome n's move me nt. Like most
Punja bis of my ge ne ra tion, I ha ve be e n
brought up on storie s of Pa rtition, storie s
which ha ve ,'in some wa y, inure d ma ny of
us to those ve ry horror$ tha t the y ta lk
a bout. The ne e d to be gin to und e rsta nd
Pa rtition in more d e pth only be ca me re a l
to me a fte r the 1984 a nti-S ikh riots in
which hund re d s of S ikhs we re bruta lly
kille d , a nd by the sXubse que nt e sca la tion
of the Punja b proble m. It wa s a round this
time tha t I a lso be ga n to e xplore my own
fa mily history, which is e qua lly one of
d ivision, with one re la tive be ing le ft
be hind in wha t be ca me Pa kista n, a nd op-
ting to be come a Muslim, a nd the re ope n-
ing of fa mily conta ct with hima fte r more
tha n 40 ye a rs. The se , a nd othe r circum-
sta nce s, ma d e me incre a singly convince d
of the ne e d to a tte mpt to und e rsta nd how
'ord ina ry' pe ople e xpe rie nce d this e ve nt,
which is wha t we ca ll history, in the hope
tha t this would throw some light on the
world we live in tod a y. And while not wa n-
ting to.va lorise or roma nticise e ithe r the
notion of ord ina ry pe ople , or tha t of e x"
pe rie nce , I d id fe e l tha t both forme d pa rt
of the comple x whole we ca ll history.
By this, I d o not me a n to posit the 'ra w
e xpe rie nce s' of 'ord ina ry pe ople ' a ga inst
a ca te gory ca lle d history,for b9th a re not
unproble ma tic conce pts. Cle a rly the re is
no wa y tha t history ca n inqorpora te a ll
e xpe rie nce s a t a ll time s for nich d e pe nd s
on who write s history, whe n it is writte n,
who is writte n a bout
a no
so on. But wha t
be ca me cle a r to me ifte r 1984-a nd
subse que ntly by the incre a sing com-
muna lisa tion of our socie ty-wa s tha t ce r-
ta in kind s of historica l e xplora tions
be come importa nt a t ce rta in time s. Why
ha d the history of Pa rtition be e n so in-
comple te , so sile nt on the e xpe rie nce s of
the thousa nd s of pe ople it a ffe cte d ? Wa s
this just historiogra phica l ne gle ct or
some thing d e e pe r: a fe a r, on the pa rt-of
some historia ns, of re ope ning a tra uma so
profound , so rive n with both pa in a nd
guilt, tha t the y we re re lucta nt to a pproa ch
it? This ha d , for e xa mple , be e n true of the
history of Ge rma n Na zism. And could it
be tha t just a s, for ma ny pe ople , 1984
a cte d a s some sort of ca ta lyst, so a lso for
ma ny historia ns, the re ne we d cxpe rie nce s
of communa l strife , ha ve surfa ce d pe r-
sona l a nd fa mily ngrra tive s, e spe cia lly of
1947. in a wa y tha t pe rha ps ha d not ha p-
WS -12 Economic a nd Politica l We e kly April 24, 1993
pe ne d be fore , thus forcing ma ny of the m
to come fa ce to fa ce with Pa rtition a ga in,
a lbe it in a d iffe re nt wa y. And in d oing so,
to e xpa nd a nd stre tch the d e finition of
wha t we ca ll history? All the se we re que s-
tions tha t le d me to this work. I d o not
cla imhe re to be writing a ne w, a d iffe re nt
history, but me re ly to be ma king a n e x-
plora tion tha t is importa nt to me , a nd tha t
I find d ifficult to ignore .
I a ma wa re , of course , of the ma ny pit-
fa lls in such a n e xe rcise . Expe rie nce itse lf,
for e xa mple , is not a n unproble ma tic
give n. Nor is me mory, the tool tha t I a m
by a nd la rge working with, sa crosa nct.
Just a s e xpe rie nce is me d ia te d through
historica l und e rsta nd ing,.so a lso me mory
is subje ct to se le ction a nd me d ia tion.
Pe ople choose to re me mbe r ce rta in things
d e pe nd ing on who the y a re , how the y a re
pla ce d , the ir cla ss, the ir e conomic a nd
politica l circumsta nce s, the ir ge nd e r a nd
ind e e d the position of the inte rvie we r who
might a ct a s a ca ta lyst for such me morie s.
QUES TIONS ABOUI FENLINNIS M
A se cond route tha t ha s le d me to this
e xplora tion wa s through my work a s a
fe minist a nd a n a ctivist in wome n's ca m-
pa igns. It wa s this tha t le d me , a s ind e e d
it d oe s ma ny of us who a re e nga ge d in the
proce ss of re cove ring wome n fromhistory,
to look spe cifica lly a t wome n d uring Pa r-
tition. Why wa s it tha t we he a rd so. little
a bout the m? We re the y not ve ry much a
pa rt of the millions who ha d suffe re d a nd
be e n ma d e home le ss? How ha d the y e x-
pe rie nce d the a nguish of the d ivision, the
e uphoria of the ne wly-forming na tion?
My a ssumptions we re simple -wome n
must ha ve be e n pa rt of the whole proce ss,
but we he a rd so little a bout the mbe ca use
history, like a ll othe r d iscipline s, is pa tria r-
cha l in na ture , a nd ha d thus ma rgina lise d
wome n.
I be lie ve d the n-a s ind e e d I d o now, but
with ma ny qua lifica tions-tha t in time s
of communa l strife a nd viole nce , wome n
re ma ine d e sse ntia lly non-viole nt, a n
a ssumption tha t, I think, informs much
of the writing on viole nce in history, a s
we ll a s the thinking of fe minist groups.
Ma ny fe minists a sse rt tod a y tha t wome n
a re e sse ntia lly non-viole nt, tha t in com-
muna l strife the y a re a t the re ce iving e nd
of viole nce a s its victims, it is the ir home s'
tha t a re d e stroye d , the ir bod ie s viola te d ,
the ir me n kille d a nd the y a re le ft with the
ta sk of re build ing the community. The
twa pa ssa ge s be l'w, one ta ke n froma n a c-
tivist pa mphle t, provid e e xa mple s of this.
I a ma woma n
I wa nt to ra ise my voice
be ca use communa lisma ffe cts me
In e ve ry communa l riot
my siste rs a re ra pe d
my child re n a re kille d
my. me n a re ta rge te d
my world is d e stroye d
a nd the n
I a mle ft to pick up the pie ce s
to ma ke a ne w life
It ma tte rs little if I a ma Muslim, Hin-
d u or S ikh
a nd ye t I ca nnot he lp my siste rs
for fe a r tha t I ma y be kille d or
tha t the y ma v be ha rme d .'
Viole nce is a lmost a lwa ys instiga te d by
me n, out its gre a te st impa ct is fe lt by
wome n. In viokft conflict, it is wome n
who a re ra pe d , wome n who a re wid ow-
e d , wome n whose child re n a nd husba nd s
a re sa crifice d in the na me of na tiona l
inte grity a nd unity. And for e ve ry fire tha t
is lit, it is wome n whose job it is to pa in-
fully build a future fromthe a she s... We
wome n will ha ve no pa rt of this ma d ne ss,
a nd we will suffe r it no more ... Those
who se e the ir ma nhood in ta king up a rms,
ca n be the prote ctors of no-one a nd
nothing.2
S oon a fte r 1984, whe n I be ga n work on
Pa rtition, much of wha t I found fe ll con-
ve nie ntly into the se pa tte rns. It wa s only
much la te r tha t a d iffe re nt kind of que s-
tioning be ga n. In 1990, 1 pa rticipa te d , a s
pa rt of a n inve stiga tive te a mse nt by the
Pe ople 's Union of De mocra tic Rights
(PUDR) in a fa ct-find ing into Hind u-
Muslimriots in Bha ga lpur whe re more
tha n a thousa nd Muslims we re kille d .
Be lie ving wome n to be the worst victims,
who a lso ha d to fa ce the a d d e d thre a t of
se xua l a ssa ult, this wa s wha t I now be ga n
to look for. Wha t I found wa s some thing
ra the r d iffe re nt. In one insta nce of the
killing of some 55 Muslims in urba n
Bha ga lpur, a Hind u woma n ha d trie d to
prote ct the m, but ha d be e n stoppe d by he r
ne ighbours (a ll wome n) frome ve n giving
wa te r to the d ying a nd wound e d , e ve n
though the y be gge d for it. In a nothe r
insta nce , we he a rd tha t while me n broke
d own house s a fte r a n orgy of killing, the
wome n ca rrie d a wa y the bricks, a ssiste d
the m, wa she d a wa y the blood . A third
insta nce took pla ce in a ' la rge ly Muslim
villa ge whe re a group of wome n a lmost
turne d viole nt whe n the y suspe cte d I wa s
a Hind u. And the se we re only a fe w
insta nce s: tod a y we ha ve innume ra ble
simila r e xa mple s.
The que stion tha t fa ce d me now wa s
one of wome n's a ge ncy, not only tha t of
the ir victimhood . With this ca me othe r
que stions, othe r proble ms. For fe minists,
re trie ving wome n's a ge ncy-just a s re trie v-
ing wome n from history-ha s me a nt
re cove ring strong, outspoke n, powe rful'
wome n who ca n the n formpa rt of our
struggle for libe ra tion. Ind e e d , in our
a nxie ty to re cla impowe rful wome n, we
se e a ny kind of a ge ncy a s positive .3 But
wha t I wa s se e ing he re wa s some thing d if-
fe re nt: the Muslimwome n who que stion-
e d a nd ne a rly a tta cke d me in Bha ga lpur,
or the Hind u wome n who re fuse d to a llow
wa te r to be give n to the d ying a nd wound -
e d , we re ce rta inly e xe rcising a kind of
a ge ncy. Could we , a s fe minists,
se e .
such
a ge ncy a s unproble ma tic a nd e mpowe r-
ing. We re the se wome n, not a llying
the mse ive s with the inte re sts of the ir com-
munity, howe ve r pa tria rcha l, ma le ce ntre d
a nd oppre ssive it ma y ha ve ' be e n? If so,
we re the y not re inforcing pa tria rchie s
within the ii communitie s?
In fe minist circle s I ha d ba re ly con-
sid e re d the possibility tha t ithe re could be
some thing othe r tha n the ir inte re sts a s
wome n, tha t could hold wome n toge the r.
The comple xity of the ir role s, the d if-
ficultie s of s!ruggle -give n the se , we re a b-
se nt frommuich of our d iscussions. Tha t
wome n's loya ltie s could ha ve shifte d , tha t
the y we re not und iffe re ntia te d a nd honio-
ge ne ous, tha t the ir inte re :sts could tie in
with those of the ir me n a rid the ir cla ss-
the se d ime nsions a re tod a v be coming in-
cre a singy importa nt for fe minists to que s-
tion a nd und e rsta nd .
It wa s with the se kind s of que stions tha t
I ca me to the work; on Pa rtition, not with
a ny e xpe cta tion of find ing a nswe rs, but
in the hope tha t the que stions would
pe rha ps re ve a l somne of the comple xitie s
of this ma jor e ve nt which is so much a
pa rt of our live s, a nd .n d oing so, point
to the wa ys in which those of us who a re
involve d in fe minist a nd civil rights a c-
tivitie s a nd ca mpa igns, could be be tte r
e quippe d for wha t is bound to be a long,
a nd in tod a y's post-ma sjid conte xt,
d e spa iring struggle .
My pa pe r is d ivid e d into thre e pa rts.
The first looks a t pa rticula r incid e nts tha t
took pla ce be fore Pa rtition in Ra wa lpind i
in Ma rch 1947. In the se cond se ction I
look a t the ne wly forme d na tion sta te a nd
how it d e a ls with the que stion of wome n
a fte r Pa rtition a nd in ihe third I e xa inine ,
ma inly through me moirs a nd pe rsonia l a c-
counts, the re la tionships be twe e n wcme n
who worke d on be ha lf of the sta te , with
the sta te a nd the wome n the y worke d
with. Although the que stions tha t ne e d
d iscussion a re ma ny, I will focus he re on-
ly on the re la te d que stions of a ge ncy a nd
viole nce .
The Comniuniity
A re sound ing sile nce surround s the
que stion of wome n a nd Pa rtition. It ma y
se e ma truismto sa y this, but it be a rs
re me mbe ring tha t a t le a st ha lf of the
millions who we re d isloca te d , kille d ,
uproote d wve re wome rn. A substa ntia l por-
tion of the ta sk of re conustruction a nd
re build ing fe ll on wome n.
Economic a nd Politica l We e kly April 24, 1993
WS -13
Although not ma ny wome n Figure d in
the ne gotia tions tha t pre ce d e d a nd follow-
e d the bre a kup of Ind ia into two coun-
trie s, some d id figure promine ntly in the
e xe cution of ma ny of the d e cisions-in
pa rticula r Mrid ula S a ra bha i, Pre mva ti
Tha pa r, Ra me shwa ri Ne hru a nd othe rs.
In a d d ition, wome n e xpe rie nce d this e ve nt
in pa rticula r wa ys: thousa nd s of wome n
on both sid e s of the ne wly forme d bord e rs
(e stima te s ra nge from25,000 to 29,000
Hind u a nd S ikh wome n a nd 12,000 to 15,000
Muslimwome n) we re a bd ucte d , ra pe d ,
force d to conve rt, force d into ma rria ge ,
force d ba ck into wha t the two sta te s d e fin-
e d a s 'the ir prope r home s' torn a pa rt
fromthe ir fa milie s once d uring Pa rtition
by those who a bd ucte d 'the m, a nd a ga in,
a fte r Pa rtition, by the sta te which trie d to
're cove r' a nd 're ha bilita te ' the m. Untold
numbe rs of wome n, pa rticula rly in S ikh
fa milie s, we re kille d ('ma rtyre d ' is the te rm
tha t is use d ) by the ir kinsme n in ord e r to
'prote ct' the m from be ing conve rte d ,
pe rha ps e qua l numbe rs of the mkille d
the mse lve s. The viole nce wome n e x-
pe rie nce d took pa rticula r forms: the re a re
a ccounts of innume ra ble ra pe s, of wome n
be ing strippe d na ke d a nd pa ra d e d d own
stre e ts, of the ir bre a sts be ing cut off, of
the ir bod ie s be ing ca rve d with re ligious
symbols of the othe r community.4-And
the n the re a re othe r, le ss obvious, tra uma s:
for ma ny, pa rticula rly mid d le cla ss
wome n, the d isloca tion me a nt tha t the op-
tion of ma rria ge , suppose d ly a pa rt of
'norma l' e ve ryd a y socie ty, wa s close d off,
a nd the y ha d to live a lone , or a s 'spinste rs'
with the ir fa milie s, othe rs we re wid owe d ,
a long with losing the ir home s a nd posse s-
sions, a nd we re le ft to build live s on the ir
own, some thing tha t ma ny of the mwe re
ill-e quippe d for. S e ve ra l ha d to spe nd the ir
live s in wome n's home s, pe rma ne nt
re fuge e s, a nd ma ny a re still a live tod a y,
the ir storie s still untold .
Whe n we be ga n our inve stiga tions-in
a ra the r ra nd omwa y,-we we re le d , first
of a ll, to the incid e nts of Ma rch 1947,
some months be fore Pa rtition,,tha t took
pla ce in a numbe r of S ikh villa ge s a round
Ra wa lpind i-Tha ma li, Thoa Kha lsa ,
Dobe ra n, Choa Kha lsa , Ka lla r, Ma tor a nd
othe rs. He re , d uring a n e ight-d a y pe riod
fromMa rch 6 to 13 much of the S ikh
popula tion wa s kille d , house s we re
d e cima te d , gurud wa ra s d e stroye d (figure s
of pe ople kille d a re in the re gion of
4,000 to 5,000).5 In one of the se villa ge s,
Thoa Kha lsa , some 90 wome n thre w
the mse lve s into a we ll in ord e r to pre se rve
the 'sa nctity' a nd 'purity' Qf the ir re ligion,
a s othe rwise the y would ha ve ha d to fa ce
conve rsion. A sma ll community of sur-
vivors fromthe se villa ge s still live s in
De lhi a nd ke e ps a live the me mory of the
d e a ths by hold ing a re me mbra nce se rvice
*in the loca l gurud wa ra e ve ry ye a r. He re ,
the incid e nts of tha t we e k a re re counte d
by survivors a nd the ta le s of the wome n's
sa crifice occupy a promine nt pla ce in the
ce re mony. It is the y who a re se e n to ha ve
uphe ld , by offe ring the mse lve s up for
d e a th, a nd more pa rticula rly 'he roic'
d e a th, the 'honour' of the commujnity.
He re is one such a ccount froma survivor:
... in Gula b S ingh's ha ve li 26 girls ha d
be e n put a sid e . First of a ll my fa the r, S a nt
Ra ja S ingh, whe n he brought his d a ughte r,
he brought he r into the courtya rd to kill
he r, first of a ll he pia ye d (he d id 'a rd a a s')
sa ying 'sa cche
ba .d sha h'
we ha ve not
a llowe d your S ikhi to ge t sta ine d , a nid in
ord e r to sa ve it we a re going to sa crifice
our d a ughte rs, ma ke the mma rtyrs, ple a se
forgive us..
The n the re wa s one ma n who use d to d o
coolie work in our villa ge . He move d for-
wa rd a nd ... ca ught his [the fa ihe r's] fe e t
a nd he sa id , bha pa ji, first you kill me
be ca use my kne e s a re swolle n a nd I won't
be a ble to run a wa y a nd the Musa lma a ns
will ca tch hold of me a nd ma ke me into
a Musa lma a n. S o my fa the r imme d ia te ly
hit himwith his kirpa n a nd took his he a d
off... [the n] Na nd S ingh Dhe e r, he sa id
to my fa the r, Ra ja S inga , ple a se ma rtyr
me first be ca use my sons live in La hore ...
d o you think I will a llow the Musa lma a ns
to cut this be a rd of mine a nd nia ke me go
to La hore a s a she ikh. For this re a son kill
me . My fa the r the n kille d him. He kille d
two a nd the third wa s my siste r Ma a n
Ka ur.. my siste r ca me , a nd sa t in front
of my fa the r, a nd I stood the re , right ne xt
to my fa the r, clutching on to his kurta a s
child re n d o, I wa s clinging to him.., but
whe n my fa the r swung the kirpa n--'-!va a r
kita ' pe rha ps some d oubt or fe a r ca me
into his mind , or pe rha ps the kirpa n got
stuck in he r d upa tta ... no one ca n sa y...
it wa s such a frighte ning, such a fe a rful
sce ne . The n my siste r, with he r own ha nd s
move d he r d upa tta a sid e a nd the n he
swung the kirpa n a nd he r he a d a nd ne ck
rolle d off a nd fe ll. . . the re . . . fa r a wa y.
I cre pt d ownsta irs, we e ping, sobbing a nd
a ll the while I could he a r the re gula r swing
a nd hit of the kirpa ns... twe nty-five girls
we re kille d , the y we re cut. One girl, my
ta ya 's d a ughte r-in-la w, who wa s pre g-
ha nt... .some how she d id n't ge t kille d a nd
la te r my ta ya 's son shot he r with a
pistol ... [but she ] wa s sa ve d . S he told us,
kill me , I will not survive ... I ha ve a child
in my womb... she wa s wound e d in the
stoma ch, the re wa s a la rge hole from
which blood wa s flowing. The n my
mothe r a nd my 'phupa d ' sa t toge the r a nd
Ha rna mKa ur sa id to the m-he r na me
wa s Ha rna mKa ur- he sa id give me some
opium. We a rra nge d for opium, pe oplc
use d to e a t it those d a ys. . . in a la d le we
mixe d opiumwith sa liva ... S he sa id the
'ja pji sa a b pa th'. . . just a s the 'ja pji pa th
bhog' took pla ce so d id he r bhog. Com-
ple te ly a s if she wa s pre pa re d tor d e t. ....
fe w pe ople ca n d o tha t ... she ha d d e a th
in he r control a nd it wa s only whe n she
wa nte d it tha t d e a th took he r. For ne a rly
ha lf a n hour she d id the pa th ... ha lf a n
hour a nd the n a s she spoke he r la st 'shlok:
she a lso e nd e d . S he kne w she would
d ie ... so much control... ove r d e a th.'
The re a re a ny numbe r of such storie s,
of both me n a nd wome n-,a lthough the
numbe rs of wome n a re much ia rge r tha n
those of me n-offe ring the mse lve s up for
d e a th, or simply be ing kille d , in a n a t-
te mpt to prote ct the 'purity' a nd 'sa ncti-
ty' of the re ligion. While most a ble -bod ie d
me n fe lt the y could go out a nd fight, a nd
kill if ne ce ssa ry, for the wome n, child re n
a nd the old a nd we a k, a ma rtyr's d e a th
se e me d to be the only option pre fe ra ble
to conve rsion to the 'othe r' re ligion. A
se cond story re la te s to a d iffe re nt incid e nt
fromthe sa me villa ge :
One more story fiomour villa ge .... in the
morcha whe n the milita ry ca me ... no, the
milita ry d id not come ... pe ople we re col-
le cting... whe n I we nt the re the re wa s one
Ha ri S ingh, he signa lle d to me to ge t
out. .. like this, ge t out, ge t out ... he wa s
sitting like this a nd he wa s signa lling to
me tha t the Musa lma a ns ha d cut his
tongue off, he ha d re fuse d to be come a
Musa lma a n. The n we le ft the morcha a nd
we a ll we nt to the ba nks of the rive r whe re
we colle cte d . The re wa s a we ll the re . . . a t
the we ll S a rd a rni Gula b Ka ur... in my
pre se nce sa id 'sa cche ba d sha h: le t us be
a ble to sa ve our girls... this incid e nt of
25 girls of our house hold ha d a lre a d y
ta ke n pla ce [25 girls ha d be e n
kille d ]...
so she kne w tha t S a nt Ra ja S ingh ha d kill-
e d his d a ughte rs a nd othe r wome n of his
house hold ... those tha t a re le ft, we
should not risk the ir live s a nd a llow the m
to be ta ke n a wa y... so, a t the we ll, a fte r
ha ving ta lke d a mong the mse lve s a nd
d e cid e d , the y sa id , we a re thirsty, we ne e d
wa te r, so the Musa lma a ns took the mto
the we ll. . . I wa s sitting with my mothe r,
this incid e nt of the 25 wome n ha d ta ke n
pla ce , we ha d come out of the morcha ...
so sitting a t the we ll, Ma ta La jwa nti, who
wa s a lso ca lle d S 4rd a rni Gula b S ingh, sit-
ting a t the we ll, she sa id two word s, she
d id a rd a a s in two word s, sa ying 'sa cche
ba d sha h', it is to sa ve S ikhi tha t we a re of-.
fe ring up our live s. . . forgive us a nd a c-
ce pt our ma rtyrd om. . . a nd sa ying those
word s, she jumpe d into the we ll, a nd some
e ighty wome n followe d he r,.. the y a lso
jumpe d in. The we ll fille d up coniple te -
ly... one woma n whose na me is Ba sa nt
Ka ur, six child re n born of he r womb d ie d
in tha t we ll, but she survive d . S he jumpe d
in four time s but the we ll ha d fille d up...
she would jump in, the n come out, the n
jump in a ga in... she would look a t he r
child re n, a t he rse lf... till tod a y I think
she is a live .'
For se ve ra l d a ys a ftfr the se villa ge s we re
surround e d a nd und e r a tta ck, the pe ople
WS -14
Economic a nd Politica l We e kly April 24, 1993
ha d be e n hid ing out in wha t the y fe lt we re
'sa fe ' pla ce s: la rge house s a nd gurud -
wa ra s. Ne gotia tions we re curre nt a t the
time for the re le a se of the villa ge rs in e x-
cha nge for mone y a nd a rms. In Thoa
Kha lsa in pa rticula r,-e ve n d uring the time
tha t the wome n a nd child re n ha d be e n
she lte ring in the gurud wa ra , se ve ra l ha d
be e n kille d by the ir fa milie s, who fe a re d
d a nge r a nd conve rsion. Thus for the 90
wome n who thre w the mse lve s into a we ll,
the ste p the y took wa s one for which a n
'a tmosphe re ' for wa nt of a be tte r
word -ha d a lre a d y be e n cre a te d by the
community in the pre ce d ing we e k. It is
a ga inst this ba ckd rop tha t we ne e d to se e
the ir d e cision. Ba sa nt Ka ur, a gra nd -
mothe r tod a y, wa s pre se nt in Thoa Kha lsa
whe n the wome n took the d e cision to
d rown the mse lve s. S he re me mbe rs the
time , a fte r the incid e nt, whe n the y we re
fina lly re scue d by the milita ry a nd ta ke n
to Ra wa t:
The y brought us the re . Fromthe re ... you
know the re wa s no pla ce ... nothing to
e a t, some pe ople we re e a ting close by but
whe re could I give the child re n a nything
from... 1 ha d ba re ly a fe w pa ise ... my
e ld e r son ha d a 'd uva nni' (two a nna s) with
him, we thought we would use tha t .., my
brothe r's child re n we re a lso hungry ... but
the n the y sa id the d uva nni wa s no good
('khoti')...
[we e ping] such d ifficultie s...
nothing to e a t, we ha d to fill the ir
stoma chs. . . tod a y the y would ha ve be e n
ra nis... so ma ny of the m, je tha nis,
child re n... I wa s the younge st. . . now I
sit a t home a nd mny child re n a re out
working a nd I ke e p te lling the mthe se
storie s... the y a re storie s a fte r a ll .., a nd
you te ll the ma nd te ll the muntil you lose
consciousne ss...
8
S torie s of this kind of ma ss suicid e , or of
wome n be ing kille d by the ir own fa milie s,
a re le gion. How d o we re a d the se a c-
counts? Are the wome n be ing spoke n of
he re a ge nts or victims? Ca n the a ct of
ma ss d e a th by jumping into a we ll be se e n
a s a viole nt one or not? The se a re not e a sy
que stions to a nswe r.
At one le ve l the . a ssumptions a bout
wome n's non-viole nce a nd the ir be ing vic-
tims a re true .e nough. We ca n re a d this in-
to wha te ve r a ccounts a nd re cord s we ha vt
Whe n we look a t the wome n in Punja b
d uring Pa rtition we se e , quite simply, the
viole nce the y suffe re d . The a bd uction a nd
ra pe is pa rt of this (se e be low for a d e ta il-
e d d iscussion), a s a re the d e a ths a t the
ha nd s of the ir own fa milie s a nd ofte n a t
the ir own ha nd s. Ma ny wome n we re
humnilia te d in d iffe re nt wa ys-the ir bre a sts
a nd nose s we re cut off, the ir bod ie s bra nd -
e d with signs a nd symbols of the 'othe r'
re ligion, pre gna nt wome n we re forcibly
a borte d , a nd ofte n wome n we re ma d e to
strip na ke d a nd we re pa ra d e d through the
crowvd e d stre e ts of towns a nd citie s. Wha t
sta tistics we ha ve a re both shocking a nd
horrifying: in Dobe ra n 70 wome n we re a b-
d ucte d , in Ka huta this figure wa s a s high
a s 500, in Ha ria l 40, in Ta inch 30, in
Ba ma li 105, in Ra ja r 95 a nd it is sa id tha t
in Ra wa lpind i a lone a bout 400-500
wome n we re a bd ucte d .9 Not only this,
a bd ucte d wome n we re ofte n sold from
ha nd to ha nd a nd we re ill use d by the ir
ca ptors. Anis Kid wa i re cord s:
We ha ve consid e ra ble e vid e nce be fore us
to show tha t 75 pe r ce nt of the girls a re
still (proba bly in 1949) be ing sold from
one ma n to a nothe r. frhe se j girls of te nd e r
ye a rs ha ve not be e n a ble to se ttle d own
a nywhe re , nor will the y be a ble to se ttle
d own for ma ny ye a rs. The ir youth is be -
ing sold for a fe w thousa nd , a nd lustful
me n, ha ving sa tisfie d the ir lust for a while ,
be gin to think of the mone ta ry be ne fit
tha t could come fromthe ir sa le .|"
But wha t of the wome n who took the ir
own live s, or who 'offe re d ' the mse lve s up
for d e a th? Ca n we se e the monly a s vic-
tims? Or d id the y the mse lve s pla y some
pa rt in the d e cision to ta ke the ir own live s?
A gla nce a t the pa rticuia r conte xt of Thoa
Kha lsa yie ld s some inte re sting insights.
The villa ge wa s und e r a tta ck for e ight
d a ys, fromMa rch 6 to Ma rch 13, the d a y
on which the ma ss d rowning took pla ce ,
a nd for the se six d a ys pra ctica lly e ve ryone
in the villa ge wa s a wa re of the d iscussions
a nd ne gotia tions tha t we re going on. If
we a re to be lie ve the a ccounts of the sur-
vivors, the d e cision to d rown the mse lve s
wa s ta ke n by the wome n, a nd wa s spe a r-
he a d e d by S a rd a rni Gula b Ka ur, othe rwise
known a s La jja wa nti. It is t-rue tha t most
of the survivors we spoke to a re ma le , but
e ve n in Ba sa nt Ka ur's a ccount, while she
grie ve s ove r the loss of live s, she ne ve r
once que stions the d e cision a f the wome n.
Ca n we the re fore a sk tha t whe n the y took
the d e cision to jump into the we ll the
wome n of Thoa Kha lsa we re not me re vic-
tims but tha t the y we re a cting upon some
kind of a pe rce ive d notion of the good of
the ir community, tha t the y sa w the ir a ct
a s be ing pa rt of this? Tha t in d oing so
the y sha re d , in some wa y, the va lue s of the
me n, tha t the honour of the community
lie s in 'prote cting' its wome n fromthe
pa tria rcha l viole nce (for e xa mple ra pe a nd
se xua l a ssa ult, or worse conve rsion) of the
othe r community; the na tura l prote ctors
he re e a re the pa tria rchs, the me n, but a t
this pa rticula r historica l juncture , sur-
round e d a s the y a re by hord e s of pote n-
tia l kille rs, the y a re una ble to offe r such
prote ction. The wome n thus, one ca n
pe rha ps sa y, could we ll ha ve conse nte d to
the ir own d e a ths, in ord e r to pre se rve the
honour of the community. The re is, a s
the re must be in a ll such pa tria rcha l 'con-
se nt' on the pa rt of wome n, a n e le me nt
of choice he re . But while for some this
ma y ha ve be e n a choice , for othe rs the
'd e cision' must ha ve be e n one the y fe lt
'compe lle d ' to ta ke ' be ca use of the pa r-
ticula r circumsta nce s of the situa tion.
He re , the wome n a re thus simulta ne -
ously a ge nts a nd victims, a nd I would like
the n to pose a furthe r que stion. On whose
be ha lf we re the y a cting: on the ir own, or
on be ha lf of the ir
commttnity? In this
pa rticula r insta nce it se e ms, to be the
honour of the community tha t se e ms to
be a t work. It is pe rha ps for this re a son
tha t this pa rticula r kind of a ge ncy, this
spe cific kind of viole nce , be come s some -
thing to be ce le bra te d a s 'he roic'. As we
sha ll se e in the ne xt se ction, a d iffe re nt
kind of a ge ncy (whe n wome n a ct on the ir
own be ha lf) be come s a subje ct for colle c-
tive ce nsorship, some thing to be cove re d
by a ve il of sile nce a nd
some thing tha t
ca lls for the sta te to a ssume the role of
the pa tria rch a nd the fa mily. But be fore
I go on to d iscuss tha t I wa nt to look
brie fly a t the que stion of viole nce .
This a ct of ma ss d rowning ca n a lso be
se e n a s a viole nt one . If wome n a re , a s is
ofte n be lie ve d , e sse ntia lly non-viole nt,
how d o we e xpla in such a n a ct? I would
like to sugge st he re tha t the ma nne r in
which the se 90 wome n chose to d ie wa s
no le ss viole nt, a lthough ce rta inly d if-
fe re nt, fromthe ge ne ra lly visible viole nce
tha t forme d pa rt of Pa rtition. But so
pa tria rcha l a re notions of viole nce , tha t
we only se e it a s re la ting to me n. And so
communa lise d ha ve such notions be come ,
tha t we only se e viole nce a s re la ting to the
'othe r' the 'a ggre ssor'. This obscutis
se ve ra l things: ma ny wome n of Hind u a nd
S ikh communitie s must ha ve / se e n the ir
own me n a s be ing pe rpe tra tors of viole nce
towa rd s the m: for just a s the re we re
'volunta ry' suicid e s, so a lso the re we re
ma ss murd e rs. Equa lly, for me n of the ir
own
communitie s, wome n's pote ntia l for
viole nce (which the Thoa Kha lsa incid e nt
provid e s a n insta nce of), or the ir a ge ncy
in this re spe ct, ha s to be conta ine d , to be
circumscribe d . The y ca nnot the re fore be
na me d a s viole nt be ings, a s ha ving a ge n-
tia l ca pa city. This is why the ir a ct ha s to
be inve ste d with va lour: wome n ha ve to
be ke pt within the ir 'a uka t' tha t is one
tha t d e fine s the ma s non-viole nt.
I wa nt to sugge st tha t viole nce is nof
only the killing a nd looting tha t is so
much a pa rt of communa l strife , but tha t
a cts such a s the se (the ma ss d rowning) a re
a lso viole nt a cts, whose mmifica tions,
pa rticula rly in te rms of the ir symbolic im-
porta nce , a re , if a nything, much wid e r a nd
d e e pe r tha n those of wha t one might,
ra the r cynica lly, te rmthe 'routine ' viole nce
of communa l strife . This, I would submit,
is pa rt of the viole nce of communitie s, in
which both me n a nd wome n a re involve d ,
a nd ind e e d pa rt of the pa tria rchie s tha t
Econortfic a nd . Politica l We e kly April 24, 1993
WS -15
a re e mbe d d e d in the se communitie s,
which both me n a nd wome n he lp to build
a nd susta in.
Give n this, one might a sk why the myth
of wome n's non-viole nce pe rsists. In ma ny
of our Pa rtition inte rvie ws we found tha t
wome n ha d be e n quite upfront in ta king
up a rms a nd fighting, a lthough the se we re
isola te d incid e nts. The y a lso forme d pa rt
of the MuslimLe a gue Na tiona l Gua rd ,
which wa s sa id to ha ve be e n instrume nta l
in the Ra wa lpind i killings. But the se a re
the d ire ct a cts of viole nce . In the re me m-
bra nce ritua ls for the Thoa Kha lsa inci-
d e nt tod a y, it is wome n who be come the
symbols of the honour of the fa mily a nd
community, a nd the ir a ct of offe ring
the mse lve s up for d e a th be come s a n
honoura ble one , not only be ca use the y
ha ve 'sa ve d ' the mse lve s fromconve rsion
to the 'othe r' re ligion, but a lso be ca use by
d oing so, the y ha ve sa ve d the community
fromd ishonour a nd 'd ilution' of its
purity, which could ha ve ha ppe ne d only
through the m. Dive ste d of viole nce a nd
of a ge ncy, this a ct ca n the n be loca te d in
the comforta ble re a lmof victimhood a nd
non-viole nce . In the ne xt se ction, which
d e a ls with the sta te , I will a tte mpt to
e xplore a nothe r d ime nsion of the que stion
of wome n's a ge ncy a nd viole nce .
II
The S ta te
I would like to sta rt this se cond se ction
of my pa pe r with a quote froma ne ws-
pa pe r re port fromMa rch 1947 which
re la te s to the incid e nt a bove .
The story of 90 wome n of the little villa ge
of Thoa Kha lsa , Ra wa lpind i d istrict...
who d rowne d the mse lve s by jumping into
a we ll d uring the re ce nt d isturba nce s ha s
stirre d the ima gina tion of the pe ople of
Punja b. The y re vive d the Ra jput tra d ition
of se lf-immola tion whe n the ir me nfolk
we re no longe r a ble to d e fe nd the m. The y
a lso followe d Mr Ga nd hi's a d vice to
Ind ia n wome n tha t in ce rta in circum-
sta nce s e ve n suicid e wa s mora lly pre fe ra ble
to submission.
. . . About a month a go, a communa l a rmy
a rme d with sticks, tommy guns a nd ha nd -
gre na d e s surround e d the villa ge . The
villa ge rs d e fe nd e d the mse lve s a s be st the y
could ... but in the e nd the y ha d to ra ise
the white fla g. Ne gotia tions followe d . A
sumof Rs 10,000 wa s d e ma nd e d ... it wa s
promptly pa id . The intrud e rs ga ve sole mn
a ssura nce tha t the y would not come ba ck.
The - promise wa s broke n the ne xt d a y.
The y re turne d to d e ma nd more mone y
a nd in the proce ss ha cke d to d e a th 40 of
the d e fe nd e rs. He a vily outnumbe re d , the y
we re una ble to re sist the onsla ught. The ir
wome n he ld a hurrie d me e ting a nd cop-
clud e d tha t a ll wa s lost but the ir honour.
Nine ty wome n jumpe d into the sma ll we lL-
Only thre e we re sa ve d -the re wa s not
e nough wa te r in the we ll to d rown the m
a ll.
-The S ta te sma n, Ma rch 15, 1947.
While one kind of viole nce wa s
va lorise d -a nd continue s to be so in the
re me mbra nce ritua ls tha t a re pe rforme d
in gurud wa ra s e ve ry ye a r-a nd wome n's
'ma rtyrd om' spoke n of in glowing te rms,
a nothe r be ca me a ca use for sta te conce rn
a nd wa s tre a te d ra the r d iffe re ntly. On
De ce mbe r 6, 1947- a ba re thre e -a nd -a -
ha lf months a fte r Pa rtition the two
ne wly-forme d na tions ca me to a n a gre e -
me nt on the que stion of 're cove ring' those
wome n who ha d be e n a bd ucte d ', a nd
're ha bilita ting' the m in the ir 'na tive '
pla ce s. This voca bula ry of re cove ry,
re ha bilita tion, home la nd wa s a ctua lly a
e uphe mismfor re turning Hind u a nd S ikh
wome n to the Hind u a nd S ikh fold , a nd
Muslimwome n to the Muslimfold . On
this point-tha t this wa s wha t wa s to be
d one -both countrie s we re a gre e d . Thus
e ve n for a se lf-d e fine d se cula r na tion
(Ind ia ) the na tura l pla ce /home la nd for
wome n wa s d e fine d in re ligious, ind e e d
communa l te rms, the re by pointing to a
d issona nce /d isjunction be twe e n its pro-
fe sse d ly se cula r rhe toric (a lthough se ctxla r
wa s a lso re a lly und e rstood in re ligious
te rms) a nd its a ctive ly communa l (i e , re li-
gious) id e ntifica tion of wome n. Wome n
who ha d be e n ta ke n a wa y by the 'othe r'
community ha d to be brought ba ck to
the ir 'own' community, the ir 'own'
home la nd : both conce pts tha t we re
d e fine d for wome n by the me n of the
re spe ctive countrie s. The y d id not ha ve a
choice .
The a gre e me nt a rrive d a t be twe e n the
two na tions wa s known a s the Inte r Domi-
nion Tre a ty, which wa s la te r e na cte d a s a n
a ct of pa rlia me nt, the forme r possibly
a mong the first of the a gre e me nts be twe e n
the othe rwise two hostile na tions. The
ge ne sis of the tre a ty wa s not quite cle a r
a nd Anis Kid wa i ma ke s a re fe re nce to
this be ing initia te d by Mrid ula S a ra bha i
though it d oe s se e m d oubtful tha t
S a ra bha i could ha ve pe rsua d e d both
gove rnme nts to d o this.
The te rms of the tre a ty we re cle a r:
wome n on both sid e s of the bord e r who
ha d be e n a bd ucte d we re to be forcibly
re cove re d a nd re store d to the ir fa milie s.
S ome of the cla use s we re a s follows:
(I) Eve ry e ffort must be ma d e to re cove r
a nd re store a bd ucte d wome n a nd child re n
within the shorte st time possible .
(2) Conve rsions by pe rsons a bd ucte d
a fte r Ma rch 1947 (*) will not be re cognise d
a nd a ll such pe rsons must be re store d to
the ir re spe ctive Dominjons. The wishe s of
the pe rsons conce rne d a re irre le va nt a nd
nonse que ntly no sta te mPe nts of such
pe rsons should be re cord e d be fore tna gis-
Ira te s. (* footnote a bout pe rsons e qua l-
ling wome n, no re cord s of me n).
(3) The prima ry re sponsibility for
re cove ry of a bd ucte d pe rsons will re st with
the loca l police who must put full e ffort
in this ma tte r. Good work d one by police
office rs in this re spe ct will be re wa rd e d . by
promotion or ca sh a wa rd s (*** footnote
a bout e xa gge ra te d figs, re wa rd s, tra d ing
a chie ve me nts).
(4) MEOs [milita ry e va cua tion office rs]
will re nd e r e ve ry a ssista nce by provid ing
gua rd s in the tra nsit ca mps a nd e scorts for
the tra nsport of re cove re d pe rsons from
the Tra nsit ca mp to the ir re spe ctive
Dominions.
(5) S ocia l worke rs will be a ssocia te d a c-
tive ly with the sche me . The y will look a fte r
the ca mp a rra nge me nts a nd re ce ive the a b-
d ucte d pe rsons in the ir own Dominions.
The y will a lso colle ct full informa tion
re quire d a bout pe rsons to be re cove re d
a nd supply it to the inspe ctor ge ne ra l of
police a nd the loca l S P.
(6) The DLOs will se t up tra nsit ca rnp!
in consulta tion with the loca l De puty
Commissione rs a nd the public worke rs
a nd supply informa tionn re ga rd ing a b-
d ucte d pe rsons to be re cove re d .
(7) Co-ord ina tion be twe e n the d iffe re nt
a ge ncie s working in the d istrict will be
se cure d by a we e kly confe re nce be twe e n
the supe rinte nd e nt of police , a nd loca l
MEO office r, the d istrict lia ison office r
a nd the d e puty commissione r. At this
me e ting progre ss a chie ve d will be re vie we d
a nd e ve ry e ffort will be ma d e to solve a ny
d ifficulty e xpe rie nce d ."
Although the te rms of the a gre e me nt
re fe r ca re fully a nd consiste ntly (e xce pt in
Cla use I) to
'pe rsons'.
wha t is be ing
d iscusse d he re is the fa te of wome n. This
is quite cle a r fromthe a ctivity tha t
followe d , whe re la rge -sca le re scue e fforts
we re mounte d to loca te a nd re ha bilita te
wome n. Little a tte ntion wa s pa id to me n
in this re ga rd , pre suma bly be ca use the y
we re a ble to ma ke the ir own d e cisions. I
ha ve be e n a ble to find no re cord a t a ll of
simila r re cove ry of me n, a nd a lthough
the re wa s some d iscussion on child re n
(be ca use cle a rly the y complica te d the
picture consid e ra bly) it wa s fa irly cursory,
give n pa rticula rly tha t the y we re a mong
the fore most victims of such d isloca tion,
viole nce a nd tra uma . Anis Kid wa i d oe s
me ntion tha t some sort of pre ssure wa s
brought to be a r on Muslimfa milie s in
De lhi to move to Pa kista n, but this wa s
quite d iffe re nt fromle gisla ting on the
issue , which is wha t wa s d one for wome n.
The ke y office rs who we re cha rge d with
the re sponsibility of re scuing a bd ucte d
wome n we re the mse lve s wome n. Mrid ula
S a ra bha i wa s put in ove ra ll cha rge of the
ope ra tion a nd a ssisting he r (or othe rwise
involve d in the ope ra tion) we re a numbe r
of othe r wome n: Ra me shwa ri Ne hru,
S ushila Na yya r, Pre mva ti Tha pa r, Bha g
WS -16
Economic a nd Politica l We e kly
April 24, 1993
Me hta , Ka mla be n Pa te l, Da mya nti
S a hgha l, Anis Kid wa i a nd othe rs. The se
wome n socia l worke rs we re a ssiste d by the
police of the country the y worke d in, a s
we ll a s (in the ca se of Ind ia ) by Ind ia n
worke rs. Eve ry time a re scue ope ra tion
wa s to be mounte d , a woma n office r wa s
re quire d to go a long, a ccompa nie d by the
police a nd othe rs. In the e ye s of the sta te ,
the wome n we re be tte r pla ce d to ha nd le
the d e lica cy of the situa tion, a nd to 'pe r-
sua d e ' those who we re re lucta nt to give up
the ir ne w home s, to re turn to the na tiona l-
pa re nta l fold . 'Pe rsua sion' wa s cle a rly a
e uphe mism, since the a gre e me nt ha d
ca te gorica lly sta te d tha t the wome n's
wishe s we re of no conse que nce . The
fe e ling tha t wome n would be be tte r
qua lifie d to ha nd le such a 'd e lica te ' ta sk
wa s a lso sha re d by some ke y wome n (Pa d -
mini S e n, Mrid ula S a ra bha i) who insiste d
tha t wome n should be se nt to re scue
wome n.
Tha t the sta te wa s fully a wa re of the
d e lica cy of the ta sk is pointe d out by the
following: the 16th me e ting of the Pa rti-
tion Council ha d d e cid e d , in e a rly 1948,
tha t both Dominions should ta ke cha rge
of re fuge e s in the ir a re a s a nd tha t no
re fuge e s should be force d to re turn to the ir
own a re a s unle ss a nd until it wa s cle a r tha t
comple te se curity ha d be e n re store d a nd
the sta te wa s re a d y to re sume re spon-
sibility for the m. But for wome n the y sa id :
The Ministry of Re lie f a nd Re ha bilita tion
ha s se t up a Fa ct Find ing Bra nch in con-
sulta tion with the Re d Cross, a n Enquiry
a nd S e a rch Committe e with the spe cia l
obje ctive of tra cing a bd ucte d wome n.
Alre a d y 23,000 na me s ha ve be e n give n to
Pa kista n. For the re cove ry of a bd ucte d
wome n the gove rnme nt d e pe nd s a t pre se nt
on the a ctive a ssista nce of milita ry
a uthoritie s, d istrict a uthoritie s, wome n
a nd socia l wvorke rs a nd promine nt
pe rsons.
Conce rte d e fforts continue to be ma d e
for the re cove ry of a bd ucte d a nd forcibly
conve rte d pe rsons. On De ce mbe r 6 a con-
fe re nce of both Dominions wa s he ld a t
La hore a nd it wa s d e cid e d tha t both
Dominions should ma ke spe cia l e fforts to
re cove r the se wome n. More tha n 25,000
e nquirie s a bout a bd ucte d wome n who a re
in Pa kista n ha ve be e n re ce ive d by the
Wome n's S e ction of the Ministry of Re lie f
a nd Re ha bilita tion... ne a rly 2,500 ha ve
a lre a d y be e n re scue d ... the ma in obstruc-
tion fa cing our re scue pa rtie s tod a y is the
fe a r ha rboure d by the ma jority of a b-
d ucte d Hind u wome n tha t the y ma y not
be re ce ive d a ga in into the fold of the ir
socie ty, a nd the Muslims be ing a wa re of
this misgiving ha ve pla ye d upon the mind s
of the se unfortuna te wome n to such a n
e xte nt tha t ma ny of the ma re re lucta nt to
come a wa y fromthe ir ca ptors ba ck tc
Ind ia . It ha s be e n mutua lly a gre e d be t-
we e n the two Dominions tha t in such
ca ge s
the y should be forcibly e va cua te d .'2
But forcible e va cua tion wa s not tha t
e a sv. S ome time s the wome n re siste d -out
of fe a r of a se cond d isloca tion, a re pe a t
of the tra uma , a nothe r uprootirtg, or fe a r
of non-a cce pta nce , a nd e qua lly be ca use
ma ny of the mwe re a ctua lly ha ppy a nd
se ttle d in the ir ne w situa tions, while a t
othe rs the y we re ha ppy to re turn. While
the wome n officia ls cha rge d with the
ta sk of re scuing a bd ucte d wome n we re
re cruite d be ca use it wa s fe lt tha t the y
would be be tte r a ble to pe rsua d e re lucta nt
wome n to re turn, be ing wome n, the y a lso
und e rstood only too we ll the fe a r a nd
d ile mma s fa ce d by those the y we re re -
cove ring. Anis Kid wa i, who worke d a s a
socia l worke r in re fuge e ca mps in De lhi
sums up the d ile mma of ma ny of the se
wome n poigna ntly. I quote fromhe r a t
some le ngth:
In a ll of this, some tire s a girl would be
kille d or she w6uld be wound e d . The good
'ma a l' would be sha re d a mong the police
a nd the a rmy, the se cond ra te stuff would
go to e ve ryone e lse . And the n the se girls
would go fromone ha nd to a nothe r a nd
the n a nothe r a nd a fte r se ve ra l hours would
turn up in hote ls to gra ce the ir d e cor, or
the y would be ha nd e d ' ove r to police
office rs in some pla ce s to ple a se the m.
And e ve ry single one of the se girls,
be ca use she ha d be e n the victimof a
sa a zish, she would be gin to look upon he r
're scue r'. pe iforce a s a n a nge l of me rcy
who ha d ,/in this time of loot or killing,
re scue d ,he r, or fought for he r, a nd brought
he r a wa y. And whe n this ma n would cove r
he r na ke d bod y (whose clothe s ha d
be come the loot of a nothe r thie f) with his
own loinclbth or ba nia n, whe n he would
put the se oii he r, a t tha t mome nt she
would forge t he r mothe r's slit throa t, he r
fa the r's blood y bod y, he r husba nd 's
tre mbling corpse -she would forge t a ll
this a nd inste a d tha nk the ma n who ha d
sa ve d he r. And why should she not d o
this? Re scuing he r fromthe be a st this
good ma n ha s brought he r to his home .
He is giving he r re spe ct, he offe rs to ma rry
he r. How ca n she not be come his sla ve for
life ?
And it is only much la te r tha t re a lisa tion
d a wns tha t a mong the loote rs this ma n
a lone could not ha ve be e n the innoce nt,
a mong the police just he could not ha ve
be e n the ge ntle ma n. But a ll we re ta rre d
with the sa me brush. Ea ch one ha d pla ye d
with life a nd d e a th to 'sa ve the honour'
of some young wome n, a nd thousa nd s of
mothe rs a nd siste rs must be cursing the se
suppose d ly 'bra ve me n' who ha d a bd ucte d
the ir d a ughte rs.
But by the time this re a listtion ca me , it
wa s too la te . Now the re wa s nowhe re for
he r to go: by this time she is a bout to
be come a mothe r, or she ha s be e n through
se ve ra l ha nd s. Afte r se e ing so ma ny me n's
fa ce s, this d a ughte r of Hind usta n, how
will she e ve r look a t the fa ce of he r
pa re nts, he r husba nd ?"3
The wome n's fe a r wa s re a l. The ir non-
a cce pta nce by Hind u fa milie s be ca me a
ma jor proble m: sud d e nly the sta te , so
quick to come forwa rd with its 're cove ry'
wa s a t a loss to know wha t.to d o for the
re -inte gra tion of the se wome n into the
ne w na tion, which be ca me , in the e ye s of
the sta te , synonymous a lmost with the ir
fa milie s. Anis Kid wa i, Ka mla be n Pa te l,
Da mya nti S a hga l, a ll thre e wome n who
worke d with a bd uie d wome n, point to
this. S e ve ra l things we re a t work he re :
fa milie s ha d file d compla ints a bout
missing re la tive s, pa rticula rly missing
wome n, but be twe e n the filing of corn-
pla ints a nd the a ctua l re cove ry, months,
some time s ye a rs, would pa ss. In the in-
te rimthe wome n would ofte n ha ve ma r-
rie d , or be come mothe rs, or simply se ttle d
in the ir ne w home s. Anis Kid wa i sa ys:
"But now a d iffe re nt proble ma rose . The
ma jority of the girls d id not wa nt to go
ba ck."4 While this wa s true for some of
the wome n, whe re the ir fa milie s we re con-
ce rne d , the y fa ce d a d iffe re nt d ile mma .
S ome of the wome n we re now 'soile d ',
the y ha d live d with, ma rrie d , borne
child re n to the me n of the 'othe r' com-
munity, the y ha d the re fore 'd ilute d ' the
'purity' of the community, how could the y
now be ta ke n ba ck? And wha t wa s to be
d one with the visible re sults of the ir
impurity, the ir se xua lity, i e , the ir child re n?
S o a cute wa s the proble mtha t both
Ga nd hi a nd Ne hru ha d to issue re pe a te d
a ppe a ls to Hind us, a sking the mnot to
re fuse to ta ke the wome n ba ck into the
fa mily fold . In a public a ppe a l ma d e in
Ja nua ry 1948 Ne hru sa id : "I a mtold tha t
some time s the re is a n unwillingne ss on the
pa rt of the ir re la tive s to a cce pt those girls
a nd wome n[who ha d be e n a bd ucte d ] in
the ir home s. This is a most obje ctiona ble
a nd wrong a ttitud e to ta ke up. The se girls
a nd wome n re quire our te nd e r a nd loving
ca re a nd the ir re la tive s should be proud
to ta ke the mba ck a nd give the me ve ry
he lp"
15
And Ga nd hi sa id : "I he a r wome n ha ve
this obje ction tha t Hind us a re not willing
to a cce pt ba ck the re cove re d wome n
be ca use the y sa y tha t the y ha ve be come
impure . I fe e l this is a ma tte r of gre a t
sha me . Tha t woma n is a s pure .s the girls
who a re sitting by my sid e . And if a ny one
of those re cove re d wome n should come
to me , the n I will give the ma s much
re spe ct a nd honour a s I a ccord to the se
young ma id e ns"'6
For se ve ra l ye a rs a fte rwa rd s-ind e e d
we ll into 1955-the fa te of the se wome n
wa s of consid e ra ble conce rn to the two
gove rnme nts. Le gisla tive a sse mbly re cord s
Economic a nd Politica l We e kly April 24. 1993
WS -17
for the ye a rs following 1947 show a n
ongoing conce rn a nd d e ba te on how ma ny
wome n ha d be e n re scue d , whe re the
la rge st numbe r of re cove rie s ha d ta ke n
pla ce , why ha d othe r pla ce s d one so ba d ly
a nd so on. lnte re stingly, a lthough it wa s
wome n who we re ke y in the a ctua l
re cove ry ope ra tions, que stions we re ra ise d
ma inly by me n. The fa ct tha t fe we r Hind u
wome n we re re cove re d fromPa kista n tha n
Muslimwome n fromlnd ia be ca me a
ma tte r of gre a t conce rn a nd figure s on
how ma ny ha d be e n re cove re d , or conce rn
a bout the slow ra te of re cove ry ca me up
ofte n. For e xa mple , in a nge r to a que stion
in pa rlia tnle nt the following figure s we re
give n for the ye a r 1952: fromApril 1951
to the e nd of Ja nua ry 1952 1,703
re cove rie s ha d be e n ma d e in Ind ia a s
a ga inst 629 in Pa kista n.'7
In the d iscussion tha t followe d the
pre se nting in pa rla ime nt of the Abd ucte d
Pe rsons (Re cove ry a nd Re stora tion)
Bill-which la te r be ca me a n a ct-one
J J Ka poor fromUtta r Pra d e sh ma d e a n
inte re sting sta te me nt. He sa id :
I e xte nd to this Bill my whole he a rte d sup-
port a rid ' I congra tula te the gre a t
huma nita ria n consid e ra tion which ha s a c-
tua te d it in bringing forwa rd this me a sure
a nd a lso for se tting be fore the country a
ve ry high sta nd a rd . For wha t could be
consid e re d to be of gre a te r huma nita ria n
utility tha n the work of re storing a bd ucte d
child re n to the la p of we e ping pa re nts a nd
re storing a bd ucte d siste rs to loving wive s
a nd a bd ucte d wive s to pining husba nd s?
Of a ll the crime s a nd sins tha t ha d be e n
committe d d uring the horrible d a ys tha t
followe d the ill-fa te d Pa rtition of the
country in 1947, 1 think no gre a te r sin a nd
no gre a te r crime wa s pe rha ps committe d
tha n the one re la ting to the a bd uction of
innoce nt child re n a nd wome n, a nd it must
be our sa cre d d uty to re store a bd ucte d pe r-
sons to the ir origina l fa milie s irre spe ctive
of the pe riod of a bd uction... We must give
d ue cre d it to the d e vote d ba nd of worke rs
who ha ve re nd e re d ye oma n se rvice a nd
a bove a ll to our siste r, S hrima ti Mrid ula
S a ra bha i whose se rvice s in this d ire ction
ha ve be e n so ve ry conspicuous.
The re a re , howe ve r, one or two things to
which I would like to d ra w the a tte ntion
of the honoura ble Ministe r. One of the m
is tha t Utta r Pra d e sh se e ms to me to ha ve
be e n d ra gge d within the purvie w of this
Bill be ca use in the cha rt tha t ha s be e n sup-
plie d to us by the gove rnme nt, I find tha t
d uring the pe riod comme ncing fromIst
Ja nua ry 1951 riAht up to this d a te , the re
ha s not be e n a
single
ca se of
a ny a bd ucte d
pe rson ha ving be e n re cove re d in UP. Not
only tha t, e ve n in 1950 the re we re only two
ca se s. Thus it d oe s not a ppe a r to be
ne ce ssa ry a t a ll to ta rnish the fa ir na me
of UP."
In the e nsuing d iscussion furthe r figure s
a re tra d e d , a nothe r MP (this time from
We st Be nga l) come s ba ck to Ka poor a nd
mocks his conce rn for be ing limite d by
ce rta in 'ge ogra phica l consid e ra tions',
while Guha , a lso from We st Be nga l,
a sse rts: "a bd uction is one of the most
a bomina ble offe nce s a ma n ca n commit
a nd in the ma tte r of honour of wome n,
the re ca nnot be a ny que stion of re ligion
or na tiona lity..:"9
And ye t, the se we re the ve ry que stions
tha t d icta te d the na ture of the whole
e nte rprise : que stions of re ligion a nd na -
tiona lity. The wome n we re Hind us a nd
Muslims a nd the y ha d to be brought ba ck
to the ir Hind u a nd Muslimna tions. The re
a re close pa ra lle ls in the notions of
honour a s d e fine d by the community a nd
fa mily on the one ha nd a nd the sta te on
the othe r. For the survivors a mong com-
munitie s a nd fa milie s whe re wome n we re
'ma rtyre d ' or chose to be come 'ma rtyrs'
the y (the wome n) we re ta king upon the m-
se lve s the ta sk of pre se rving the 'honour'
of the community, pe rha ps the bigge st
blow to which would ha ve be e n forcible
conve rsion-a tra nsgre ssion or a bla ta nt
viola tion of the bound a rie s a nd spa ce s
d e line a te d for the mse lve s by the two
communitie s Hind us (a nd S ikhs) a nd
Muslims, a nd e qua lly importa ntly, for the
spa ce s d e line a te d for the wome n by e a ch
of the communitie s. The se fa mily cod e s
we re pa ra lle le d by the cod e s of the sta te
whe re the wome n the mse lve s d id not, by
a nd la rge , ne ce ssa rily ta ke on the ta sk of
hold ing up the honour of the 'na tion' (or
if the y d id , we ha ve no re cord of it). But
the sta te inve ste d the mwith this, the ir
re scue or re cove ry wa s se e n a s a 'huma nit-
a ria n' ta sk, a n 'honoura ble ' e nte rprise a nd
so on. Thus the pa tria rcha l fa mily a nd the
pa tria rcha l sta te both ca me close in the ir
pe rce ption of wome n's role . While wome n
ca rry the honour, the y d o not ha ve a
choice .
But while the re wa s a simila rity in how
the sta te a nd the community sa w wome n
a s ca rrying the honour of both, the re we re
a lso d iffe re nce s in how both a pproa che d
the que stion of wome n.
For the community it wa s the woma n's
se xua l purity tha t be ca me importa nt, a s
a lso he r community a nd /or re ligious id e n-
tity. For the sta te , be ca use the wome n the
sta te wa s re scuing, we re a lre a d y in a sta te
of se xua l 'impurity' ha ving ofte n live d
with the ir ca ptors, this proble mha d to be
pushe d a sid e , a nd the ir re ligious id e ntity
ma d e pa ra mount. He nce Ga nd hi's e xhor-
ta tions to fa milie s to ta ke the ir siste rs a nd
d a ughte rs ba ck. Ga nd hi's a nd Ne hru's
we re not the only e xhorta tions: the
ministry of re lie f a nd re ha bilita tion is sa id
to ha ve issue d a pa mphle t which quote d
Ma nu to e sta blish tha t a woma n who ha d
ha d se xua l involve rne nt with some one
othe r tha n he r husba nd , be ca me purifie d
a fte r thre e me nstrua l cycle s, a nd he nce he r
fa mily could a cce pt he r ba ck. S imila rly,
we we re told in one of our inte rvie ws tha t
storie s we re publishe d which ope nly a c-
ce pte d tha t S ita ha d ha d se xua l congre ss
with Ra va na , d e spite which she re ma ine d
pure .
The sta te d id not, of course , e nte r into
the ta sk of re cove ry e ntire ly on its own.
Just a s fa milie s file d re ports of missing
re la tive s, so a lso the y re cord e d missing
wome n. Inte re stingly, ma ny of the re ports
we re file d by me n, a nd la te r it wa s the me n
who ofte n re fuse d to ta ke wome n ba ck.
It wa s pe rha ps the e normity of the se
numbe rs tha t a cte d a s a pre ssure on the
sta te to ta ke up the ta sk of re cove ry. In-
te re stingly e nough, a lthough both coun-
trie s tra d e d numbe rs to se e who ha d suc-
ce e d e d in flushing out more wome n a nd
're storing' the mto ,the ir 'fa milie s' (the
word ofte n be ca me synonymous with the
na tion), the re wa s no d isa gre e me nt be t-
we e n the mon the ne ce ssity of the ta sk,
a lthough ofte n the ir functiona rie s fe lt d if-
fe re ntly. We ha ve se e n some of the a m-
biva le nce s in the a ttitud e s of the wome n
socia l worke rs (a nd will se e more in d e ta il
be low) but Ka mla be n re cord s tha t ofte n
he fty S ikhs would come outsid e ca mps
a nd we e p, a sking tha t the ir wome n, who
ha d be come 'pure ' by ta sting Amrit
(Muslimwome n whom the sta te ha d
re scue d ) be re store d to the m, the func-
tiona rie s would re spond tha t the y we re
only d oing the ir jobs, which the y would
lose if the y d id not re turn the wome n to
:he ir rightful home s.
If the se we re the proble ms pose d by a b-
d ucte d wome n, the child re n (on whomI
touch only brie fly he re ) born of the ir
unions with me n of the 'othe r' community
pose d quite a nothe r. Throughout this
pa pe r I ha ve d e a lt only with e xpe rie nce s
fromone sid e of the bord e r, a nd la rge ly
the e xpe rie nce s of S ikh a nd Hind u
wome n. For the S ikh a nd Hind u com-
munitie s, a nd ind e e d he re the y ha d cle a r
support fromthe sta te , the child re n born
of the se unions some how pose d bigge r
proble ms. The wome n could be , in jna ny
wa ys, 're purifie d ' be ca use the y ha d be e n
force d into the ir situa tions-a nd brought
ba ck into the fa mily, re ligious a nd
na tiona l fold s, but a child of a Muslim
fa the r a nd Hind u mothe r ma d e things
more d ifficult. In the d e ba te s tha t follow-
e d on this subje ct, sugge stions we re ma d e
tha t such child re n should be tre a te d a s wa r
ba bie s a nd le ft be hind in the country in
which the y we re born. Ka mia be n sa ys tha t
whe n she a nd othe rs a rgue d tha t whe re
wa r ba bie s we re conce rne d , it wa s the
mothe rs who sta ye d be hind a fte r sold ie rs
le ft, he re wha t wa s be ing propose d wa s
d iffe re nt. Othe r solutions we re the n sug-
ge ste d : infa nts could come a long with
WS -t8
Econiomic
a nd Politica l
We e kly April 24, 1993
wome n to the ca mps, howe ve r, if the ir
fa milie s obje cte d , the child re n would ha ve
to sta y be hind in the ca mps a nd the socia l
worke rs would ha ve to find home s for
the m; old e r child re n we re me a nt to sta y
with the ir 'na tura l'- fa the rs, a nd child re n
in the womb would cle a rly ha ve to be d one
a wa y with. Da mya nti S a hga l points out
tha t the proce ss of ge tting rid of child re n
in the womb--sa fa ya ' she ca lls it (in
Jullund a r this wa s known a s 'me d ica l
tre a tme nt' wa s ta ke n up by the sta te , a nd
spe cific hosptia ls we re ta rge te d (she na me s
Ka pur hospita l in De lhi) which, a ccord ing
to he r, ma d e the ir fortune on such cle a n-
ing ope ra tions. And this out of a spe cia l
bud ge t put a sid e by the sta te , a nd a t a time
whe n a bortion wa s not ye t le ga l in In-
d ia .20 Ka mla be n Pa te l corrobora te d this.
S he sa id tha t pre gna nt wome n we re ta ke n
to Jullund ur whe re the y we re ke pt for
pe riod s of up to thre e or four months-
e nough time for a n a bortion-a nd give n
wha t she re fe rre d to a s 'me d ica l
tre a tme nt'."
A confe re nce wa s ca lle d in La hore to
d iscuss the proble mof wha t to d o with
child re n born of mixe d unions. It wa s
ge ne ra lly fe lt tha t it would be be tte r to
le a ve such child re n with the ir fa the rs.
Howe ve r, a t Mrid ula S a ra bha i's insiste nce ,
wome n we re a llowe d to. ta ke the ir child re n
with the mto Jullund ujr whe re the y would
ke e p the mwith the mse lve s for 15 d a ys
a fte r which the y could d e cid e whe the r
the y wa nte d to ke e p the mor not. Anis
Kid wa i te lls the story of a young woma n
who could not d e cid e whe the r she wa nte d
to ke e p he r child or not. Eve ntua lly she
le ft the child with Kid wa i, ma king he r
promise tha t she would look a fte r it a nd
ke e p the mothe r informe d of whe re the
child wa s give n. But, a s she sa ys, a lthough
the y ma d e such promise s, the y we re
se ld oma ble to ke e p the m.22
At this sta ge we ca n pe rha ps a sk: why
d id the que stion of the re cove ry of wome n
be come so crucia l to Ind ia n sta te ? Why
d id fa milie s, more pa rticula rly me n, bring
pre ssure upon the sta te to la unch such
la rge -sca le re cove ry ope ra tions? I would
like to ha za rd tha t ma ny things we re a t
sta ke he re . For me n, who in more 'nor-
ma l' time s would ha ve se e n the mse lve s a s
prote ctors of wome n, the fa ct tha t ma ny
of 'the ir' wome n ha d be e n a bd ucte d (no
ma tte r tha t some wome n ma y ha ve chose n
to go, the y ha d to be se e n a s be ing for-
cibly a bd ucte d ), me a nt a kind of colla pse ,
a lmost a n e ma scula tion of the ir own
a ge ncy. Una ble to be e qua l to this ta sk,
the y now ha d to ha nd it ove r to the sta te ,
the ne w pa tria rch, the ne w supe r, the ne w
na tiona l, fa mily. As the ce ntra l pa tria rch,
the sta te now provid e d coe rcive ba cking
for re storing a nd re inforcing pa tria rchy
within .the fa mily.
For the post-colonia l, d e e ply conte ste d ,
fra gile a nd vulne ra ble sta te , this wa s a n
e xe rcise in re storing its le gitima cy. Ind e e d ,
I would e ve n sugge st tha t the le gitima cy
of the sta te a t this time d e pe nd e d ve ry
much on this ve nture of the re cove ry of
wha t ha d be e n lost: pre stige , wome n a nd
pe rha ps prope rty. Thus the sta te a cte d on
its own be ha lf a nd on be ha lf of those
communitie s who a ppe a le d to it a nd in-
ve ste d it with a ge ncy on the ir be ha lf. The
situa tion wa s a n e xtra ord ina ry one : in a
se nse ma le a utbority within the fa mily
ha d colla pse d , fa milie s ha d be e n una ble
to prote ct the ir own, so the y a ppe a le d to
the sta te . And for the se lf le gitima tion of
the sta te a nd the community, the que stion
of ge nd e r be ca me crucia l.
Wha t a bout the wome n who re siste d ,
who d id not wa nt to re turn? He re , I would
like to go ba ck to the que stion of a ge ncy.
Ca n we pe rha ps sa y tha t in this e xtra -
ord ina ry situa tion, re move d fromthe
simulta ne ously coe rcive a nd supportive
conte xt of the ir communitie s, a nd ofte n
of the ir cla ss, those wome n who re siste d
we re a cting a s wome n, a s mothe rs, a nd
we re e xe rcising a ge ncy on the ir own
be ha lf? Unlike , sa y the wome n of Thoa
Kha lsa .who a cte d a s me mbe rs of the ir
community. The se a bd ucte d wome n we re
in a se nse in a 'no-ma n's la nd ' a nd thus
whe n the y a cte d or a tte mpte d to re sist
be ing8re store d to the ir origina l fa milie s,
the y we re e xe rcising a d iffe re nt kind of
a ge ncy?
The sile nce tha t ha s surround e d the se
issue s is pa rt of the ge ne fa l sile nce on the
pa in a nd tra uma of Pa rtition. At the sa me
time the sile nce a bout wome n's e xpe rie n-
ce s spe cifica lly sugge sts some thing d if-
fe re nt: for wha t a re a t sta ke he re a re not
only que stions of sta te , but a lso que stions
of id e ntity, of a ge ncy, of re ligion a nd of
se xua lity. As fa r a s the Ind ia n sta te wa s
conce rne d , wome n we re d e fine d in te rms
of the ir re ligious id e ntitie s (a n unusua l
sta nce for a su'ppose d ly se cula r sta te to
ta ke )-the y we re e ithe r Hind u or Muslim.
And the child re n of mixe d unions, a pa rt
frombe ing visible re mind e rs of the se , d id
not fit e a sily into e ithe r ca te gory. The
wome n, howe ve r, sa w the mse lve s d iffe r-
e ntly-a s me mbe rs of a community, a s
S ikh or Hind u, or Muslim, a s mothe rs,
a s wome n-a nd a cte d upon the se d if-
fe re nt id e ntitie s a t d iffe re nt time s. It is to
the wome n the mse lve s tha t I now wa nt to
turn.
III
The Wome n
How d o we be gin to und e rsta nd the e x-
pe rie nce s of the se wome n a nd child re n
which ha ve re ma ine d shroud e d in sile nce ?
It se e ms to me tha t the re a re so ma ny
comple xitie s a nd d iffe re nt a spe cts he re
tha t we ca n pe rha ps only be gin to e xplore
the me a nings tha t ma y lie the re . For while
the a tte mpt to uncove r the se e xpe rie nce s
is one sort of e xe rcise , it is a lso importa nt
to a sk wha t tools we ha ve a t ha nd to be gin
this e xplora tion. The re a re ve ry fe w 'of-
ficia l re cord s' or 'fa cts a nd figure s' tha t
a re a va ila ble hcre . And ind e e d wha t we a re
d e a ling with is wha t lie s 6e ne a th a nd
be yond the se fa cts a nd figure s: the sub-
te xts tha t lie in pe rsona l d ia rie s, me moirs,
a ccounts of survivors. It is the se tha t a d d
the 'othe r' d ime nsion to history. I d o not
me a n to sa y tha t the se voice s a re in a ny
wa y more sa crosa nct tha n those of officia l
re cord s, me re ly tha t in a tte mpting to
a pproxima te the 'truth' of a ny situa tion,
it is a t le a st a s importa nt to e xa mine the se
voice s a s it is to look a t re cord s. For rny
pa rt, I ha ve found this a proce ss tha t ra ise s
se ve ra l ke y que stions which I fe e l d e se rve
to be a ske d .
Apa rt froma fe w spora d ic d iscussions
on the fa te of the a bd ucte d woma n, most
re cord s a re quite sile nt on the e xpe rie nce s
of othe rs. We know little a bout the wome n
who took the ir own live s, or a bout those
who 'offe re d ' the mse lve s up for sa crifice ,
a nd of how the y a rrive d a t such d e cisions.
Equa lly we know little of how ma ny
wome n a ctpa lly wa nte d to be 're scue d ',
how ma ny we re re a d y to fa ce a se cond
tra uma , a se cond d isloca tion, a nd wha t
the ir fe e lings we re a bout the la rge r
d iscourse tha t occupie d the spa ce a round
the m, the d iscourse on 'na tionhood ', the
sta te , on 'fre e d om'. We re the y a wa re of it
a t a ll? Did the y fe e l involve d in it? The ir
storie s, which a re a s much pa rt of history
a s a ny othe rs, ca n tod a y only be re cove r-
e d -a nd tha t too pa rtia lly-through a c-
counts of survivors or through me moirs
a nd writings fromthe time .
But such a ccounts a re a lso incomple te :
we know for e xa mple , tha t the viole nce of
Pa rtition a lso includ e d se xua l a ssa ult a nd
ra pe on thousa nd s of wome n. Ma ny we re
kille d , thousa nd s we re a bd ucte d a nd we re
untra ce a ble , the re we re a ny numbe r of
volunta ry a nd force d a bortions a nd
se pa ra tions fromthe child re n born of
ra pe . Accounts of survivors me ntion the se
things but only in a fa irly ge ne ra l sort of
wa y, for ra pe , forcible ma rria ge , a bd uc-
tion, a ll of the se a re still d ifficult to spe a k
of, to a rticula te , be ca use of the stigma
the y continlue to ca rry. Wome n will not
spe a k of the m, nor will fa milie s. Con-
ve rse ly, the a ccounts of wome n's 'he roism'
d o not ha ve to be hid d e n: the y ca n be
ta lke d a bout. While the la tte r ca n the n be
re cove re d in some wa ys through a ccounts
of survivors, the re is little possibility of
re cove ring a nything substa ntia l on the
forme r. This pa pe r is pe rforce sile nt on
the se .
Economic a nd Politica l We e kly April 24, 1993
WS -l9
Wha t of the othe r a ccounts: of the
wome n who a cte d on be ha lf of the sta te
a nd wont into both countrie s to re scue the
a bd ucte d wome n? How d id the y fe e l? In
the se we a re forjuna te to ha ve some
writte n a ccounts a nd me moirs, a nd some
inte rvie ws. Ka mia be n Pa te l, one of the of-
fice rs who worle d und e r Mrid ula S a ra -
bha i-who ha d ove ra ll cha rge of the
re scue ope ra tions-sa id tha t in the work
of the re cove ry of a bd ucte d wome n she
fe lt 'sa nd wiche d ' ca ught be twe e n be ing a n
office r of the gove rnme nt a nd be ing a
woma n who fe lt for the wome n she wa s
re scuing. But, she we nt on to sa y, "...
worke d a s a woma n, not Muslimor
Hind u, but a s a woma n a nd it wa s a s a
woma n tha t I fe lt for othe r wome n-it
d id n't ma tte r if she wa s Hind u or Muslim,
if she ha d be e n a bd ucte d , she ha d to be
re turne d to he r re la tive s. It wa s be ca use
of this tha t some time s I ha d to fight with
my own pe ople .. "23
But whe n she le a rnt from Mrid ula
S a ra bha i a nd Ra me shwa ri Ne hru tha t
some wome n we re re fusing to re turn to
the ir 'home s', tha t the y ha d e ve n cha nge d
the ir re ligion, Ka mla be n sa id "Whe n I
le a rnt tha t some wome n we re re fusing to
come ba ck a nd tha t the y ha d conve rte d ,
I found this d ifficult to be lie ve . This con-
ve rsion should not be consid e re d conve r-
sion a nd such ma rria ge s a s the y ha ve
ma d e should not be consid e re d ma rria ge s.
S uch wome n should be tre a te d a s
'via shya s'
[those
Who a re re lucta nt to
re turnl... tod a y it is ne ce ssa ry tha t those
wome n who ha ve be e n forcibly a bd ucte d ,
should be ta ke n a wa y fromthe 'pa ra ya '
m6n who ha ve ma d e the m sla ve s in
'pa ra ya house s a nd the y should be
brought to the ir 're a l' home s. " 24
Although Ka mla be n cle a rly fe lt sym-
pa the tic towa rd s the wome n she wa s re s-
cuing, she d id not se e mto que stion the
notions of 'pa ra ya ' a nd 're a l' home s
which the sta te ha d cre a te d . Anis Kid wa i,
who worke d in re lie f ca mps a t De lhi, fe lt
d iffe re ntly. S he sa ys: "the re a d e r will find
it d ifficult to und e rsta nd how I fe lt a s a
woma n on he a ring a bout the se ha ple ss
wome n who d id not wa nt to re turn. I ke pt
trying to convince e ve ryone tha t the y
ne e d e d to think coolly a nd , ca lmly, to
und e rsta nd why it wa s tha t the se wome n
d id not wa nt to re turn. But no one wa s
willing to liste n..."25
Although, on the whole , it se e me d a s
if Muslimfa milie s we re more willifig to
ta ke Muslimwome n ba ck tha n Hind u
one s we re , pe rha ps be ca use Isla md oe s
not ha ve the sa me strict cod e s of purity
a nd pollution tha t Hind uismha i, the re
we re some Muslims who we re re lucta nt
to d o so. Anis Kid wa i points out tha t
Muslimme n would grind the ir te e th a nd
the ir fa ce s would fill up with re ligious
prid e a nd righte ousne ss. "S ha me on the se
wome n", the y would sa y. But ha d the y
e ve r trie d to und e rsta nd the pre d ica me nt
of the se wome n: a n oppre sse d woma n,
one who ha s a lwa ys live d in purd a h, one
who ha s, be fore this, not looke d a t a ma n
othe r tha n he r fa the r a nd he r brothe rs,
a nd who now be lie ve s he rse lf to be a loose
woma n, a ba d woma n, be ca use she ha s
live d with a nothe r ma n for months, she
ha s lost he r honour.. .who will ta ke he r
ba ck?".26
For the sta te the re scue ope ra tions we re
pre mise d on the a ssumption tha t wome n
of a pa rticula r re ligion should be re store d
into the fold of tha t re ligion. Anis Kid wa i,
howe ve r, que stions how much me a ning
re ligion could ha ve for wome n, pa rti-
cula rly some of the Muslimwome n. S he
sa ys: "And wha t d oe s she know of
re ligion a nywa y? At le a st me n ha ve the
opportunity to go to the mosque , a nd
pra y, but the wome n, Muslims ha ve ne ve r
a llowe d the mto sta nd up. The mome nt
the y se e young wome n, the ir e ye s be come
full of blood : run a wa y, the y te ll the m,
go off. Wha t a re you d oing he re ...the
culprit is within the mse lve s,. but it is the
wome n the 'y ma ke run a wa y: if the y come
into the ma sjid the whole na ma z is
ruine d . If the y try to liste n to the la st ca ll
of the month of ra mza n, e ve ryone 's a t-
te ntion is
d istra cte d ... if the y go into a
qua wa li, the stAfis will turn the ir a tte ntion
fromgod to
tthe
world ...1
Inte re stingly it is only in the a ccounts
of the se wome d , Ka mia be n Pa te l, Anis
Kid wa i,
Da mya ipti S a hga l, tha t we find
some thing a ppro4ching a n und e rsta nd ing
a nd sympa thy for the d ile mma s of the
wome n who we re -a bd ucte d , or who le ft
volunta rily, a nd those who we re re lucta nt
to re turn. And ye t, the ir own sta nce s
va ry: Ka mla be n, for e xa mple , spe a ks
some time s a s a n 'Ind ia n', othe r time s a s
a 'Hind u', some time s a s a 'socia l worke r',
a s a 'na tiona list' a nd some time s, by he r
own d e finition, a s a 'woma n', this la st
ca te gory subsuming, ofte n, a ll othe rs.
Anis Kid wa i a lso spe a ks of how she fe lt
a s a woma n, se pa ra te ly fromhow she fe lt
a s a n Ind ia n; a nd Da mya nti's a rticula tion
is a lso simila r: "Of course we fe lt for the
wome n we we re flushing o t-some time s
we ha d to use the police tt'bri,ng tlie m
out. But wha t we we re d oiog ha d to be
d one ." Pe rha ps it is be ca use \ of this, tha t
in spite of the ir sympa thy.\for the a b-
d ucte d wome n, a ll of the mcpntinue d to
a ct on be ha lf of the sta te , a nd not que s-
tion why na tiona l honour wa sX a t sta ke so
much in e a ch country's wome n. For both
countrie s it se e me d a lmost a s if the loss
of the se wome n-pa rticula rly to the
'othe r' re ligion-me a nt more tha n a ny
othe r loss, some thing tha t se e me d to be
sha re d by both me n a nd wome n. Ka mla -
be n te lls the story of the wome n's in-
siste nce in pa rlia me nt tha t the y be a llowe d
to be pa rt of the se a rch committe e s, a nd
ye t d oe s not re a lly que stion the ra tiona le
for the sta te 's conce rte d a tte mpts a t re s-
cuing the wome n. S he re counts how the
two sid e s (mostly me n on the two sid e s)
pe rce ive d this:
Wome n we re e xcha nge d for wome n,
politica lly the y we re re cove re d a nd e x-
cha nge d , the fe we r we give a wa y from
he re , the more popula r we will be ; our
politica l worke rs a lso ha d the sa me fe e l-
ing, be ca use the fe we r you give a wa y the
more popula r you will be in Punja b a nd
the more your sta tus would go up, a nd
the sa me thing would ha ppe n he re ...28
S he goe s on to d e scribe a pa rticula r
ca se in court (a ll d ispute d ca se s ha d to
come up be fore a Tribuna l a nd Ka mia be n
we nt to a ppe a r on be ha lf of Ind ia in this
one ) which re la te s to se ve n wome n a nd
the ir child re n who d id not wa nt to be
re scue d . Whe n Ka mla be n we nt to a ppe a r,
he r Pa kista ni counte rpa rt, a lso a woma n,
Ra biya Ka riga r, ca me a long to offe r he r
mnora l support a s a woma n. Ka mla be n's
iccount:
I swore on the Kora n a nd the n I pre se nte d
our Inte r-Dominion a gre e me nt sa ying we
a re working und e r this a nd we d on't only
ta ke wome n fromhe re but a lso from
Ind ia a nd se nd the mhe re . The n sud d e nly
the re wa s a shout fromthe ba ck-be nche s
...the y shoute d , we d on't wa nt the mbut
we d on't wa nt to give you our-wome n.
In court the Christia n la wye r who wa s
a rguing on our be ha lf ha d a re solution
pa sse d a ga inst hima nd wa s boycotte d .
The jud ge the n sa id the a gre e me nt wa s
nothing but a pie ce of pa pe r a nd tha t
unle ss this could be turne d into la w the y
ha d no use for it. Imme d ia te ly the re wa s
a ha be a s corpus on se ve n pe ople a nd we
ha d to le a ve , but you know Amritsa r wa s
only a n hour a nd a ha lf a wa y, a nd ne ws
tra ve ls ve ry fa st a nd by the time we got
the re , the re we re four or five ha be a s cor-
puse s the re on se ve ra l wome n so tha t the y
should n't be a llowe d to go ba ck.. .e ve ry-
one ke pt going on a bout fe we r wome n
coming fromthe re , more going from
he re . The y would sa y, "cha le ga ye he e re ,
a a ga ye khe e re ".
29
S he points out tha t for d ispute d ca se s
the re wa s a tribuna l but tha t the two S Ps
oj e ithe r sid e would fight: "Tha t wa s
fun", she sa ys,
You se e , we ha d a tribuna l for d ispute d
ca se s of Muslims who cla ime d to be
Hind u a nd vice ve rsa . The re we re psycho-
logica l re a sons for this. It wa s ve ry d if-
ficult for me to sa y she is a Muslima nd
should be se nt ba ck to Pa kista n, our S P
could ge t ve ry a ngry, he would fe e l this
wa s politics, a nd I would sa y, no, if this
wa s politics, we would not be d oing it
he re , we 'd d o it with Muslims in our own
WS -20
Economic a nd Politica l We e kly April 24, 1993
countrv. It- we ha ve four crore Muslims
in our country, wha t d o we wa nt with
400? If the re a re four crore Muslims in
Ind ia it's be ca use of progre ss. Those who
t'a ve se ttle d a Rd ma d e up the ir house s,
we 're not pla nning to pull the mout, but
those who ha ve be e n a bd ucte d , we ha ve
to she lte r the m. I would sa y, I'mnot pla y-
inB politics, I'mnot a Muslimor a Hind u,
or a Christia n. I'ma woma n a nd it's
be ca use of this tha t I'md oing wha t I'm
d oing.3"
The re is irrita tion he re a t the obje c-
tifica tion of wome n, but the re is a lso
prid e a t the 'la rge ne ss' of Ind ia which ca n
ha ve 'four crore Muslims'. I would like
to sugge st he re tha t in spite of the und e r-
sta nd ing, sympa thy a nd a nguish tha t
the se wome n fe lt a t the fa te of the a b-
d ucte d wome n, the y a id e d a nd a be tte d the
e ntire re scue ope ra tion mounte d by a
pa tria rcha l sta te ,, conse nting thus, not
only in the pa tria rchy of this sta te , but
a lso in its viole nce towa rd s the a bd ucte d
wome n, a nd e xe rcising a ge n.cy on be ha lf
of the sta te a nd ofte n a ga inst wome n.
This wa s, in ma ny wa ys, simila r to the
kind of conse nt give n to the viole nce of
pa tria rcha l communitie s by both me n a nd
wome n in incid e nts such a s the one we
ha ve se e n (the ma ss suicid e by d rowning)
in the e a rly pa rt of this pa pe r. Apa rt from
notions of honour a nd virtue tha t pro-
vid e d the ra tiona le for the re scue ope ra -
tions, the re we re a lso more ma te ria l con-
sid e ra tioifs. One pa rticula r story, a ga in
culle d frompe rsona l me moirs a nd ne ws-
pa pe r a ccounts, re la te s to a La ila Ma jnu
like story which be ca me a le ge nd
in
Pa kista n. A young Muslimwoma n wa s
sold to one Buta S ingh, a pe a sa nt from
Amritsa r d istrict. Buta S ingh ma rrie d he r,
the y fe ll in love a nd ha d two child re n,
both young girls. For se ve ra l ye a rs a fte r
he r d isa ppe a ra nce , the girl's re la tive s,
ma inly a unts a nd ' uncle s who live d on
la nd contiguous to he r fa mily's, ma d e e f-
forts to tra ce he r. Fina lly, six ye a rs a fte r
he r 'a bd uction' she wa s tra ce d to Amrit-
sa r d istrict whe re she wa s ha ppily ma r-
rie d . S he re fuse d to re turn, but the fa mily
wa s a nxious tha t she d o so be ca use the y
wa nte d he r to ma rry the ir son, in ord e r
to ke e p control of the fa mlily's prope rty
which would othe rwise ha te be e n, pre -
suma bly, ta ke n ove r by the sta te . Fina lly,
she wa s ta ke n a wa y forcibly, a nd she took
he r younge r child with he r. Buta S ingh
the n ma d e d e spe ra te a tte mpts to ge t to
Pa kista n, so much so tha t he wa s suspe c-
te d of be ing a ;py, a nd fina lly he con-
ve rte d to Isla ma nd found his wa y to his
wife , Za ina b's villa ge . The re , Za ina b ha d
by now be e n ma rrie d off to he r cousin.
The ca se ca me up be fore the tribuna l.
Buta S ingh wa s confid e nt tha t his wife ,
who ha d time a nd a ga in d e cla re d he rse lf
APPIOI NTMENTS
S chool of Orie nta l a nd Africa n S tud ie s
(Unive rsity of Lond on)
Le cture ship
in Politics a nd De ve lopme nt
S tud ie s
Applica tions a re invite d for a Le cture ship in Politics a nd De ve lopme nt S tud ie s. The succe ssful
ca nd id a te will be ba se d in the De pa rtme nt of Politica l S tud ie s a nd will be e xpe cte d
to ta ke a ma jor
role in the te a ching
of inte rd isciplina ry BA a nd MA course s in De ve lopme nt S tud ie s. Applica nts
should
ha ve comple te d or be a bout to comple te a PhD on a re le va nt topic. Pre fe re nce will be give n
to
ca nd id a te s with e xpe rtise in public a d ministra tion or re la te d fie ld s. The
a ppointme nt
will be
e ffe ctive from1 Octobe r 1993.
The Le cture r sa la ry sca le is ? 13;400 ?- 24,736 plus E 2,134 Lond on Allowa nce .
Ove rse a s ca nd id a te s ma y a pply d ire ctly by le tte r supporte d by a full curriculumvita e a nd the na me s
a nd a d d re sse s of thre e re fe re e s to the Pe rsonne l Office , S chool of Orie nta l a nd Africa n S tud ie s,
Thornha ugh S tre e t, Russe ll S qua re , Lond on WC1H OXG, fromwhomfurthe r pa rticula rs ma y
be
obta ine d .
Closing
d a te : 28
Ma y
1993.
Economic a nd Politica l We e kly April 24, 1993
WS -21
to be ha ppy with him, a nd who ha d be e n
force d to go ba ck, would sta nd by him.
But in court Za ina b d e nie d Buta S ingh
a nd ga ve his child ba ck to him. The
love lorn a nd be re ft ma n the n committe d
suicid e , a nd it wa s only la te r tha t a pe r-
siste nt woma n journa list ma na ge d to ge t
a confe ssion out of Za ina b tha t she ha d
be e n force d into giving the d e nia l in
court. Wha t wa s a t sta ke he re , on both
sid e s, wa s prope rty. Buta S ingh's own
fa mily in e a st Punja b d id not wa nt him
to ma rry a nd we re ha ppy whe n Za ina b
wa s ta ke n a wa y, be ca use the y d id not
wa nt a fra gme nta tion of the ir prope rty.
And Za ina b's fa mily wa nte d he r ba ck,
for the sa me re a sons.
31
Wha t, one
wond e rs, ha d 're ligion' a nd 'home la nd '
to d o with the live s of the se two young
pe ople ?
IV
Conclusion
Pe rha ps the most d ifficult pa rt of a n
e xe rcise such a s the one I ha ve a tte ?npte d
is to d ra w a ll the d iffe re nt thre a d s
toge the r into a conclusion. As I ha ve sa id
a t the be ginning, my inte ntion he re wa s
to pose some pa rticula r que stions, ra the r
tha n to provid e a nswe rs. For me , a l-
though the re a l root of the se que stions is
loca te d in 1984, the y ca me out most
sha rply in 1990, d uring the Bha ga lpur in-
ve stiga tion tha t I ha ve re fe rre d to e a rlie r.
A d iffe re nt se t of que stions ca me up in
a nothe r such inve stiga tion, once a ga in for
the Pe ople 's Union for De mocra tic
Rights. In 1989 a group of wome n, ma ny
of the min the ir 60s, we nt on strike out-
sid e the house of the the n home ministe r,
Buta S ingh, d e ma nd ing a n incre a se in
the ir pe nsion. Ma ny of the se wome n we re
re fuge e s fromthe time of Pa rtition, the y
ha d spe nt much of the ir live s in ca mps,
ma ny ha d be e n wid owe d , pe rha ps some
ha d e ve n be e n 're scue d ' a lthough no one
spoke of this. Now, close to re tire me nt
a ge , the y we re d e ma nd ing of the sta te the
right to a pe nsion tha t would e na ble the m
to live with d ignity. This sa me sta te ha d
continue d , a lbe it in a n a rbitra ry sort of
wa y, to a ct the sta ble pa tria rch for the se
wome n, provid ing the mwith work in its
se wing prod uction ce ntre s. At the ta il-e nd
of the ir live s, ha ving be e n re nd e re d home -
le ss a nd a lone of wid owe d by Pa rtition,
most of the mha d no othe r fa mily to turn
to but the sta te . He re . the n, wa s a d if-
fe re nt kind of a ge ncy, d ire cte d a t a sta te
tha t ha d a t one time be ing quite coe rcive
a nd viole nt towa rd s the se sa me wome n.
An inte re st in history, a nd a o involve -
me nt in a ctivismwe re the things tha t
forme d my sta rting point in this e xe rcise .
In the proce ss I d iscove re d how d ifficult
it is to ta lk in ge ne ra lise d te rms a bout
wome n, history, the ir a ge ntia l ca pa city,
the ir role s a nd id e ntitie s, the me a nings of
viole nce . As my work d e ve lope d , it
be ca me cle a r fromthe a ccounts of Pa rti-
tion tha t wome n ha ve a nd ofte n pla y out
multiple a nd ofte n ove rla pping id e ntitie s.
Thus the wome n who committe d ma ss
suicid e could ha ve d one so out of fe a r of
ra pe be ca use the y we re wome n; e qua lly
the y could ha ve be e n a cting, a t tha t
pa rticula r point, a s me mbe rs of the ir
community a nd cla ss. For those who
te siste d re scue , the ir a ge ncy wa s pe rha ps
on be ha lf of the mse lve s a nd the ir
child re n, born a nd unborn. And for those
who worke d with the re scue te a ms, d if-
fe re nt id e ntitie s ope ra te d a t d iffe re nt
time s: a se rva nt of the sta te , a me mbe r of
a ne w na tion, a Hind u, a woma n. Thus
our und e rsta nd ing of a ge ncy too ne e d s to
ta ke into a ccount notions of the mora l
ord e r which is sought to be pre se rve d
whe n wome n a ct, a s we ll a s the me d ia tion
of the fa mily, community, cla ss a nd
re ligion.
In the re me mbra nce ritua ls tha t ta ke
pla ce in gurud wa ra s in d iffe re nt pa rts of
the country, the wome n's 'he roic' ste ps in
offe ring the mse lve s up for d e a th a re
va lorise d , while the ir a bd uctions a re gloss-
e d ove r. The se ' va lorous wome n a re now
be ginning to find the ir wa y into sma ll
bookle ts a nd illustra te d comic-type things,
which a re d istribute d fre e , or sold ve ry
che a ply, to pe ople , but which a re use d
e spe cia lly for child re n, to te ll the m
storie s a nd impre ss on the mthe impor-
ta nce of be lie ving in a nd pra ctising
the ir re ligion. It d oe s not ta ke much to
se e tha t this is a pre pa ra tion for the
future .
The story of the se wome n is by no
me a ns ove r. Tod a y, more tha n 'e ve r,
que stions of viole nce , of wome n's pa r-
ticipa tion in it, of the ir a ge ncy a nd
collusion, a re be coming importa nt. While
it is importa nt tha t hisotria ns look
a t a re a s the y ha ve le ft untouche d , it
is e qua lly importa nt tha t wome n a cti-
vists d o some introspe ction a nd e xa mine
the ir a ssumptions a bout wbme n. For,
ra the r tha n ma ke simplistic a ssump-
tions a bout the powe r of wome n, it
is be tte r, a s Kumkum S a nga ri points
out, to ca pture the comple xitie s of
struggle .
Note s
I Ga brie le Die trich (1992): S ome Re fle ctions
on the Wome n's Move me nt in Ind ia , De lhi,
Horizon.
2 Ta ke n froma n a ctivist pa mphle t brought
out by Wome n Aga inst Fund a me nta lism,
De lhi, nd .
3 This point is ma d e , a s a re ma ny othe r more
importa nt one s, much more succinctly a nd
e le ga ntly, by KumkumS a nga ri in 'Conse nt,
Age ncy a nd Rhe torics of Incite me nt' Ne hru
Me moria l Muse uma nd Libra ry, Occa siona l
Pa pe rs on History a nd S ocie ty, S e cond
S e rie s, No LIX, p 27 a nd pa ssim.
4 Figure s quote d he re , a nd subse qfe ntly, ha ve
be e n ta ke n fromthe following source s: G
D Khosla : S te rn Re ckoning:.A,S urve y of the
Eve nts Le a d ing Up To a nd Following the
Pa rtition of Ind ia , De lhi, Oxford Unive r-
sity Pre ss, 1948, re printe d 1989, Appe nd ix
11; Gurba cha n S ingh Ta lib: MuslimLe a gue
Atta ck on S ikhs a nd Hind us in the Punja b
1947, De lhi, S GPC1950, re printe d De lhi,
Voice of Ind ia 1991, Appe nd ix-Atrocitie s.
5 S ource s a s in note 4.
6 Bir Ba ha d ur S ingh, pe rsona l inte rvie w. In-
te rvie we d by S ud e sh Va id a nd Urva shi
Buta lia .
7 Ibid .
8 Ba sa nt Ka ur, pe rsona l inte rvie w. Inte rvie w-
e d by S ud e sh Va id a nd Urva shi Buta lia .
9 Khosla op cit, a nd Ta lib op cit, Appe nd ice s
a nd pa ssim.
10 Anis Kid wa i, Aza d i Ki Cha on Me in (Hind i),
De lhi, Na tiona l Book Trust, 1990. My
tra nsla tion. Tra nsla te d fromthe origina l
Urd u by Noor Na bi Abba si.
II Kirpa l S ingh (e d ): Pa rtition of Punja b 1947,
Ind ia a nd Pa kista n, De lhi, Na tiona l
Bookshop, 1991 p 572. My e mpha sis.
12 S ixte e nth Me e ting of the Pa rtition Coun-
cil, 1948.
13 Anis Kid wa i, op cit, p 142-43.
14 Ibid .
15 Hind usta n Time s, Ja nua ry 17, 1948. Quote d
in S e le cte d Works of Ja wa ha rla l Ne hru, S e -
cond se rie s, Vol 5, De lhi, Ja wa ha rla l Ne hru
Fund , 1987, p 113.
16 Quote d in Anis Kid wa i, op cit, p 143.
18 Pa rlia me nta ry De ba te s, (1952), Vol 1,
Pa rt II, Proce e d ings Othe r tha n Que stions
a nd Answe rs (Fe brua ry 5, 9, pp 677-87.
19 Ibid .
20 Da mya nti S a hga l, pe rsona l inte rvie w. Inte r-
vie we d by Urva shi Buta lia .
21 Ka mia be n Pa te l, pe rsona l inte rvie w, Inte r-
vie we d by Urva shi Buta lia . I a mgra te ful to
S ona l S hukla for he r a ssista nce in this
inte rvie w.
22 Anis Kid wa i, op cit, 146.
23 Ka mia be n Pa te l, pe rsona l inte rvie w, op cit.
24 Ibid .
25 Ibid .
26 Anis Kid wa i, op cit, p 146-47.
27 Ibid .
28 Ka mia be n Pa te l, pe rsona l inte rvie w, op cit.
29 Ibid .
30 Ibid .
31 S om Ana nd , 'La hore : A
Me moir,
un-
publishe d ma nuscript, cha pte r 17.
32 S a d d a Ha k, Ethe y Ra ka , a re port on re fuge e
wome n worke rs of De lhi, Pe op1e 's Union of
De mocra tic Rights, De lhi, 1989.
WS -24 Economic a nd Politica l We e kly April 24,
1993