INTRODUCTION

This project is on the topic “Theme Of Power and Corruption” in the novel Train to Pakistan

by Khushwant Singh, published in 1956. The novel depicts how the Muslims, Hindus and

Sikhs lived together in peace and how their life became miserable when both of the sides

started to kill, shot and spear. The novel takes us to the riots which took place in Mano Majra,

a small fictional village at the border of India and Pakistan. The novel basically details the

partition that took place in 1947 between Pakistan and India. This is a classic novel which

tells the reality of independence of India.

The author of the novel enriches us which the religious practices of both Hindus as

well as Muslims and their daily works. The life in the village is quite peaceful and loving.

Each villager respects each other and respects freedom. The life of the people is very simple

and easy going. They follow the daily routine each day. The Muslims pray and recite their

prayers early morning and same goes with the Sikhs.

The novel introduces us to many characters like Bhai Meet Singh who is the care

taker of the Gurudwara and wears dirty underpants and is heavy in weight. Juggat singh who

is a bad character, who is 6 feet tall and strong, is an illiterate man and is a badmash. There is

a Muslim who is half blind. His daughter, Nooran is in love with Jugga. Nooran is caring two

month old baby in her womb.

​Khushwant Singh, the author of the book, was born on August 15, 1915. He was an

Indian author, lawyer, journalist and politician. His own experience in the partition inspired

him to write the novel ​Train to Pakistan ​which is a classic and enriches us with what had

happened during the partition. He is well known for his trenchant secularism, humour,

sarcasm and abiding love for poetry. He was bestowed with the Padma Bhushan in 1947 but
he returned the award in 1984 in protest against Operation Blue Star in which the Indian

Army raided Amritsar. He has been an inspiration to everyone.

His way of depicting the incidents in the novel is very sharp and sense evoking. The

partition that took place was actually way more terrible than expected. The truth behind the

division and the real reasons are put in light by Singh’s work. This novel tells us how people

of the village were thrown into a system where human life was measured important or not on

the basis of the religion they follow. The things which cannot be imagined could be done by a

person who is bounded in the circle of religion and love is firmly shown by the author.

The love life of Juggat Singh and Nooran tells us how people can choose to be

different. Love has no boundaries. No religion can cease love forever and no religion is

greater than love and humanity. Author has shown up a very beautiful theme of love which

has no language but the language of love only regardless of caste and religion.

The usage of power is yet another major theme in this novel. How people of upper

class try to manipulate people of lower class and how brute they are to the rest of the world.

They show themselves as the caretaker of everything going around but betray and stab at the

back of the people. People with power, never finds it important to take various actions which

could have saved so many life is shown up as one of the major reasons of death of the

innocents.