The concept of 'otherness' is something that we face every day in our lives.

People define
themselves by how they view others around them. The concept of 'otherness' refers to setting
boundaries of acceptability in society. This idea outlines the relationship different groups have with
each other. One's 'self' is defined and strengthened as it is compared to the 'other' who is
considered an outsider or different. The 'other' is whatever the 'self' is not. Throughout history,
people have labeled those who are different. People have been labeled 'other' because of their
differences of religion, gender, geography, politics, colour, caste, and class. To even personal
difference limited to an individual.

Something very strongly imposed by the colonizers upon the colonized to differentiate and establish
a power hierarchy, it occurs frequently as a motif in colonial and post-colonial literature and in
partition literature. However, partition literature depicts colonized segregating themselves from
other colonized. One of the most famous short stories about the partition is Amritsar Aa Gaya by
Bhishma Sahni. Told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator it is a story about a group of
refugees travelling from present-day Pakistan to Amritsar post the announcement of the Indo-Pak
partition and about the horrors they witness on their journey. From riots to violence, Amritsar Aa
Gaya, and its translated version The Train has Reached Amritsar paints a grotesque picture of the
disruption, confusion, and angst of the time.

Otherness in Amritsar Aa Gaya

There are several moments in the story where the train stops at a station and people try to get in
only to be stopped or even faced with hostility by those inside. For example, when the train stops in
Wazirabad; the people on the platform beg to be let in. Once they climb in, they shout and fling
curses at those who are still trying to get in. This is a very stark case of othering that is addressed by
the author himself, stating, “But once he’s inside the opposition stops, and the same passenger joins
the rest in shouting at those trying to enter the compartment.” Almost as if he becomes a part of the
inside world.

While the train is still in Pakistan the Pathaans are in power and the Hindu Babu is the other
however, once the train crosses the threshold of India, the roles reverse. Earlier at Wazirabad, the
Pathaans resist a small family from entering the compartment. Later the Babu resists a Muslim
couple from entering. The story beautifully depicts the anger, frustration and prejudice that was
within the people at the time.

However, there are cases where the colonized practice othering towards those they consider to be
part of the colonized even though they might not be. Such is the case in The Hunt by Mahasweta
Devi. The story follows a female protagonist by the name of Mary Oraon who is the daughter of a
woman called Bhikni who was impregnated and then abandoned by an Australian post-
Independence. Here, othering happens over religion, as Bhikni was a Christian therefore in order to
get employment she is forced to abandon her faith. Similarly, being a product of Indo-Australian
blood Mary is quite different from other girls of her village therefore finds it difficult to find a
husband. Here she becomes a subject to the Madonna-Whore concept where the men of the village
 are willing to be her lover but do not guarantee marriage. Therefore, Mary shapes her attitude
towards men accordingly. Considering them as outsiders she doesn’t entertain them.

In conclusion it is necessary to understand that othering often stems from a place of prejudice which
drives people to establish a demarcation. However, it can also come from a place of ignorance which
would then lead to something known as the “Fear of the unknown”. Which would then lead to
hatred because we hate the things that frighten us. Thus, ignorance breeds fear.

Works Cited

Devi, Mahasweta, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. “x, xxxx.” INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIELD

Sahni, Bhisham and Bhalla, Alok. The Train has Reached Amritsar

Sahni, Bhisham. “Bhisham Sahni's short story 'अमृतसर आ गया है' (We have Reached Amritsar) in

English.” INTERACTIONS, 29 August 2016,