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A LIFETIME ON TIPTOES - My inspiration |
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The great Punjabi Sufi poet Madho Lal Hussain (1538-1599) famously said “oh mother who do I share the pain of separation with”. The tradition of sharing grief and using the metaphor of separation in our literature is centuries old. The same metaphorical tradition can be traced in various world literatures in different forms. As human suffering in our societies has no limits, mothers offer catharsis in the form of ‘qissa’ (story) to tell their loved ones. Punjabi mothers were destined to inherit pain and suffering in various forms dictated by our ancient culture. The partition of India in 1947 increased that suffering and traumatised millions of mothers as their sons were killed in front of their eyes and vice versa mothers in front of their sons. All this happened in the name of religion to create a separate country and the main suffers were Punjabi and Bengalis. The tragedy was so horrific that it became difficult for the people and writers to talk about. A dilemma was created as the multitude of people involved spanned the many religions of the country. The reason for not talking about the tragedy could also be put down to guilt as all the religious communities were involved in the killing of innocent people who were forced to leave their homes without real understanding of the bigger picture. They were convinced they would return to their homeland ‘des’ and that the situation of displacement and violence was temporary. The older generation today who are the victims of the tragedy and faced displacement, are diminishing. My own experience of migration and separation from ‘des’ (mother land) has given me a better understanding of the suffering of my traumatised mother. I discovered myself to be living under the shadow of my mother’s suffering and I can only heal myself thorough telling the ‘qissa’ of our partition. I returned to the ruins of my mother’s old home and after visiting my ancestral village in East Punjab (in India) I wrote a poem ‘Sarhaal Qaziaan’. After listening to my poem a friend of mine, who is an Indian film maker, said he would like to make a film on this poem. I went back to Pakistan after my strange pilgrimage to tell my mother the story of my visit. I stayed with her for some time in the hope to renew and discover the sentiments underlying the experiences of my mother. Her stories gave me a new vision of peace and harmony which broadened my perspective of multi-faith Punjab before the partition of India in 1947. In the play based upon my poem I have tried to recreate the actual scene by combining realism and surrealism. My friends in Lahore appreciated the play and shared my thoughts that the silence surrounding such a huge human tragedy in the name of religion should be broken and justice to prevail through a symbolic trial of the forces responsible for the atrocities. Today’s multi faith society is faced with the same sort of segregation of communities and hatred between the faiths. The increased division among Punjabi’s seems to be rooted in the animosities incited in the people of the 1947 partition. History appears to be repeating itself and staging yet another drama on a global scale of growing hatred which continues to divide people in the name of religion. My play acts not just as a nostalgic reminder of the peace and unity of the past but as an active instrument of struggle for peace and harmony in today's world. Mazhar Tirmazi |
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