Kitne Pakistan 2

Kitne Pakistan Kamleshwar, (Hindi) Rajpal & Sons, Kashmiri Gate, Delhi – 110006, Rs.150/-, 2004, ISBN 81-7028-476-7 Pp-363

1. Arrival of British trader Sir Thomas Roe in India in 1757. Robert Clive, a clerk managed import of 15 dancing bar girls in the house of Mir Jaffer, of Bengal. (P289), Plassey war in 1757and Buxor war in 1764. Murder of Haider Ali on 7th Dec. 1782 in Chittoor (Arcot). His son Tipu Sultan. takes over his mantle (P-291) 2. Reaching of Babur directly in Ayodhya on 2 April 1528 His daughter. Gulbadan reached Aligarh on 9th April 1528. 3. Life history of Dara Shikoh, (P-215), important dates of his life – 14 March 1659, 9th June, 23rd June, 23rd August, and on 30/31 August 1659 he was butchered and it was the murder of Indian culture- Tehzeeb. 4. Period of Shah Jehan full of dualism and controversies; he ruled the country for 20 years; Personality of Aurangzeb stripped inch by inch (P.134/135). 5. Description of different culture like Egyptian near Neil river (84), Sumerian, Babylonian (P-86), Caucasian (P-96). Ultimately what happened to these cultures? KAMLESHWAR, the writer explains in the preface that so many readers asked him if it was a book of history, geography, politics or any thing else. The readers raised the question as to how this book fits in the definition of a novel. Author replied that this is a novel and it should be read as novel only. But while going through the book, some time one feels like going through the human history, some time through the pages geography and at times witnessing the political turmoil of the world. In the book one feels directly cross-questioning the brutal Hitler, the maker of bomb of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and what not. The boundaries of time, period, or geography, civilizations, princes, empires, dictators, aggressors, have no meaning. All are standing in the witness box of time regardless of their status. All are on the equal footing. The octogenarian respected fiction writer Vishnu Prabhakar says “it has broken the traditional structure of novel shown a new path to writer’s expression after opening a new uncanny gate of new possibilities. … It is a new experiment.” Within a period of 4 years the book has gone into 8 editions and the first edition was sold within first four months of publication. There have been times when the book was not available in the market and its pirated Xeroxed copies were marketed by interested persons. It has been translated in so many Indian languages. KAMLESHWAR writes in the preface that during the writing he "constantly felt as if this was my maiden literary venture" and was "all the while beset by an unvoiced restlessness and a perception of inadequacy", turns out to be his magnum opus, eventually.” It has achieved a special place in the history of Hindi fiction and it was awarded the much coveted Sahitya Akademi Award The author like those who lived through the trauma of Partition states that, "This novel was born out of a constant ferment within my mind". Though initially it gives an impression that is about the partition of India but it is not all about the Partition of India.

It is about all kinds of brutality that human race experienced in the history, the violence that is still prevailing in the world, the non-satiating desire of the ruling class to crush the ruled ones, the continuous torture being faced by a section, race, group, ethnicity of the world. There is no hero or villain of the novel. The main protagonist of the novel is Time. There is romance and love, there are emotions and feelings, there is one Vidya, one Salma, and one Pari begum and the like. The reminiscences of Nadim about the old masjid in Chandni Chowk or old vaidya in the area add local flavour to the event. The novel traces the various incidents in which a land and its people were partitioned on the basis of religious beliefs, giving centrality to the Partition of India. It was one event which perhaps inspired the author to this venture and what came out as one of the best literary master pieces. It will always be a debatable point as to who was responsible for the partition of the country. People generally accuse MA Jinnah, or Allama Iqbal but according to the author the seeds were sown in 1757. Jinnah did not create history on the contrary history created him. (P-104). He simply wanted to be immortal in history (p-154). Pakistan was created – because of lack of foresightedness in Jinnah, conspiracy in the mind of Mountabatten, and flickering mind and immorality of Iqbal. Pakistan begets from Pakistan (p-182). In fact, Jinnah regretted over his demand of Pakistan but could not go back on his words. He was a sick body, afflicted with pleurisy, bronchitis, and other ailments. He fell ill while he was traveling from Simla to Delhi and was attended by his doctor – Dr. Patel. In the book, Mountabatten is asked if he did not know this. He said no. Then the remarks are passed that it was something unbelievable the Viceroy of the country did not know this. The partition was hastened by people like Mountbatten. The departing British colonizers had no love for the sub-continent. The novel takes the form of a long-drawn courtroom hearing, with the narrator, a nameless writer, the adeeb playing the role of the chief prosecutor, judge and witness all rolled into one. Each historical moment that is called into question is looked into in detail to arrive at the alternate views other than the official one — to establish the point that the hero of conventional history was wrong. It begins with Gilgamesh, the narration proliferates, spanning several centuries of known history with Time and Space as the main character. It has other characters – animate or inanimate like rivers, books, time or events to give witness sharing space along with real and imaginary historic characters. It has covered a big canvass – not leaving any event, place, country or the colony of the world of today. The interesting part of the novel that all the current real places, persons and names have appeared as if they are the part of the event. Names like Dr. Chandrakant Bhardwaj of RSS, or Ashok Singhal of VHP or Hindustani Tehzeeb or village Gangoli or gali Sadullah Khan appear in their true forms. All the famous current or past names of Indian social or political system find place in the book in some or the other reference, with the conspicuous exception of much talked

about politician – BAL Thackeray or any name from Bollywood. These are not omissions as such. These witnesses shake off the fake mask of the great characters like. The author traced the origin of Lord Mountbatten. He is tongue-tied when asked to explain why Lord Ismay, "who had worked closely with Churchill during the War" came along with the Viceroy as his assistant to preside upon the Partition of the land or he had his brief to partition the country. Aurangzeb and other Moghul kings too felt that they tried their best to keep the country as one but these new masters did every thing to break the country. It has broken the myth that Chengiz Khan was a Muslim. He was a Mongol idol worshipper. There are references of Sumerian, Egyptian, Caucasian and other world cultures. Open the book at random and you are sure to find one shocking revelation or the other, one incident involves Aurangazeb's sacking of Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Kamleshwar borrows the authority of Pattabhi Sitaramaiah, President of Indian National Congress (1938) to assert that Aurangazeb did what he did to retrieve the wife of one of the Hindu Rajahs in his entourage who had visited the temple and whom some of the priests there had abducted and raped! Lots of such incidents revealed in the book. Arrival of British trader Sir Thomas Roe in India in 1757. Plassey war in 1757and Buxor war in 1764. Murder of Haider Ali on 7th Dec. 1782 in Chittoor (Arcot). Reaching of Babur directly in Ayodhya on 2 April 1528 His daughter Gulbadan reached Aligarh on 9th April 1528. Life history of Dara Shikoh, (P-215), important dates of his life – 14 March 1659, 9th June, 23rd June, 23rd August, and on 30/31 August 1659 he was butchered and it was the murder of Indian culture- Tehzeeb. Shah Jehan ruled the country for 20 years; Personality of Aurangzeb stripped inch by inch (P.134/135). Description of different culture like Egyptian near Neil river (84), Sumerian, Babylonian (P-86), Caucasian (P-96). Ultimately what happened to these cultures?

The novel has been translated in English by, Ameena Kazi Ansari, who has also done a great job, 1. What is True History? History written by Imperialists is not true history. True history is written on the souls of exploited and suppressed nations. (285). 2. Seeds of imperialism and then Partition were sown when Jehangir allowed the British treader Sir Thomas Roe to stay here in India and establish his trade centre in Surat. It was in 1757. Robert Clive, a clerk managed import of 15 dancing bar girls in the house of Mir Jafer, the trusted person of Sirajudaullah of Bengal.(289) 3. A war was fought in Plassey in 1757. and in Buxor in 1764. 4. On 7th Dec. 1782 Haider Ali was murdered in Chittoor (Arcot). His mantle was taken over by his son Tipu Sultan. (291) 5. Nevil wrote in Faizabad Gazeteer that the population of Ayodhya-Faizabad was 9,949 in 1869. It rose to 11,643 in 1881 – after a period of 12 years. (P-74) 6. Aligarh was known as Kul-Jalali in 1528 7. On 2 April 1528 Babur went directly to Ayodhya after his hunting game in jungle. Gulbadan daughter of Babur reached Aligarh on 9th April 1528. 8. Description about different culture – Egyptian near Neil river (84), Sumerian, Babylonian ( 86), Caucasian ( 96) what happened to these cultures? 9. Gilgesh and Herodotus, 10. Names – Banne Khan, Sajja Zahir, Nazish) (92) all migrated to Pakistan. 11. Benazir Bhutto, Murtaza Bhutto, Jinnah and Iqbal, 12. Amrita Pritam, KS Duggal, Kabir, Ghalib, Tolstoy, Rahul Sankrityyan, Amir Khusro, Burney, VN Pandey, Pt. Sri Ram Sharma, Prabhu Joshi, Nikhil Chakarvorty (184), Rajendra Mathur(186), Firaq Gorakhpuri, Subhash Pant from Dehradun (225), Saifuddin Soz of Kashmir, Prabhi joshi is seen as talking to Vietnamese. 13. Bina Ramani and murder of Jessica Lal. 14. Views about Upnishads – these are merely the expression of repentance of Brahmanic exploitation, caste based misdeeds, and blind faith in Godhood. It is a direct attack showing his leftist leanings. 103 15. Lalleshwari and Habba Khatoon of Kashmir 16. Jinnah: He did not create history on the contrary history created him. 104 17. he wanted to be immortal in history (154) 18. Pakistan was created – because of lack of foresightedness in Jinnah, conspiracy in the mind of Mountabatten, and flickering mind and immorality of Iqbal. Iabal

wrote the beautiful song – Saare Jahan se Accha Hindustan Hamara and then he changed it to the tune of Pakistan. 19. Pakistan begets from Pakistan (182) 20. Jinnah regretted over his demand of Pakistan but could not go back on his words, 21. No culture allows creation of Pakistan in its true sense (182) 22. In fact the concept of Pakistan was given by Rehmat Ali in 1933. 23. Jinnah lived in England in 1934. He was a sick body, afflicted with pleurisy, bronchitis, and other ailments. He fell ill while he was traveling from Simla to Delhi and was attended by his doctor – Dr. Patel. Mountabatten was asked if he did not know this. He said no. It was something unbelievable that the Viceroy of the country did not know this. 24. In India lot of celebrations are similar in Hindus and Muslims. At the time of marriage, same folk songs are sung, same emotions are visible, the sisters wait for their brothers arrival in the wedding and same fanfare is observed. 25. India Gate, Mansingh Road, 26. Shia sunni differences – dialogues of Salma and her hubby’s cousin Naim 121 27. Description of Mauritius 28. Life of Dara Shikoh, Sympathy with him (215), important dates of his life – 14 March 1659, 9th June, 23rd June, 23rd August, and 30/31 August 1659. It was the day when Dara was butchered in fact it was the murder of Indian culture- thezeeb. 29. Afghanistan – a place where richayen of Vedas were written, Zoroastrian hymns were recited 136 30. Jehangir committed a blunder – unknowingly that he allowed Sir Thomas Roe, a British trader to establish his trade centre near Surat because he curd Jehangir’s daughter. (144) 31. Concept of Historic Person (Itihas Purus) – 129 32. Period of Shah Jehan was that of intra controversies, disagreement between fundamentalism and liberalism, he ruled the country for 20 years, 33. Personality of Aurangzeb stripped inch by inch 134/135 34. He again comes in his royalty – speaking in his thundering voice as if he is still the emperor of India. 35. Then come the Year 1669 in his roaring voice.(173) 36. Hot and revealing discussion between Rana Sanga and Babur ( 150) 37. Bloodshed on the eve of Partition. 38. Inanimate objects like rivers – Ganga, Yamuna, Shipra, Chmabl, (207-213), Time (188), Year they are the real witnesses of the events. 39. World conflict – Bosnia, Somalia (179), Brazil, Bolivia, Yugoslavia, South Africa and Israel, Palestine and Tunisia, bloodshed in Kurdish of Iraq , conflict in middle east and north Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Algeria, - all these have their own Pakistan. Burnell Diaz of Spain (297) and Alwarez (299) 40. Even the small place like village Dehra of Ghaziabad appears in the book-p181 41. Yassir Arafat and Rabin – the PM of Israel, racism in South Africa, 42. What is consumerism of today? It is nothing but the extension of Capitalism – Imperialism and then Colonialism and then Consumerism. 43. Post Partition period. Pt Nehru – his love for Mridula Sarabhai and then Edwina. Yaqub Khan and Yunus Khan the two real brothers fought for India and Pakistan

in 1965 as commander of two armies and Yunus Khan killed his elder brother Yaqub Khan and then buried him himself in the war fields. 44. Queen Victoria was the leader of ‘smugglers’ as she appreciated the ‘smugglers’ like William Jordine – a British MP in 1841 and James Mathesan who bought an island in Scotland. She awarded them Knighthood. 45. Truman was responsible for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombardment. (307) 46. Mahabharat in Kurukshetra was important. Eighth day was most important when Dronacharya was leading the Kaurava army and a desperate Krishna had to pick the arms in the form of chariot wheel to save Pandavas. (306)