The Great Partition_Yavuz

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The Great Partition By Yavuz Shahzad


Table of Contents Dedication, Page II Foreword, Page 1 Narrative, Page 2 Work, Page 4 Page 8, Special Thanks

Page 9, Bibliography

I


To my mother who inspires me to do great things in life, no matter what the obstacles may be.

II


Foreword The separation of India and Pakistan happened in 1947. The British had just left India because they didn’t have the funds to support it as they were in an economic crisis. This left the country in chaos. The Muslims of India were concerned that India would erupt in violent riots and murders. And they were right. Soon after the British left India, Sikhs started killing Muslims. Muslims started killing Sikhs.

Soon, Muslims started migrating to the newly made Pakistan, which was safer for them in theory. The Hindus and Sikhs that lived in the areas of India, which were given to the new Pakistan, were also desperately trying to migrate inland. 1


The Great Partition The bumps and turns. I remember everything but their faces. It was horrific. So horrific in fact, that everything is now a blur, but still just as terrifying. I remember it all, even though the picture is a bit out of focus. Those minutes, hours maybe felt like months, years. Years of sheer despair, horror, and much, much more. So many synonyms of fear, but none powerful enough to describe that feeling. I was only seven when it happened. Worse than anything I have ever experienced. Even if I had gone through this entire ordeal at my current age, it would still be scarring. But enough mystery. I was walking home from the store, I turned a corner and there she was. I had never seen her before. Off we went, foot to foot. I don’t know what sparked her hate against me so much as for her to attempt my murder. I’m falling behind; this is the end I thought. Curse this war! Nothing there besides her hate of my religion! If this was a valid reason to kill, well, I don’t even want to think about it. As a final feat of strength, I dashed forward; the sword came down, but missed by a centimeter. Again, barely dodging it I survived long enough to see my uncle who scared the rabid lady away with a series of gunshots. Noticing that our family was in serious danger, we decided to migrate to Pakistan. And that is where the real adventure begins.

2


When we migrated, we migrated in trucks. Groups of trucks would travel together packed with people to defend any opposing dangers or attacks. We lined the sides of the truck with our bags in case of bullets. They were called convoys. Our convoy somehow took a wrong turn. We drifted off the path and stopped at the city of Amritsar. What’s the problem with that, you ask. Well, Amritsar was a primarily Sikh area. When I say primarily Sikh, I mean only Sikh people could be found in a 3­kilometer radius, and most of them were against the newly made Pakistan. They wanted one, united India, but that wasn’t safe for us. We got stopped pretty quickly. I wasn’t exactly aware of the seriousness of the issue until. Everyone around me started panicking. I only fully understood once I saw the faces of the Sikh people that forced the back of our truck open. In that moment that it clicked so many emotions rushed in that I almost couldn’t process it all. I felt sadness, for my family because they were sure to die. Anger at the people who were merciless and blood hungry. Confused, since my seven­year­old mind could not handle all of this. I was sick and tired of this war. I had nightmares about that day for years. Impactful how one terrible experience can shape your life so much. Hours, days, months, centuries, I don’t know how long I waited but it felt like millennia. I waited and waited, preparing for a long, cruel and painful death. I waited and waited until we started moving again. They let us go. We never told them we were Muslims. We lied and it saved our lies. That is when I learned that lying isn’t that bad if it has a clear and valid purpose, in this case saving our lives. We got back on track and drove to the camp. I stayed there for about two years before a law was passed in which it said that all the families and people that had a home in India, now had a house in Pakistan. From that point on is history, but those moments will live in my heart till the day that I die. 3


My Work

4


5


6


7


Special Thanks I would like to thank my Grandfather for sharing his story with me.

I would like to thank my classmate Philip for editing my narrative before it was published.

Lastly, I would like to thank my father for introducing me to my grandfather's story and helping me find a subject to write my narrative about.

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About the Author

Yavuz Shahzad is 12 years old at the time of the Portfolio being created. He is currently in 7th grade. He lives in Istanbul with his mother, father, and sister.


Bibliography Dalrymple, William. "The Great Divide." The New Yorker. N.p., 22 June 2015. Web. 31 Oct. 2016. <http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/29/the­ great­divide­books­dalrymple>. Rafiq, Muhammed. "The Partition of India." Telephone interview. Rafiq, Muhamed. "The Partition of India (Part 2)." Telephone interview. Sonneborn, Liz. "A New Nation." Pakistan. N.p.: Scholastic, n.d. 43­ 46. Print. Enchantment of the World. White, Margret Bourke. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016. ”Partition Of India." Salem Press Encyclopedia (2016): Topic Overviews 6­12. Web. 10 Nov. 2016. Muslims Depart. Photographer. Britannica ImageQuest. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 May 2016. http://quest.eb.com/search/115_2731062/1/115_2731062/cite. Accessed 15 Nov 2016. Water For Journey. Photographer. Britannica ImageQuest. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 May 2016. http://quest.eb.com/search/115_2724846/1/115_2724846/cite. Accessed 15 Nov 2016. Muslims Depart. Photographer. Britannica ImageQuest. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 May 2016. http://quest.eb.com/search/115_2731062/1/115_2731062/cite. Accessed 21 Nov 2016. 9


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