Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The ambience of the City of Lakes has always attracted authors, and Khushwant Singh and Tarun Coomar Bhadury were no exceptions. Their classics were an instant hit and inspired filmmakers. The pellucid Upper Lake, the dark green woods, and the hillocks that border Bhopal have inspired many litterateurs to put their pen to paper. So were scripted many volumes in the City of Lakes.
But two – written between 1956 and 1961 – became an instant hit. Over 60 years have passed since these books were written, but they still fascinate readers. These two volumes are: Train to Pakistan, written in English by Khushwant Singh, and Abhishapta Chambal (Horror of Chambal), penned in Bengali by Tarun Coomar Bhadury.
Khushwant Singh’s Train to Pakistan chugged off from a bungalow, Kashiyana Alvi, near the Upper Lake. Records say Khushwant Singh’s father, Sobha Singh, an eminent contractor, was a friend of Nawab of Bhopal, Hamiullah Khan, and, with his permission, he set up many factories. Singh began to stay in Bhopal from 1951 and wrote Train to Pakistan. The novel paints the horrors of the Partition. The people of both countries are still paying heavily for the event that happened more than 70 years ago.
Nonetheless, many tomes – like The Heart Divided by Mumtaz, Ice Candy Man by Bapsi Sidhwa, Clear Light of Day by Anita Desai, Shadow of Time by Nigar Masroor, Azadi by Chaman Nihal, Tamas by Bhisam Sahni, and A Bend in the Ganges by Manohar Malgonkar – were written on the Partition of this subcontinent. But Singh is impeccable. The first few lines of the volume set the mood of the story:
“The summer of 1947 was not like other Indian summers. Even the weather had a different feel in India that year. It was hotter than usual, and drier and dustier.”
These lines indicate how the dust raised in that dry summer of 1947 covered the entire country, shattered the hopes of millions, and destroyed a nation. When Singh was writing this classic, he confined himself to Kashiyana Alvi for many days. Besides being close to nature, Bhopal was then far from the racket of the present world. This was the reason why the author chose the capital of Madhya Pradesh to write his masterpiece.
Similarly, Bhadury tipped out ink to portray the blood-splattered ravines of Chambal at Malviya Nagar, Bhopal. The stories the book contains emerged from his first-hand experience as a journalist. Each page of the book sends chills down the spine of a reader. It relates the story of the Robin Hood-like Dau Man Singh, in whose praise the ravines of Chambal still carol. The book begins with a quote from Rukmani Devi, wife of Man Singh:
“Uske Baad! Beta Uske Baad” (What is next! My son, what is next!).
These six words unfold the tale of bleakness, despair, anguish, and anger that the ravines of Chambal give off. Then there is beautiful Putli Bai, the first female bandit of Chambal, a victim of rape, torture, and misfortune. The book narrates how she took to gun culture to avenge those who had bullied her. Bhadury’s Behar, Baagi, Bandook, a column on the socio-economic problems in the ravines of Chambal which appeared in Desh – a well-known Bengali weekly of yesteryears – is still etched in the minds of Bengalis. The birthplace of this column was also Bhopal.
The ravines have seen many changes since the days of Bhadury. But spilling blood is still an everyday affair there. Every day a new story is born. To locals, ravines still mean:
Maar Ka Badla Maar, Khoon ka Badla Khoon (Blood for blood; murder for murder).
To women, ravines still mean:
Chambal Ki Kasam Mita De Bindiya Utha le Bandook.
Many journalists, authors, and social scientists have spilled gallons of ink on rims of paper scripting the yarns of the ravines. But none could feel the pulse of the place and its people as Bhadury did.
Both novels were filmed
A Hindi movie was made on Train to Pakistan in 1998. Pamela Rooks directed the movie, starring Nirmal Pandey, Rajit Kapoor, Mohan Agashe, Smriti Mishra, Mangal Dhillon, and Divya Dutta.
Likewise, Abhishapta Chambal was filmed in 1967. Bengali actor Manju Dey was so impressed by the character of Putli Bai that she directed the film and played the lead role in it. Besides Dey, another eminent actor of yesteryears, Pradeep Kumar, essayed an important role in the film.
