Partition Of India & Pakistan 1947 Ft. Navdeep Suri | Hymns In Blood | The Awaara Musaafir Show | 57

The Awaara Musaafir Show

The British left India in August 1947, dividing the subcontinent into two countries: India and Pakistan. The partition sparked massive religious violence, especially in Punjab and Bengal, where Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs were caught in the middle of the chaos. Millions were killed in riots, and millions more were forced to flee their homes. The partition of India stands as one of the most significant events of the 20th century.

1947, Chakri. An idyllic village on the banks of the Soan near Rawalpindi, surrounded by stalks of golden wheat and festive songs. Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs eagerly await the end of winter and get together to prepare for Lohri. Amidst this joyous bustle, Baba Bhana, the erudite village elder, worries about the future of his foster daughter, Naseem. Life comes to a halt when news of a possible partition of India reaches the village. Amid a frenzy of communal violence, Baba Bhana and his family must reluctantly leave their beloved village. They embark on a long and dangerous journey, slowly coming to terms with the fact that their lives may be changing forever. Khoon de Sohile, first published in February 1948, and now translated for the first time into English - Hymns In Blood by Amb. Navdeep Suri provides a timely reminder of the grief and trauma that a religious divide brings in its wake.

S. Nanak Singh (Novelist) (04.07.1897-28.12.1971) was a Punjabi Novelist born to Lachhmi Devi and Bahadur Chandra in village Chak Hameed, District Jehlum, Pakistan. His earlier name was Hans Raj. He was married to Raj Kaur. He was a whole-time writer and a Publisher. He could not continue his study due to the sudden death of his father. He was baptized and initiated Sikhism under the influence of Giani Bagh Singh, the Head Granthi of Peshawar Gurdwara. His name was changed to Nanak Singh. He participated in the Gurdwara Reform movement and went to jail. He read Munshi Prem Chand's novels in jail and found the purpose of his life. He started writing novels to highlight the social evils prevalent in society. His ideal characters would strive to change society with their noble efforts. The impact of his characters on the readers is enormous. The plots of his novels are well-knit and his language of narration is powerful and full of Punjabi idioms and proverbs that readers couldn't leave the novel unfinished. His new novels were anxiously awaited by his keen readers. He reigned a generation of his readers for four decades. He was awarded Sahitya Akademi Award (1961) for his novel Ik Mian Do Talwaran.

Amb. Navdeep Suri (born 1959) is a retired Indian diplomat completing a distinguished 36 years in the Indian Foreign Service, having served in India's diplomatic missions in Cairo, Damascus, Washington, Dar es Salaam, and London and as India's Consul General in Johannesburg. He has also headed the West Africa and Public Diplomacy departments at the Ministry of External Affairs. He was India's High Commissioner to Australia and Ambassador to Egypt and UAE. In a rare gesture, the President of UAE conferred on him the Order of Zayed II, the country's second-highest civilian award. His innovative use of social media in public diplomacy in 2010 also received extensive recognition and two prestigious awards. He has learned Arabic and French has a master's degree in Economics and has written on India's Africa policy, Public Diplomacy, and on the IT outsourcing industry. His English translations of his grandfather Nanak Singh's classic Punjabi novels have been published by Penguin as ‘The Watchmaker’ and by HarperCollins as ‘A Life Incomplete’ and ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’ and 'Hymns In Blood'.

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