Zanana Neem aur Mardana Bargad
Partition politics is at the heart of Basti. Interestingly however, this politics is centered not on a community level but in the mind of the individual. Although, India in Intezaar Hussains Basti is still in the process of partition (mass movement going on ) the people who have lived together for so many years already start thinking of those who migrated as the others from an-other land. A very fascinating display of this 'otherization' is visible in Afzaal and Zakirs discussion on their way to Roop Nagar on page 99. Here they manifest their differences in the form of their choices of trees. Zakir who is already grieved for he cannot properly adjust to the new land faces yet another reality bite in the form of Afzaals harsh words.
"Yaar Afzaal, yunhi mainay pooch liya, yahan neem nahee hota?" (Zakir)
"Kion nahee hota? Chalo mai tumhain dikhaon"
Yeh raha tumhara neem (Afzaal)
Mainay gor say dekha, "Yar yeh tu bakain hai" (Zakir)
"Kher koi baat nahee, bakain bhi bura nahee hota. Yahan neem zara dhoondna paray ga" (Afzaal)
"Magar humari taraf issay dhoondna nahee parta tha, loo chalti dupharon mai aur sawan say bheegay dinon mai khud apna aelan karta tha" (Zakir)
Afzaal chup raha, aik ghannay bargad kay neechay ja kar qayaam ka ilaan kiya."Yahan thora dam lo, yeh Pakistan ka sab say thanda gosha hai" (Afzaal)
Han na, asal mai meri ashnaai bargad say zyada hai, Neem tau zanana per hai jis mai sirf jhola hee latkaya ja sakta hai, yazgaan tau bargad kee hee chaon mai milta hai"
For me this passage highlights the distinction which is being 'enforced' between India and Pakistan. Referring Neem as a zanana tree exposes the conception of Zakirs past as something which was fragile and the presence of Bargad here in Pakistan is an attempt at justifying the better deal of migrating. 'Otherization' once again is at its peak. To be fair, this process of creating the other is going on from both ends. In India as well, as shown in chapter 5 and 6, the muslims who have decided to stay back are extremely skeptical about Pakistan and whether it is a secure place to migrate to at all. This is evident in the tone of the old people who stay back thinking that Pakistan won't be able to provide them with a grave under the shadow or in Sabra's disassociation with the Pakistani cities. She is quite concerned about the situation in Dhaka as her mother lives there but at the same time, when survinder questions her about her relatives in other Pakistan she gives an answer that shows her indifference or her nonacceptance of Pakistan as a whole when she says,
"pata nahee, koi lahore hai tau koi karachi aur koi Islamabad"
As if these cities don't have any significance of their own, they are all tiny offshoots of a larger mistake which is Pakistan hence immediately tagging it as the other even if the situation is the same on both ends.
Partition politics is at the heart of Basti. Interestingly however, this politics is centered not on a community level but in the mind of the individual. Although, India in Intezaar Hussains Basti is still in the process of partition (mass movement going on ) the people who have lived together for so many years already start thinking of those who migrated as the others from an-other land. A very fascinating display of this 'otherization' is visible in Afzaal and Zakirs discussion on their way to Roop Nagar on page 99. Here they manifest their differences in the form of their choices of trees. Zakir who is already grieved for he cannot properly adjust to the new land faces yet another reality bite in the form of Afzaals harsh words.
"Yaar Afzaal, yunhi mainay pooch liya, yahan neem nahee hota?" (Zakir)
"Kion nahee hota? Chalo mai tumhain dikhaon"
Yeh raha tumhara neem (Afzaal)
Mainay gor say dekha, "Yar yeh tu bakain hai" (Zakir)
"Kher koi baat nahee, bakain bhi bura nahee hota. Yahan neem zara dhoondna paray ga" (Afzaal)
"Magar humari taraf issay dhoondna nahee parta tha, loo chalti dupharon mai aur sawan say bheegay dinon mai khud apna aelan karta tha" (Zakir)
Afzaal chup raha, aik ghannay bargad kay neechay ja kar qayaam ka ilaan kiya."Yahan thora dam lo, yeh Pakistan ka sab say thanda gosha hai" (Afzaal)
Han na, asal mai meri ashnaai bargad say zyada hai, Neem tau zanana per hai jis mai sirf jhola hee latkaya ja sakta hai, yazgaan tau bargad kee hee chaon mai milta hai"
For me this passage highlights the distinction which is being 'enforced' between India and Pakistan. Referring Neem as a zanana tree exposes the conception of Zakirs past as something which was fragile and the presence of Bargad here in Pakistan is an attempt at justifying the better deal of migrating. 'Otherization' once again is at its peak. To be fair, this process of creating the other is going on from both ends. In India as well, as shown in chapter 5 and 6, the muslims who have decided to stay back are extremely skeptical about Pakistan and whether it is a secure place to migrate to at all. This is evident in the tone of the old people who stay back thinking that Pakistan won't be able to provide them with a grave under the shadow or in Sabra's disassociation with the Pakistani cities. She is quite concerned about the situation in Dhaka as her mother lives there but at the same time, when survinder questions her about her relatives in other Pakistan she gives an answer that shows her indifference or her nonacceptance of Pakistan as a whole when she says,
"pata nahee, koi lahore hai tau koi karachi aur koi Islamabad"
As if these cities don't have any significance of their own, they are all tiny offshoots of a larger mistake which is Pakistan hence immediately tagging it as the other even if the situation is the same on both ends.
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