Status of Women during Partition

1. PARTITION AND
EXPERIENCES OF HINDU
WOMEN IN “JAMILA
HASHMI’S” NOVEL
“TALAASH-E-BAHARAAN”

2. PROBLEM STATEMENT
 To revisit the experiences of women i.e Hindu and
Muslim at time of partition.
To find the reasons behind the subjugated status of
women at that time.
To find the role of narrator who is evaluating the six
women that are present in his life and affect of
societal barriers on these women differently.
To find why women is present at the bottom line of
any center.
Why they don’t get any right which make them feel
secure.

3. OBJECTIVES
 The main objective of my research is to determine
about the far-going status of women particularly at the
time of partition of Sub-Continent when women have
had no identification among the society.
 I have tried my best level to conduct a
comprehensive research and reflect the same through
the novel in-hand as nothing was carried out in this
regard in the yesteryears.

4. INTRODUCTION
 I am going to study the status and role of women at
the time of partition. By going back to 67 years back
in 19th century, when British India was divided into
two sovereign states in India and Pakistan. That time
not only the division of state occurs but also division
of humans, their emotions, and their self esteem
happened.
 When in 19th century there is no such written data
on women because women had no importance at that
time and not more history records are present about
women. And also not any media gave importance to
women of that time because media had not permission
to gave importance to women. So I collect my data
mainly from articles written and novels.

5. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The main topic of my research is depiction of female characters in
novel of Jamila Hashmi’s but I also take help in case of literature
review from other women status related novels and articles at the time
of partition and these are…
1, Review Of Talaash-E-Bahaaran By Jamila Hashmi
2, PINJAR Novel By Amrita Pritam(1950)
3, Yaa Khuda Novel By Qudrat-Ullah-Shahab(1950)
4, Reinterrogating partition violence voices of women children dilates
in Indias partition” (PAOLA BACCHETTA)
5, Silence Revealed: Women’s Experiences during the Partition of
India, (Nina Ellis Frischmann and Dr. Christopher Hill, December
8,2010)
6, “Winds of Change?’: The role of women activists in Lahore before
and after partition” (Sarah Ansari)

6. The narrator is exploring that at one site these
dominated men are considering women as Devi
and respecting her like a Devi but on the other
hand they are treating her like a sin.

7. DEPICTION OF FEMALE
CHARACTERS IN “TALAASH-E-
BAHARAAN’’
1) KANWAL KUMARI THAKUR
A woman who played an important role in life of writer a very brave
and courageous woman who spend her whole life in wait of a prince
of Najail. She worked a lot for women rights and took many bold
steps for women. She wanted to see women employed. The whole
country was rising and women movements were gaining power,
women took out from their houses with flags in their hands and with
full emotions due to Kanwal movements. The country opened his eyes
to see these movements of women but after one year all became silent
and tired due to continuous processions. Kanwal was a social worker
too and made a hostel for poor women who had no home. She was a
beautiful lady but in start was immature and don’t know how to depict
her views about women on which perspective. She was a very brave
woman. In end like other women of that time she also died in saving
lives of other girls from inhumane fight between two sub continents.

8. 2) DEENA
She was the sister of writer and also a close friend of writer with her
writer spend his childhood time. She was very cute. Deena was a very
silent girl and after passing metric, she was married to “KRIHAN
BHAGWAAN”, and as a big brother of Deena he don’t like her would
be husband, as he was a pale and silent boy. He was from a well off
family and a younger brother of his seven brothers. After five years of
her marriage she came to meet her family and that time she became
mother of a child. Her status in her husband’s home was very
vulnerable as like an animal she remained busy in domestic spheres
and in night her husband don’t like to sleep with her due to smell of
her clothes by continuously standing in kitchen. Her husband thrown
her out from his home s she has contagious disease of
“Tuberculosis”, and don’t want to admit her in hospital. But his sister
was not a burden upon her, and he tried to take her to hospital . But the
disease was very serious and she died like Kanwal due to male
dominant society and men made barriers who don’t gave place to
women.

9. 3) BEENA
The third female character of this novel which had an important role in
life if writer was his Daughter named Beena. She was very brave and
intelligent and totally like Kanwal in habits. She was as beautiful as
flower of “Daffodils”, and very pure. Mostly narrator wanted to bring
her to Kanwal and requested her to give her education as she was very
brilliant. But after a while, the narrator felt that no it was wrong, his
daughter is very innocent, while Kanwal was a brave lady and she
know well how to compete with any situation, he doesn’t want to
make his daughter as brave as Kanwal was. At the time of partition
she was studying at a college whose principle was Kanwal and she
was studying under the provision of Kanwal. When the cold war
started inhumane relation again started with women and they were
treated as sub-humans or animals. After the division of sub continent
into two states when there was peace everywhere, the wife of narrator
wanted to marry Beena due to these cultural norms and she was also
not in favor to send her college for higher studies according to norms
of that time. But tha narrator took stand for his daughter and send her
into college of Kanwal as he wanted to make her brave like her.

10. 4) MEERA
Another character of this novel was “MEERA”, who also died
due to cruelty and male dominancy of this society, where men
have right to take any type of decisions for females, and they
have no value to even raise their voices before all this. This
male whether in shape of her husband, brother of father can
take decisions of her good and bad without her concern. Radhay
Krishan father of Meera was a notorious man of this society,
and was not considered of good fame. He killed his daughter
due to male dominated cultural barriers of this society as his
daughter was fallen in love with a poor guy who was son of
Meera’s guardian, also had a past story with whom father of
Meera had affair and raped her. So she came to his home with
her son for taking revenge if his insult from daughter of Radhay
Krishan. But while passing from the room of Meera her father
listened her when she was busy in talking with her love boy. He
came and said Meera to come with him and when he reached to
stream he throw her into water and cut her body into many
pieces due to fair of society.

11. 5) KRISHNA BOSS
Another female character depiction who had an important role
in writer’s life was Krishna Boss, a worker girl named Krishna
Boss married a boy in court; girl was very beautiful, and wise.
The marriage was happened due to fall in row of emotions, and
to take advantage from newly freedom. The boy was also a
supporter of females, and also a good debater. His words force
men to talk such dialogues which in common situation no one
can say that females are brave. The country’s worker class also
admired this marriage a lot. Many other girls also dreamed of
such marriages with heroes. But after 4 months, the
newspapers, who gave very attention to any such news, wrote a
lot about this marriage. The marriage failed, and these
newspapers wrote a lot against women, the movements which
arose for women were also stopped, all women shut down in the
four walls of the home. The marriage failed due to lower cast of
girl. At the end she killed her husband and went to jail for 10
years and Kanwal accepted her case of protection of her son.
She was also affected by male dominant society where women
has no right to take action for their decisions of her life.

12. 6) SHOBHA BAIZ JEE
Another female character who also played an important
role in life of writer was Shobha Baiz Jee. Story of another
female is Shobha Baiz Jee who was a very clever woman
and know how to make place in society and rose against
Kanwal. She was a woman who ruined her life in
company of males just for the sake of name, but in the end
she gained nothing. She was jealous of fame of Kanwal
and wanted to ruin her by her sources. But in the end due
to her bad company she also ruined her life and were
living away from her family her husband and her brother
too.

13. CONCLUSION
There were six females who came in life of writer in a
circle and had different affects on writer’s life. All these
women came in face of his daughter, sister, friend, lover,
and other friends. His daughter who was very brave and
intelligent and wanted ever to do something unique for
women. The other main leading women with whom writer
spend more time was Kanwal, who was very energetic girl
and made many movements for women equality rights,
and do a lot in sphere of women rights and wanted to
make women empowered. But failed due to male centered
society. Other was his sister who also died sue to domestic
violence and writer was unable to do anything. Other was
Meera whom father killed her due to fear of society and
cut her body into pieces and throw her into stream. Other
was Krishna Boss who went to jail in case of killing her
husband as he was very cruel to her and snatched her son
from her. In case of all females not any one gained equal
status as males had.

14. THANKS
Prepared By
USHNA TARIQ
BS Gender Studies, Roll# 01
&
BURHAN RAFAY
BS Gender Sudies,Roll#26
Department of Gender Studies
BZU Multan