He kept his second name unrevealed and hence faced suspicion of either being Iqbal Singh or Muhammad Iqbal. Iqbal, a foreign-educated social worker, arrived at Mano Majro right after Ram Laal’s death and started living at the Gurdwara with Meet Singh. “Poor people cannot afford to have morals. However, later on, he turns out to be the most humane character of all. In the beginning, Jugga was portrayed as a ruthless character who was infamous for his bad character. In his absence, Nooran had to leave the village along with his father as the Muslims were gathering at the refugee camp to leave for Pakistan. After the murder of Ram Laal, he was arrested and locked up in jail along with another fellow who was accused of the same crime. He was in love with Nooran, the daughter of the imam of the mosque.

Jugga Singh, son of a dacoit, reported to the police station every week while being on probation. Through his shrewd approach and empathetic heart, Hukam Chand succeeds in controlling the fate of other characters by biding in the dark house, surrounded by numerous servants and a young girl. The character of Hukam Chand remains physically detached from the ongoing scenes but is informed of every detail about the affairs of Mano Majra by the sub inspector.

Unlike other fellows in his profession, Hukum Chand had a heart that beat – “Learn to keep silent” “We must maintain law and order” “There must be no killing just peaceful evacuation”. He grabs the interest of the reader by having enlightening conversations with the sub inspector. Hukum Chand, the magistrate and deputy commissioner of the district, lived in a bungalow just north of the railway bridge. The villagers have been oblivious of the British’s departure and the fact that their country has been sliced into Pakistan and Hindustan. Known for its railway station, the life in Mano Majra begins with the mail train arriving in the morning and is stilled with the departure of the goods’ train at night. “Train to Pakistan” by Khushwant Singh begins with the summer and abyss of 1947, when every place seems to be painted in red except a few villages in the remote reaches of the frontier, among which is Mano Majra, a tiny village where all three religions – Hindu, Muslim and Sikh – are living in peace. But Partition does not mean much to the Sikhs and Muslims of Mano Majra, a village on the border of India and Pakistan.” But as I turned over its last page, I felt at ease, relieved and lightened, as if a load had been lifted off my chest. Similar was the feeling when I got my hands on ‘Train to Pakistan’ by Khushwant Singh. The flashback haunts us one way or the other.

Normally, when we read the literature on the partition of India, we feel despondent and low-spirited over the virulent impact it had on the lives of innumerable people.

Train to pakistan analysis