Tamas by  Bhisham Sahni –Translated by him from Hindi ; Published by Penguin ; Pages 352 ; Price Rs.399/-

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All of you have heard of Balraj Sahni, the great actor, who acted in “Do Bigha  Zamin”. He had a younger brother Bhisham Sahni . He was an eminent writer and recipient of many prestigious awards like Sahitya Academy Award and Padma Bhushan. He  was one of those people who had to leave their house in Pakistan during the partition of India in 1947. An active participator and enthusiast in the Quit India Movement of 1942 against the Britishers, he later became a lecturer at the Delhi University and is well known for his novels and plays. He became  famous for his novel and television screenplay “Tamas” ,which is a powerful and passionate account of the Partition of India. In 1948 Bhisham Sahni started working with the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). From 1956 to 1963 he worked as a translator at the Foreign Languages Publishing House in Moscow, and translated some important works into Hindi, including  Tolstoy’s  novel “Resurrection”.

On his return to India Bhisham Sahni resumed teaching at Delhi College He also edited the reputed literary magazine  Nai Kahaniyan. Bhisham has published seven novels, nine collection of short stories, six plays and a biography of Balraj Sahni. 

In the book under  review , the author has depicted how a handful of communal elements in the society spread hatred between two sects of people and lead to utterly horrible and appalling consequences.

This  novel is  based in a small-town frontier province in 1947, just before Partition. Sahni recounts  the years leading to India’s Independence  by a plain narration of  events  springing from the tortuous relationship between Hindus and Muslims—in the background of the villainous British ruler who intensified the hatred. 

The book begins with the   slaughter of a pig by an innocent low-caste tanner (Nathu) who is purposely not told about the real reason by a Muslim fundamentalist who hires him. We are introduced to a singing party getting assembled to do community work. But  they get a warning of an on-coming storm. The news of the dead pig spreads like wild-fire, and within hours, a cow is slaughtered and thrown in front of the temple in the same village. A series of one or two such incidents puts a dense cloud over the whole district, making the environment chilling. As the riots break out, no one is safe anywhere. There is mistrust, fear, and anxiety as to what will happen the next moment, will they be able to survive the riots and will their daughters be saved from the pervert eyes of the hooligans.

 The Muslim League intensifies its  demand for a Muslim majority State-- Pakistan. The Congress, on the other hand, itself is divided as the party workers cannot decide how to follow the  Gandhian  policy of non-violence when attacked by those who want to kill them.

On a hilltop  stays the British Deputy Commissioner Richard  who is  at the helm of affairs. He does not want to control the situation. The Britishers aim solely  to prove their superiority in administration. The veil of darkness that spreads over the village is enough of a warning signal for the politicians and fundamentalists to hold meetings and form Peace Committees. But their attempts are soon turned thwarted as the situation grows beyond control. All villagers are transformed into revolutionaries. The riots flare up and become wide-spread. Sahni delineates poignant stories  of estranged Sikh parents separated from their families, broken  relationships, true stories of agony and pain eventually leading to intense fear and deep hatred. The later portions of the book deal with how the characters respond to the traumatic developments. 

The focus shifts swiftly in the book. This continuous shifting of focus is quite unique, and because Tamas tells you the incidents from the viewpoint of almost every kind of family in the village. The introduction of  new characters gives the much needed relief and the book at no time becomes strenuous to read. After the characters have been introduced, the story runs parallel describing in exhaustive  detail the trauma each character  goes through, as they all have a common  background of Partition.

The book teems with a variety of characters  who are sucked up by circumstances beyond control. The reader is left as troubled as Nathu who bears the guilt of the crime he committed unknowingly .The book evokes haunting memories of the disastrous effects of communalism and the lessons from the book are as much valid today as it was in that period.

“ Tamas” was very ably transformed into a five hour serial on India Television directed by Shyam Benegal.

                                           

                                          Om Puri as Nathu in Tamas 

P.P.Ramachandran.

22/01/2017