Women's Perspectives on Pre-Independence India and Partition
Novels by authors such as Mumtaj Shah Nawaz depict the conditions of women in politically charged pre-independence India and during the partition period. These narratives explore how women were victimized, but also highlight the empowerment and active involvement of women in politics, as seen in protagonists like Zohra. Through women narrators, these novels provide a unique insight into the mindsets and views of women on partition politics, shedding light on the societal divisions and influences that shaped their actions and perspectives.
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PRESENTATION BY. Dr. S. KATHAR USEAN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH JAMAL MOHAMED COLLEGE, TIRUCHIRAPPALLI.
novels depict the conditions of women under influence of the politically charged environment of pre independence India. Other works have already explored the pathetic conditions of women during the time of Indian subcontinent partition. most of the partition narratives have recorded the victimization of women during the time of Partition such as how women were sexually harassed, tortured and how they were paraded naked on the streets, brutally murdered, abducted and forced to be married the man from the opposite community clearly.
Those texts simply ignored to record what really the mind set of women about politics was. Only few writers have given women protagonists much more space to express their views on Partition ; how they look at partition and politics behind the so called partition and violence triggered up on the opposite community in general and women in particular. In addition to this, both The Heart Divided and The Sunlight on a Broken Column the novelists have presented women protagonists as more powerful, strong and empowered and never missed to record their active involvement in the politics.
In both the novels The Heart Divided and The Sunlight on a Broken Column, the events are narrated by women protagonists that makes the novels significant and enables the readers to understand what really women felt. In The Heart Divided by Mumtaj Shah Nawaz the story is narrated from the Pakistani Muslim women point of view where the novelist gives her own justifications for the creation of a new Homeland Pakistan for Muslims through the protagonist Zohra. Zohra is portrayed as an educated young Muslim women who is deeply influenced by the politically charged environment of India in 1940 s. Zohra was born and brought up in a traditional Muslim family and she was allowed to get her University education, actively involving in politics contrary to the general and wrongly built up notion that Muslim women are not free and Muslims never allow women to get educated, treated ill and what not.
She never hesitated to comment on politics behind the partition. Zohra, the narrator of the novel The Heart Divided, keenly observing what is going on around her and never misses to let her own comments over the agitations which is not prevalent in most other Sub - Continent Partition narratives. According to Zohra, lack of for Muslim representatives in the then Congress party, dominance of Hindu fundamentalists in the Congress Party, Divide and Rule Policy of British government, political statements and activities of Hindu organisations and its leaders sharpened the division between Hindud and Muslims which compelled the Muslims to join hands with Muslim League and to claim a separate Homeland Pakistan for Muslims.
Another character Sadiaalso expresses her own standpoint. on the whole through the female protagonist Mumtaz Shahnawaz stand on the side of Pakistan records her own justification for the need of a separate Homeland. The Other novel taken for the present study the sunlight on a broken column by Attio Hosain you live from the Indian Muslim women point of view through the female protagonist Laila she expresses her own views
