Analysis Of Pali By Sahni

“THEY--trudged along, carrying bundles on their heads, their weary eyes searching their way through the haze, their ears pricked for any stray remark that might guide them on to the correct path. They were anxious to know the lay of the land and, more than that, what was in store for them." (Sahni 56)Sahni concisely puts forth the essence of loss and despondency that the Partition created, in his story ‘Pali’. The horrific consequences following the Partition included arson, attacks, killings, rapes and immense mental and physical torture. These have been a subject matter of the literature that took birth from this cataclysmic event. They find an implicit mention in the story ‘Pali’ by BhishamSahni. It stands out as a sensitive piece portraying
None of the characters or perpetrators is directly held responsible. For instance, “God only knew which whirlpool had sucked in poor Pali!” (Sahni 57) The losing of their child, Pali is ascribed to the frantic rushing of the crowd eager to get into the lorry. The desperate urge to be taken to their new lands turns the refugees into callous beings, who do not bother about the child being searched for. Succumbing to these pressures the parents give in to their fate. Later when the husband tries consoling his wife he says that they must express gratitude toward God since he had spared them. “You know Lekhraj’s three children were killed before his very eyes. It’s God’s will.” (Sahni 58) Unlike Lekhraj, they had been lucky enough not to witness their child’s death. Again, the unprecedented killing of innocents is said to be God’s will and is brushed aside. The reference to setting fire to the grain market of Pakistan as well as the stray cases of stabbing are all believed to be a result of God’s angst. Thus these spurts of violence in the story are enveloped by their faith in God and submission to fate. They are neither identified nor delved into as terrible consequences of the Partition. They are not explained as fanatic actions undertaken to promote terror. Sahni fails to recognize the surfacing of baser instincts of humans as the cause of the brutality. Instead these
The story does not offer hope of establishing unity or communal harmony. With a certain degree of assimilation and individual liberty one can now define their own identity. However the feasibility of achieving such high ideals through the means of education and love is completely ignored. Rather it promotes a status Sahni echoes the same when he says that “The pity is that we have not learnt from our experiences. We are still carrying on from where they left off.” (Bhalla 116) The story reinforces and proves that humanism and love that is garnered by individuals is powerless before the interest of the influential masses. With a few crossroads present in the country of diverse religions it is difficult to attain and maintain peace and harmony. But the question that we need to grapple with is whether we can rise above the trivialities and selfish motives and encompass all identities into