From Lahore to Delhi

Partition Story

August 14 1947:

India was being partitioned into two parts: Pakistan and India. Hindu families from across the border were coming into India from what is now known as Pakistan. Muslim families from India then moved to Pakistan. My father’s great-grandfather at the time was living in Lahore. He was the director of industries. His name was Mr. Vir Bhan. His son, Mr. Pran Nath, was in Lyallpur.

Mr. Vir Bahn, his wife (Teka Devi), their daughter and their granddaughter (my father’s aunt Ritu) were all set to leave their home and immigrate to Delhi. While their belongings were being loaded into their truck some members of the staff who were Muslims stabbed Mr. Vir Bahn and Mrs. Teka Devi. Mr. Vir Bahn succumbed to his wounds immediately and passed away in the process. Mrs. Teka Devi was stabbed 8-10 times and she slumped onto the floor so the staff presumed she was dead and left her. Then they went looking for their daughter Raj who was 16 at the time and the granddaughter Ritu who was 3 years old. In the meanwhile Raj had overheard some commotion and when she looked out the window of her room and saw her parents lying in pools of blood on the staircase she quickly took Ritu and ran into the bathroom and through the back door escaped to the neighboring house. The neighbors were Muslims yet they protected Raj and Ritu and hid them in their home. The entirety of their belongings were looted.

After some time the authorities came and they took Mrs. Teka Devi to the hospital. There they managed to treat her wounds and put her on a convoy in which Mrs. Teka Devi, Raj and Ritu went to India along with many other people. For many days they travelled without food and at one stage the 3 year old Ritu prayed to god “Please throw an orange from heaven because I am hungry.” But they managed to come to Delhi with these great hardships.

Mr. Pran Nath who was in Lyallpur all that time couldn’t come to Lahore. He managed to get a seat on a train coming to India but a dear colleague of his requested him to let him go on that train instead. Mr. Pran Nath agreed and thought he would catch the next train but as fate ordained the train that the colleague rode on got looted and burned. Everyone on that train died. Mr. Pran Nath managed to get a flight from Lyallpur to Delhi. This is how my family came to India. My great-great grandfather, Mr. Vir Bahn was assassinated on 14 August 1947 the eve of the independence of India. The others of the family, my great-grandmother, my grandfather and his elder sister were already in a part of India called Dalhousie for a holiday. Then all of the family eventually reunited.

This is my story of the old told by me: the young. -Jai Nath

Story Told By My Grandmother: Benu Nath (Father’s Mother).