When we perform the literature analysis of Cracking India, we understand that it is the gist of the entire novel. Partition of the subcontinent has been an extremely dreadful topic for its inhabitants. Around 2 million people lost their lives during this unruly wish of the separate land. The differences in culture, religious practices, living styles and the language were the basis that political leaders decided to call off the hundreds of year old history of the subcontinent. The expense of this independence was paid off by those who were not even actively involved in the overall process.

Belonging to the Parsi community, Sidhwa has an impartial view of the incidents. She has experienced those events from an entirely distinctive perspective. Though, more than from the religious view, her novel is based on humanitarian grounds.  

Multicultural Existence
 

From the beginning of the novel, it is evident, the way Sidhwa has sketched the peaceful Lahore. Most of the people were from different origins and religious backgrounds used to exist together. In the literature analysis of Cracking India, we observe that the author has Ayah, Imam Din, Hari, Mr Singh, ice-candy man, etc are present around, revealing that they had a multicultural environment. Unfortunately, as the fire of partition erupted, everyone became conscious of his or her beliefs and became skeptical of the other person. This is what exactly happened back at the time when the Independence movement began in the subcontinent. Once, the people who used to share food and sittings with each other became intolerant towards the same people. In the text, the Singh family left Lahore because they knew religious unrest was started. The group of Ayah was always in conflict over the Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh matters by mocking each others.

Fallen women 

Apart from the religious chaos, the treatment with women throughout the movement was extremely disturbing. The women were seen as an easier and weak target, which was exploited by everyone. In the novel, Bapsi Sidhwa has used the term ‘fallen women’ for these women who became targets of brutality during that time. Hindus abused Muslim women while Sikh and Hindu women became the target of Muslim’s cruelty. Violence against women was on peak and that enraged both sides who seek revenge by repeating the cruelty to other women by abducting and raping them. In result, these women ended up losing their dignity, peace, and loved ones. Ayah is one of such example who lost her everything when she was abducted by the Muslim mob. She was taken to a place against her will, just like all those many women who were kept in the neighbourhood of Lenny’s house. The sisters of the ice-candy man and other women were cut into pieces when they were coming to Pakistan from the train. The body parts of women were separately present in the gunny sack as the symbol of we have destroyed your pride. This factor has affected the literature written in the context of that time too. It is painful to describe those atrocities just as it was when we do the literature analysis of Cracking India. 

Ra’ana’s trauma

On the other hand, Ranna also became a victim of turmoil and vehemence which occurred throughout the Independence of India and Pakistan. All of his village was wiped out by massacring the innocents ruthlessly and women were taken. While Ranna was coming to Lahore, he saw dead bodies who were either hanged or murdered after raping them. The children were killed too, just because they belong to the parents of some other political and religious background. This is what actually happened in reality as well during the partition. 

Loss of Property

The entire villages were swabbed on the basis of having either by Muslims or Hindus residents.

The loss of property and wealth was another harsh experience that all the citizens of the sub continent went through. They had to leave the ancestor’s houses and lands for the sake of a new country and identity. Just like the families of Ranna’s relatives who left everything behind and moved to Pakistan. It was absolutely painful for people to get away from their roots, but they had to sacrifice their everything to get something in return. Lenny also saw that her family friends left for India, leaving their settled houses behind.

These are some of the very prominent bitter truths of partition that people from the both sides had to go through. They had to sacrifice their families, employment, wealth, self- respect, friends and everything dear to them. Undoubtedly, Sidhwa brilliantly expresses these sentiments and incidents through her words that we have tried to uncover through literature analysis of Cracking India. 

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