Pain of partition

The 1984 Sikh riots continue to torment even after 25 years. Sunita Sharma has painted a moving picture of the social impact of the riots in her novel Main Khush Hun Kamli (I Am Happy Kamli)

Some wounds refuse to heal. The 1984 Sikh riots continue to torment even after 25 years. Sunita Sharma has painted a moving picture of the social impact of the riots in her novel Main Khush Hun Kamli (I Am Happy Kamli). “I had the story with me for 14 years but publishers were not willing to touch a disturbing story which could have political repercussions,” says Sunita, who started her career as a lecturer before moving to writing and social work.

The story of Jasjot (name changed) came through her niece, who was a good friend of Jasjot.

“Jasjot was a kid when the riots broke out. She saw her uncle burnt alive and a burning tyre put around the neck of her father. The impact was such that she lost her voice for five months. Her father, who used to run a cinema hall suffered heavy losses in business as the theatre was burnt down during the riots. Poor economic condition and a big family forced him to marry her at the age of 16 to a Canada-based boy, Manvinder. The marriage was kept a secret. He turned out to be a beast. He had illicit relations with his sister-in-law and used to tease Jasjot for not being sexually mature. When my niece shared this story, it became the catalyst for me to start working on it. How can a man stoop so low?” Sunita says. Manvinder got shocked when Jasjot became pregnant. “He would say I have had physical relations with so many women. Nobody complained of it!”

Full report here Hindu