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पिंजर [Pinjar]
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112 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1950
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February 12, 2021
“مثل برتقالة مقشرة تنقسم إلى فصوص كثيرة، انشطر من البنجاب: الهندوس والمسلمون والسيخ، كلٌ بعيد عن الآخر”.
“خطيئة أن تكون حيًا في عالم مليء بالشرّ.. جريمة أن تولد بنتًا”.
أمريتا بريتام.
October 29, 2025
As I have been doing, and as it should be done, I will first write a review of the book in Hindi to do justice to the writing, followed by an English review for non-Hindi readers.
Hindi Review :
एक अमूल्य कृति
यह एक दिल को झकझोर देने वाली और मार्मिक कहानी है उन संघर्षों की, जो महिलाओं ने विभाजन के दौर में झेले — और कैसे उन्होंने तमाम विपरीत परिस्थितियों के बावजूद न केवल अपने अस्तित्व को बचाए रखा, बल्कि अपनी गरिमा को भी थामे रखा।
यह पुस्तक नारी-स्वभाव की आत्मा को दर्शाती है। इसमें महिलाओं का चित्रण इस बात का प्रत्यक्ष उदाहरण है कि एक स्त्री कितनी अडिग, अटूट और अपराजेय हो सकती है। अपने अपनों द्वारा बार-बार ठुकराए जाने और असहनीय दमन सहने के बावजूद, वह न केवल अपने पैरों पर खड़ी होती है, बल्कि पूरी ताक़त से रास्ता बनाती है। इस पुस्तक में जिस जीवंतता और जिजीविषा के साथ नारी-शक्ति का चित्रण किया गया है, वह सराहनीय है — यह दर्शाता है कि अत्याचारों के बीच भी एक स्त्री कितनी असाधारण रूप से साहसी और दृढ़ हो सकती है।
यह सब पढ़कर मुझे मेरे एक अध्यापक की कही एक प्रसिद्ध बात याद आती है। भले ही यह पंक्ति इस पुस्तक के संदर्भ में पूरी तरह उपयुक्त न हो, फिर भी इसका भाव गहराई से जुड़ता है — विशेषकर जब हम भारतीय समाज में उस समय महिलाओं की उपेक्षा और सशक्तिकरण की कमी को देखते हैं:
"यदि आप एक पुरुष को शिक्षित करते हैं, तो आप केवल एक पुरुष को शिक्षित करते हैं।
लेकिन यदि आप एक स्त्री को शिक्षित करते हैं, तो आप एक संपूर्ण पीढ़ी को शिक्षित करते हैं।"
4.45 स्टार की रेटिंग को पूर्णांक में गोल करते हुए 5 स्टार ।
English Review :
a priceless masterpiece
A heart-wrenching and poignant tale of the struggles women endured during the Partition - and how, despite overwhelming odds, they fought to survive and hold onto their dignity.
The book shows the nature of the spirit of a woman. Portrayal of woman in the book is a paradigm example of how indefatigable a woman can be. Even after constantly being tormented by her loved ones and being unbearably suppressed, a woman can stand her ground. Not just stand, but make her way through it with a bang! The vivacity of a woman's spirit, portrayed in the book, is utterly commendable and shows how overwhelmingly resilient a woman can be even when being constantly tormented.
This reminds me of a famous line one of my teachers used to say. While it may not fit perfectly
in the context of this book, it still resonates deeply — especially given how powerfully the book
reflects the lack of women's empowerment in Indian society at the time:
'If you teach a man, you teach a man. But if you teach a woman, you teach a generation.'
4.45 star rating rounded off to 5
Hindi Review :
एक अमूल्य कृति
यह एक दिल को झकझोर देने वाली और मार्मिक कहानी है उन संघर्षों की, जो महिलाओं ने विभाजन के दौर में झेले — और कैसे उन्होंने तमाम विपरीत परिस्थितियों के बावजूद न केवल अपने अस्तित्व को बचाए रखा, बल्कि अपनी गरिमा को भी थामे रखा।
यह पुस्तक नारी-स्वभाव की आत्मा को दर्शाती है। इसमें महिलाओं का चित्रण इस बात का प्रत्यक्ष उदाहरण है कि एक स्त्री कितनी अडिग, अटूट और अपराजेय हो सकती है। अपने अपनों द्वारा बार-बार ठुकराए जाने और असहनीय दमन सहने के बावजूद, वह न केवल अपने पैरों पर खड़ी होती है, बल्कि पूरी ताक़त से रास्ता बनाती है। इस पुस्तक में जिस जीवंतता और जिजीविषा के साथ नारी-शक्ति का चित्रण किया गया है, वह सराहनीय है — यह दर्शाता है कि अत्याचारों के बीच भी एक स्त्री कितनी असाधारण रूप से साहसी और दृढ़ हो सकती है।
यह सब पढ़कर मुझे मेरे एक अध्यापक की कही एक प्रसिद्ध बात याद आती है। भले ही यह पंक्ति इस पुस्तक के संदर्भ में पूरी तरह उपयुक्त न हो, फिर भी इसका भाव गहराई से जुड़ता है — विशेषकर जब हम भारतीय समाज में उस समय महिलाओं की उपेक्षा और सशक्तिकरण की कमी को देखते हैं:
"यदि आप एक पुरुष को शिक्षित करते हैं, तो आप केवल एक पुरुष को शिक्षित करते हैं।
लेकिन यदि आप एक स्त्री को शिक्षित करते हैं, तो आप एक संपूर्ण पीढ़ी को शिक्षित करते हैं।"
4.45 स्टार की रेटिंग को पूर्णांक में गोल करते हुए 5 स्टार ।
English Review :
a priceless masterpiece
A heart-wrenching and poignant tale of the struggles women endured during the Partition - and how, despite overwhelming odds, they fought to survive and hold onto their dignity.
The book shows the nature of the spirit of a woman. Portrayal of woman in the book is a paradigm example of how indefatigable a woman can be. Even after constantly being tormented by her loved ones and being unbearably suppressed, a woman can stand her ground. Not just stand, but make her way through it with a bang! The vivacity of a woman's spirit, portrayed in the book, is utterly commendable and shows how overwhelmingly resilient a woman can be even when being constantly tormented.
This reminds me of a famous line one of my teachers used to say. While it may not fit perfectly
in the context of this book, it still resonates deeply — especially given how powerfully the book
reflects the lack of women's empowerment in Indian society at the time:
'If you teach a man, you teach a man. But if you teach a woman, you teach a generation.'
4.45 star rating rounded off to 5
December 26, 2012
From my review at Solomon Says:
Amrita Pritam pours her own experiences of living through the partition into Pinjar. The story is told from Puro perspective, and is a unique look into the harrowing situation of women at the time. It brings out the multitude of misfortunes that could strike a girl for no fault of hers. She is objectified as the vessel of family honour, a vessel that that had to be thrown away if it broke. There was no mercy in the ossified social system, no hope for rehabilitation. Amrita’s heroines embody the injustice, the frustration it begets, and occasionally, the strength it forces the victim to find within herself. But they are themselves bound to the old values, and cannot bring themselves to discard the ties that failed them in their times of need. They still ache to be reconciled to them.
The entire book is written in short, staccato bursts of dialogue interspersed by agonized scrambling of the characters to come to terms with their lives. It may be my bias towards my native tongue but I certainly find Hindi to be more effective (in general) than English in bringing out the pathos in a situation. Amrita puts a living soul into each of her character. The self-loathing of Puro and Lajjo, the guilt tinged love of Rashid, the tragic naiveté of the mad woman are all eminently human and form the topsy-turvy emotional tableaux of Pinjar.
The events of the book are of a long lost past, and we live in a different world today. Wait! Do we? As of this writing, Delhi is unsafe for women, people clamouring for justice for a rape victim clash with the police at India Gate, it is still the woman’s fault and shame. Pinjar is still relevant, and to paraphrase the author, every girl saved and given justice is another Puro.
Amrita Pritam pours her own experiences of living through the partition into Pinjar. The story is told from Puro perspective, and is a unique look into the harrowing situation of women at the time. It brings out the multitude of misfortunes that could strike a girl for no fault of hers. She is objectified as the vessel of family honour, a vessel that that had to be thrown away if it broke. There was no mercy in the ossified social system, no hope for rehabilitation. Amrita’s heroines embody the injustice, the frustration it begets, and occasionally, the strength it forces the victim to find within herself. But they are themselves bound to the old values, and cannot bring themselves to discard the ties that failed them in their times of need. They still ache to be reconciled to them.
The entire book is written in short, staccato bursts of dialogue interspersed by agonized scrambling of the characters to come to terms with their lives. It may be my bias towards my native tongue but I certainly find Hindi to be more effective (in general) than English in bringing out the pathos in a situation. Amrita puts a living soul into each of her character. The self-loathing of Puro and Lajjo, the guilt tinged love of Rashid, the tragic naiveté of the mad woman are all eminently human and form the topsy-turvy emotional tableaux of Pinjar.
The events of the book are of a long lost past, and we live in a different world today. Wait! Do we? As of this writing, Delhi is unsafe for women, people clamouring for justice for a rape victim clash with the police at India Gate, it is still the woman’s fault and shame. Pinjar is still relevant, and to paraphrase the author, every girl saved and given justice is another Puro.
August 3, 2025
I can't explain how I felt about this. I always debate with myself about my feelings whenever I think about it, and the more I reflect, the more conflicted I become.
April 26, 2022
Pinjar is a short novella based on the events surrounding the division, including the forced conversion of women.
I've seen a lot of movies about partition. In practically every story, the plot is predictable. This was my first time reading a partition storey, and I was anticipating something unique, but it was really mundane and unexceptional.
I've seen a lot of movies about partition. In practically every story, the plot is predictable. This was my first time reading a partition storey, and I was anticipating something unique, but it was really mundane and unexceptional.
March 25, 2021
Pinjar means a skeleton. A trap. A soul-less frame of what you once used to be.
I read Pinjar some time back, and kept putting off the review. Today when I sat down to finally write it, I was in a deep thought. Kept going back to what another masterpiece by Amrita Pritam made me feel. All I could feel was a dark liquid oozing into my chest, taking me back to the painful history of my country - the blood, the massacres, the assaults. When the British had to go back but couldn’t do so without changing the fates of billions - for the worse. Or maybe they who did that were the countrymen themselves, for their 200 years of being a British colony had drained them of all things humane.
Still, with the corpses lining the streets, and mountain-load of ashes that once used to people’s “home”, the worst affected lot were the women. If things aren’t favourable for them now, what do you expect them to be decades back? Women : when you wanted to show your power over the rival community. Women : when your ego was in shreds. Women : when the guts to face your peers was in pieces. Women : when the weakest of the weak wanted to feel like kings. Women : when they wanted to ruin a life just to feel superior for some time.
Coming to Pinjar, it was heartbreaking. It was tragic, melancholic, and a complete blast that will shook you to the core. It was about women and the partition. It was about lives made and lives destroyed. It was about the oppressor and the oppressed. It was about the grey side to every community. It was about love and hatred. It was about unity and chaos.
In the story, Puro’s life changes forever just before her fairytale-like wedding. How the past grudges of her ancestors with another family of a different religion makes her a soft target for the years old revenge. She doesn’t belong, and is left dangled between two parallel universes because her own family didn’t want to accept the shell of a daughter she used to be. Puro screams on the inside, and that scream reaches right into your heart. She feels like killing herself and the life within her because her body feels like an object anybody could tamper. And that’s when she realises how she isn’t a woman now - but just a pinjar. A walking and breathing shadow, dead on the inside. And that’s when she stumbles upon other women like her.
Puro’s life is interconnected to other lives of women like her, some of them she nurtured - and others slipped from between her fingers. These lives are the most difficult and disturbing to read. Painful examples of how women ceased to belong to either side of the border because they became mere pawns in the “bigger picture”. These women had everything but the love, security and respect they deserved. This book shows you how poisonous things can be, and have been for the people who came and fought before you.
Not just that, but Puro also goes a long way establishing relationships, losing and finding the people who once consisted of her little world.
There is a Puro in every woman, waiting for justice to prevail. Waiting for that woman to fight back, to make for her a life that Puro herself couldn’t. She was an unsung warrior - and though you’ll argue that she didn’t fight on borders or save countries - I know that she was a fighter you could root for. And so were the women who allowed themselves to blossom amidst the darkness, and those who couldn’t - they’ll know that their sacrifice hasn’t gone in vain.
A very realistic story that captures the ongoing of human mind and complexities like never before.
I read Pinjar some time back, and kept putting off the review. Today when I sat down to finally write it, I was in a deep thought. Kept going back to what another masterpiece by Amrita Pritam made me feel. All I could feel was a dark liquid oozing into my chest, taking me back to the painful history of my country - the blood, the massacres, the assaults. When the British had to go back but couldn’t do so without changing the fates of billions - for the worse. Or maybe they who did that were the countrymen themselves, for their 200 years of being a British colony had drained them of all things humane.
Still, with the corpses lining the streets, and mountain-load of ashes that once used to people’s “home”, the worst affected lot were the women. If things aren’t favourable for them now, what do you expect them to be decades back? Women : when you wanted to show your power over the rival community. Women : when your ego was in shreds. Women : when the guts to face your peers was in pieces. Women : when the weakest of the weak wanted to feel like kings. Women : when they wanted to ruin a life just to feel superior for some time.
Coming to Pinjar, it was heartbreaking. It was tragic, melancholic, and a complete blast that will shook you to the core. It was about women and the partition. It was about lives made and lives destroyed. It was about the oppressor and the oppressed. It was about the grey side to every community. It was about love and hatred. It was about unity and chaos.
In the story, Puro’s life changes forever just before her fairytale-like wedding. How the past grudges of her ancestors with another family of a different religion makes her a soft target for the years old revenge. She doesn’t belong, and is left dangled between two parallel universes because her own family didn’t want to accept the shell of a daughter she used to be. Puro screams on the inside, and that scream reaches right into your heart. She feels like killing herself and the life within her because her body feels like an object anybody could tamper. And that’s when she realises how she isn’t a woman now - but just a pinjar. A walking and breathing shadow, dead on the inside. And that’s when she stumbles upon other women like her.
Puro’s life is interconnected to other lives of women like her, some of them she nurtured - and others slipped from between her fingers. These lives are the most difficult and disturbing to read. Painful examples of how women ceased to belong to either side of the border because they became mere pawns in the “bigger picture”. These women had everything but the love, security and respect they deserved. This book shows you how poisonous things can be, and have been for the people who came and fought before you.
Not just that, but Puro also goes a long way establishing relationships, losing and finding the people who once consisted of her little world.
There is a Puro in every woman, waiting for justice to prevail. Waiting for that woman to fight back, to make for her a life that Puro herself couldn’t. She was an unsung warrior - and though you’ll argue that she didn’t fight on borders or save countries - I know that she was a fighter you could root for. And so were the women who allowed themselves to blossom amidst the darkness, and those who couldn’t - they’ll know that their sacrifice hasn’t gone in vain.
A very realistic story that captures the ongoing of human mind and complexities like never before.
August 25, 2015
ولدت أمريتا بريتام في البنجاب عام 1919 م وهي كاتبة هندية ، كتبت الشعر والأغنيات والقصص القصيرة والروايات والسير .
أعمالها تناقش قضايا المرأة وتصور معاناتهاوتعتبر كتاباتها شكلاً من أشكال الإحتجاج على القهر الذي تعيشه النساء في هذا العالم وتوفيت عام 2005 .
هذا الكتاب يحتوي على رواية وقصائد وقصصاً قصيرة .
لا أجد ما أقوله عن القصائد والقصص القصيرة ..
أما الرواية :
الرواية كانت عبقرية ،كانت واضحة وبسيطة في طرح الفكرة وما كان يمكن أن يكونَ موضوعاً مكرراً عبرت عنه بشكل جديد وجيد وفي أقل من 100 صفحة قالت أمريتا كل شيء ..
الحضور كانَ للمرأة في الهند قبل التقسيم وخلال التقسيم .
المرأة في زمن السلم أو الحرب لا فرق كبير : كيف تضطهد وكيفَ تهدر حقوقها وكيف يتحول الإنسان إلى مجرد سلعة ووسيلة ورقم ..
هذه رواية تستحق أن تُقرأ.
أعمالها تناقش قضايا المرأة وتصور معاناتهاوتعتبر كتاباتها شكلاً من أشكال الإحتجاج على القهر الذي تعيشه النساء في هذا العالم وتوفيت عام 2005 .
هذا الكتاب يحتوي على رواية وقصائد وقصصاً قصيرة .
لا أجد ما أقوله عن القصائد والقصص القصيرة ..
أما الرواية :
الرواية كانت عبقرية ،كانت واضحة وبسيطة في طرح الفكرة وما كان يمكن أن يكونَ موضوعاً مكرراً عبرت عنه بشكل جديد وجيد وفي أقل من 100 صفحة قالت أمريتا كل شيء ..
الحضور كانَ للمرأة في الهند قبل التقسيم وخلال التقسيم .
المرأة في زمن السلم أو الحرب لا فرق كبير : كيف تضطهد وكيفَ تهدر حقوقها وكيف يتحول الإنسان إلى مجرد سلعة ووسيلة ورقم ..
هذه رواية تستحق أن تُقرأ.
November 20, 2018
I had heard so much about Pinjar by Amrita Pritam and desperately wanted to get my hands on it.
Pinjar is a short story based on the circumstances of the partition particularly centered around the forceful conversion of women.
Honestly, the storyline is predictable and nothing out of the ordinary. The same story line has been used in so many of the tales of partition that I've lost count.
Pinjar is a short story based on the circumstances of the partition particularly centered around the forceful conversion of women.
Honestly, the storyline is predictable and nothing out of the ordinary. The same story line has been used in so many of the tales of partition that I've lost count.
September 2, 2020
This is a heart-wrenching story of partition between India and Pakistan and what women went through at that time. I was horrified, I cried, I felt proud and I felt hopeful. This read took a toll on my emotions and made me think for days and I spoke to my Grandparents who were alive through that period and they also told me their own stories and horrors they witnessed as children/young adults. That's all I did for a while, such is the power of this book.
An absolute masterpiece that should be read by all.
5 stars
An absolute masterpiece that should be read by all.
5 stars
May 28, 2018
Pinjar is one of the most harrowingly feminine tales of the Partition era, and woefully one of the least well-known. This short novella details the life of a Hindu girl turned Muslim through forced marriage, and the trials and tribulations that occur in her life as the land around her divides by religion. Whether it is the crazy woman who haunts the village while running around naked, or the obsessive wanna-be-husband Rashid who loves a little girl beyond control, Pritam does not purport to draw characters with subtly, or with much emotional range, but webbed through the misfortunes of their circumstances, life-like, they become. I believed after reading this book that I lived in a small rural village in Punjab, where the dust soaked up to my neck, and people lived the most meager of lives in the most external of huts. There was such a jolt to the language that I simply could not stop reading no matter how much I wanted to. I am certain that I would re-read this book in the future. The complexity of the relation of Hamida and Rashid has many nuances that can be gleamed from a second look, and I learnt that the simplest of dialogue, the starkest of image and the most subtle use of symbols can make a book stand out.
(Coincidentally, after having attended a book club meeting discussing Craig Thompson's Habibi (a graphic novel written by a white American which explores rape and sexual violence in a unnamed imagined Middle Eastern country), it was almost serendipity that I was to immediately pick up a book which tells a similar story, but through the eyes of a native. Whereas Thompson purposefully plays into Orientalist tropes and writes with the full authority of the male gaze, Pritam is a local, and a female, and she writes fully with the power of her imagine imbued with her perspective. For any one who has read this graphic novel and looks for something more authentic, I highly highly recommend picking this novella up.)
(Coincidentally, after having attended a book club meeting discussing Craig Thompson's Habibi (a graphic novel written by a white American which explores rape and sexual violence in a unnamed imagined Middle Eastern country), it was almost serendipity that I was to immediately pick up a book which tells a similar story, but through the eyes of a native. Whereas Thompson purposefully plays into Orientalist tropes and writes with the full authority of the male gaze, Pritam is a local, and a female, and she writes fully with the power of her imagine imbued with her perspective. For any one who has read this graphic novel and looks for something more authentic, I highly highly recommend picking this novella up.)
July 7, 2019
تقسیم ہند کے وقت جو طبقات زیادتی کا شکار ہوئے ان میں عورتیں سر فہرست ہیں، اور اگر عورتوں کے ساتھ ہونے والی زیادتیوں پر لکھا گیا ادب کا ذکر ہو تو پنجر سرفہرست رہے گا۔ امرتا نے نہ صرف ان زیادتیوں کو بیان کیا بلکہ ان زیادتیوں کے پیش آنے کی وجوہات کو بھی بیان کیا جو ہمارے معاشرے میں عام حالات میں بھی موجود ہوتی ہیں اور تقسیم ہند جیسے واقعات کے رونما ہونے پر اپنا اثر دکھانا شروع کر دیتے ہیں۔
پارو کا حمیدہ بن جانا عام سا واقع تھا۔ کسی نے اس کی شناخت کی تبدیلی کو روکنے کی کوشش نہ کی۔ کیونکہ یہ کئی صدیوں سے چلا آ رہا ہے۔ معاشرہ، یہاں تک کہ آپ کے آپنے بھی آپ کی مدد نہیں کر تے ہیں۔ ابھی بھی عورت کی زندگی میں، اس کی ترجیحات میں، اس خواہشات میں شادی سے پہلے اور شادی کے بعد زمین آسمان کا فرق ہوتا ہے۔ اور یہ سب وہ اپنی مرضی سے نہیں بلکہ مجبوراً کرتی ہے۔
پارو جب راشد کے چنگل سے آزاد ہو کے اپنے گھر جاتی ہے تو اس کے والدین اس کو اپنانے سے اس وجہ سے انکار کر دیتے ہیں کے معاشرہ کیا کہے گا۔ مرزا ہادی رسوا کے ناول امراؤ جان ادا میں جب امراؤ اپنے آبائی گھر جاتی ہے، اس کے ساتھ بھی اس کا بھائی ایسا ہی سلوک کرتا ہے۔ دونوں میں قصوروار عورت کو ہی ٹہرایا جاتا ہے چاہے سب کچھ اس کی مرضی کے خلاف ہی کیوں نہ ہو۔
"لیکن اب بھی جب وہ رات کو سوتی اسے خواب میں سہیلیاں ملتیں۔ وہ سپنوں میں ماں باپ کے گھر کھیلتی کودتی، سب ہی اسے پارو پکارتے تھے۔ پارو دن کی روشنی میں حمیدہ بن جاتی تھی اور رات کے اندھیرے میں پارو ہوتی تھی۔ لیکن وہ سوچتی تھی کہ وہ اصل میں حمیدہ ہے نہ پارو۔۔۔۔۔ وہ صرف ایک ڈھانچہ ہے۔ جس کا نہ کوئی روپ ہے نہ کوئی نام ہے۔"
پارو کا حمیدہ بن جانا عام سا واقع تھا۔ کسی نے اس کی شناخت کی تبدیلی کو روکنے کی کوشش نہ کی۔ کیونکہ یہ کئی صدیوں سے چلا آ رہا ہے۔ معاشرہ، یہاں تک کہ آپ کے آپنے بھی آپ کی مدد نہیں کر تے ہیں۔ ابھی بھی عورت کی زندگی میں، اس کی ترجیحات میں، اس خواہشات میں شادی سے پہلے اور شادی کے بعد زمین آسمان کا فرق ہوتا ہے۔ اور یہ سب وہ اپنی مرضی سے نہیں بلکہ مجبوراً کرتی ہے۔
پارو جب راشد کے چنگل سے آزاد ہو کے اپنے گھر جاتی ہے تو اس کے والدین اس کو اپنانے سے اس وجہ سے انکار کر دیتے ہیں کے معاشرہ کیا کہے گا۔ مرزا ہادی رسوا کے ناول امراؤ جان ادا میں جب امراؤ اپنے آبائی گھر جاتی ہے، اس کے ساتھ بھی اس کا بھائی ایسا ہی سلوک کرتا ہے۔ دونوں میں قصوروار عورت کو ہی ٹہرایا جاتا ہے چاہے سب کچھ اس کی مرضی کے خلاف ہی کیوں نہ ہو۔
"لیکن اب بھی جب وہ رات کو سوتی اسے خواب میں سہیلیاں ملتیں۔ وہ سپنوں میں ماں باپ کے گھر کھیلتی کودتی، سب ہی اسے پارو پکارتے تھے۔ پارو دن کی روشنی میں حمیدہ بن جاتی تھی اور رات کے اندھیرے میں پارو ہوتی تھی۔ لیکن وہ سوچتی تھی کہ وہ اصل میں حمیدہ ہے نہ پارو۔۔۔۔۔ وہ صرف ایک ڈھانچہ ہے۔ جس کا نہ کوئی روپ ہے نہ کوئی نام ہے۔"
October 8, 2014
In the winter of 2011, i read this book. Belonging from Punjab so it was obvious to heard about Amrita Pritam's works as she has been highly praised for her post Indian revolution literary works.
I have only read Amrita's only this book. So i can't judge her other novels or books.
Pinjar is a novel with intentional and emotional struggles. It's a novel that shed light over revenge and betrayal in two families. The one that took revenge while the other one had no excuse to be hurt.
Novel is short, interesting and excellent work depicting the 40s and 50s Era of Punjabi culture. The book is a must for every Punjabi and should for every Indian (off course literary fans). I personally admire her work after reading this novel and it dwells us rightly into that scene of 40s.
I like how the novel provides us a moral to not get revenge from people that were actually not responsible for what suffered us. In explaining more general, if someone did wrong with you, than the wrongness applies to that guy who did it to you rather than their family members. They are without a doubt are innocence and free to live. You should only seek revenge from the people who did wrong to you.
However i strongly believe if something people of Punjab or Indians (in addition to regarding this novel as Indian literary work) have learned from it is that nothing. They didn't learned the value and moral of this novel as i can clearly see in the society. Still one of the greatest work remains in Punjabi literature.
Long live the work of Amrita Pritam.
I have only read Amrita's only this book. So i can't judge her other novels or books.
Pinjar is a novel with intentional and emotional struggles. It's a novel that shed light over revenge and betrayal in two families. The one that took revenge while the other one had no excuse to be hurt.
Novel is short, interesting and excellent work depicting the 40s and 50s Era of Punjabi culture. The book is a must for every Punjabi and should for every Indian (off course literary fans). I personally admire her work after reading this novel and it dwells us rightly into that scene of 40s.
I like how the novel provides us a moral to not get revenge from people that were actually not responsible for what suffered us. In explaining more general, if someone did wrong with you, than the wrongness applies to that guy who did it to you rather than their family members. They are without a doubt are innocence and free to live. You should only seek revenge from the people who did wrong to you.
However i strongly believe if something people of Punjab or Indians (in addition to regarding this novel as Indian literary work) have learned from it is that nothing. They didn't learned the value and moral of this novel as i can clearly see in the society. Still one of the greatest work remains in Punjabi literature.
Long live the work of Amrita Pritam.
March 14, 2024
This was my first Hindi novel. It's been a long time since I read something in Hindi, and it took some time for me to get comfortable with the language, but was it worth it? Oh yes, definitely!
Coming to the book, I had already watched the movie when I was a kid, and I could remember the scenes while reading this book. It's a very powerful narrative about the lives of women during the partition of India when humanity had stooped to its lowest and being Hindu or Muslim was the only factor determining whether you would live or die.
'Pinjar' by Amrita Pritam is a powerful novel that delves into the themes of partition, identity, and the resilience of the human spirit. It is a very emotional and heart-wrenching story of a woman named Puro, who was kidnapped by a Muslim man, and eventually accepted her fate but made sure she could save other women from suffering. No doubt, this is one of the best works by Amrita Pritam.
My rating: 4.5 ⭐
Coming to the book, I had already watched the movie when I was a kid, and I could remember the scenes while reading this book. It's a very powerful narrative about the lives of women during the partition of India when humanity had stooped to its lowest and being Hindu or Muslim was the only factor determining whether you would live or die.
'Pinjar' by Amrita Pritam is a powerful novel that delves into the themes of partition, identity, and the resilience of the human spirit. It is a very emotional and heart-wrenching story of a woman named Puro, who was kidnapped by a Muslim man, and eventually accepted her fate but made sure she could save other women from suffering. No doubt, this is one of the best works by Amrita Pritam.
My rating: 4.5 ⭐
August 19, 2024
3.5 ⭐
Pinjar se dogaja v 1930ih in 1940ih, opisuje usode žensk v Punjabu pred delitvijo pokrajine med Indijo in Pakistanom, med hindujce in muslimane.
Kako malo je bilo treba, da so se družine odrekle hčeram, na račun vere in sramu, in koliko bolečine je to povzročilo, a življenje je moralo teči dalje.
Upala sem, da mi bo knjiga bolj všeč, glede na pomembnost in kompleksnost zgodbe. Mislim, da sta razloga, zakaj mi ni bila, dva. Eden je ta, da je delo - po mojem - v slogu bolj primerno za ustno pripoved kot za branje. Drugi razlog pa mogoče leži v prevodu, ker je bilo nekaj miselnih preskokov - mogoče tudi zato, ker je bil prevod prevoda.
Pinjar se dogaja v 1930ih in 1940ih, opisuje usode žensk v Punjabu pred delitvijo pokrajine med Indijo in Pakistanom, med hindujce in muslimane.
Kako malo je bilo treba, da so se družine odrekle hčeram, na račun vere in sramu, in koliko bolečine je to povzročilo, a življenje je moralo teči dalje.
Upala sem, da mi bo knjiga bolj všeč, glede na pomembnost in kompleksnost zgodbe. Mislim, da sta razloga, zakaj mi ni bila, dva. Eden je ta, da je delo - po mojem - v slogu bolj primerno za ustno pripoved kot za branje. Drugi razlog pa mogoče leži v prevodu, ker je bilo nekaj miselnih preskokov - mogoče tudi zato, ker je bil prevod prevoda.
August 17, 2024
A story of independence time in India. Easy to read style, simple choice of words but engaging story telling ability of Amrita Pritam.
This is the first novel I have read of a female writer, she was able to give a glimpse of pain women go through in her life at various stages.
This is the first novel I have read of a female writer, she was able to give a glimpse of pain women go through in her life at various stages.
July 19, 2024
Sicer zanimiva in gotovo pomembna zgodba o dogajanju in medvrski nestrpnosti v Pabdžabu, a mi pripovedni način sploh ni bil všeč. Zelo linearen in popreproščen. V bistvu se moja ocena nagiba še niže.
March 17, 2020
Well, the story may not please all the readers, specially readers like me who are witnessing the massive awareness that is coming in New India, we are getting to know all the facts of history which was either intentionally not told or half told to us, we as the young generation of India know about Islamic invasions on India as they were & not as some communist/leftists/pseudo-liberals have presented in their works, still this book represents the truth exceptionally well, several times it tries to monkey balance & equate the crimes of Hindus & Muslims but at a time when anyone hardly spoke the truth(as it'd raise communal tensions) this book gives you a good idea about partition of India which by the way also was the largest mass relocation of people in the history of humanity (purely based on religion, Hindu hatred of Muslims to be specific). This book is a genuine account also because it truly highlights lakhs & lakhs of Hindu girls were abducted & due to the fear of being killed their families did not accept or try to fight for them(initially). Eventually these converted girls made themselves to believe it was their fate to be raped & converted & in Hope of finding a new stable life they decided to stay in Pakistan as they couldn't afford to fight even further & die while trying to come to India. What appears as the violence by Hindu was just the mere backlash or an attempt to ensure their survival from a community that was thirsty of their blood & hated them deeply due to their religious beliefs.
It also gives us a little introduction to Stockholm syndrome
As at the end pooro(converted to Hamida) decides to stay with Rashida, the guy who destroyed all her dreams, abducted her, converted her & of course treated her well after all this.
Hamida's decision to stay in Pakistan, however wrong/bad it may seem was a reality that millions of hindu girls at that time had to settle with.
It also gives us a little introduction to Stockholm syndrome
As at the end pooro(converted to Hamida) decides to stay with Rashida, the guy who destroyed all her dreams, abducted her, converted her & of course treated her well after all this.
Hamida's decision to stay in Pakistan, however wrong/bad it may seem was a reality that millions of hindu girls at that time had to settle with.
January 2, 2015
विभाजन की विभीषिका, समाज में औरत की स्थिति, उसके संघर्ष का , हाशिये पे आये हुए इंसानी रिश्तों का, कट्टरता का पोषण और समाज की रूढ़ियों का जीवंत चित्रण है पिंजर। अमृता प्रीतम के इस उपन्यास के संदर्भ में बिल्कुल ठीक ही कहा गया है कि इसकी कहानी भारत के विभाजन की उस व्यथा को लिए हुए है, जो इतिहास की वेदना भी है और चेतना भी।
पिंजर कहानी है,बंटवारे से पूर्व के हिंदुस्तान के पंजाब के एक गाँव की लड़की पूरो की,जिसका अपह��ण एक पुराना बदला चुकाने के लिए कर लिया जाता है.किसी तरह उस कैद से भाग कर अपने घर पहुँचने पर भीरु हिन्दू समाज को दर्शाते हुए अमृता प्रीतम ने लिखा है ,” "बेटी तेरी किस्मत! अब हमारे बस का कुछ नहीं.... अभी शेखों के यहां से लोग आ जाएंगे और हमारे बच्चे-बच्चे को पेर डालेंगे।' पिता ने यह कहकर आंख फेर ली तो मां कलेजे पर पत्थर रखकर बाकी परिवार की दुहाई देते हुए बोली, "तेरा धर्म गया, तेरा जनम गया। हम जो इस समय कुछ भी बोले तो हमारे लहू की एक बूंद भी नहीं बचेगी”.
पिंजर पहले मैंने फिल्म देखी थी,फिर बाद में किताब पढ़ी,और मैं कहना चाहूँगा कि फिल्म वाकई एक बेहद इम���नदार कोशिश थी,पर अमृता प्रीतम के लिखे शब्दों का स्थान नही ले सकती.मूलतः एक कवियित्री होने के कारण कथानक में सरसता,कविता का भाव है.मुख्य बात है,कहानी कहने का तरीका,अगर आज किसी और लेखक ने इसे लिखा होता तो ये कम से कम ४०० पन्नों का उपन्यास होता,पर अमृता प्रीतम ने बहुत कम शब्दों में, सिर्फ प्रतीकों के माध्यम से एक युग की वेदना और संवेदना हो दिखाया है.कहानी का अंत वाकई बहुत अच्छा है,और मैं कहानी बता के इसे नष्ट नही करना चाहता.
अगर साहित्य प्रेमी है,तो जरुर पढ़ें और अगर मूवी के शौक़ीन है,तो फिल्म देख सकते हैं,पर कम से कम एक बार तो अवश्य देखने /पढने लायक.
पिंजर कहानी है,बंटवारे से पूर्व के हिंदुस्तान के पंजाब के एक गाँव की लड़की पूरो की,जिसका अपह��ण एक पुराना बदला चुकाने के लिए कर लिया जाता है.किसी तरह उस कैद से भाग कर अपने घर पहुँचने पर भीरु हिन्दू समाज को दर्शाते हुए अमृता प्रीतम ने लिखा है ,” "बेटी तेरी किस्मत! अब हमारे बस का कुछ नहीं.... अभी शेखों के यहां से लोग आ जाएंगे और हमारे बच्चे-बच्चे को पेर डालेंगे।' पिता ने यह कहकर आंख फेर ली तो मां कलेजे पर पत्थर रखकर बाकी परिवार की दुहाई देते हुए बोली, "तेरा धर्म गया, तेरा जनम गया। हम जो इस समय कुछ भी बोले तो हमारे लहू की एक बूंद भी नहीं बचेगी”.
पिंजर पहले मैंने फिल्म देखी थी,फिर बाद में किताब पढ़ी,और मैं कहना चाहूँगा कि फिल्म वाकई एक बेहद इम���नदार कोशिश थी,पर अमृता प्रीतम के लिखे शब्दों का स्थान नही ले सकती.मूलतः एक कवियित्री होने के कारण कथानक में सरसता,कविता का भाव है.मुख्य बात है,कहानी कहने का तरीका,अगर आज किसी और लेखक ने इसे लिखा होता तो ये कम से कम ४०० पन्नों का उपन्यास होता,पर अमृता प्रीतम ने बहुत कम शब्दों में, सिर्फ प्रतीकों के माध्यम से एक युग की वेदना और संवेदना हो दिखाया है.कहानी का अंत वाकई बहुत अच्छा है,और मैं कहानी बता के इसे नष्ट नही करना चाहता.
अगर साहित्य प्रेमी है,तो जरुर पढ़ें और अगर मूवी के शौक़ीन है,तो फिल्म देख सकते हैं,पर कम से कम एक बार तो अवश्य देखने /पढने लायक.
May 25, 2020
It's crazy how relevant this book is even today. We talk about equality and yet we see women being forced to marry someone in the name of arranged marriages, which may not always be bad, but we can't discount the fact that some are actually suffering.
The book also touches the topic of kidnapping of the refugee women and the exchange that happened thereafter.
My question is, how many men are mature enough to let something like that go for it was something that was beyond anybody's control?
We are talking of 1950s.
Oh wait, have we raised our men in the 2000s any different? I doubt.
Fast forward today.
I assumed education is changing the thought around many things unacceptable but little did I know beyond my bubble, there still exist men who are stuck in the mindset of the 1900s.
This book is relevant and this book should be read.
The book also touches the topic of kidnapping of the refugee women and the exchange that happened thereafter.
My question is, how many men are mature enough to let something like that go for it was something that was beyond anybody's control?
We are talking of 1950s.
Oh wait, have we raised our men in the 2000s any different? I doubt.
Fast forward today.
I assumed education is changing the thought around many things unacceptable but little did I know beyond my bubble, there still exist men who are stuck in the mindset of the 1900s.
This book is relevant and this book should be read.
February 6, 2008
Really good.
December 18, 2025
In Pinjar, Amrita Pritam draws deeply from her lived experience of Partition to portray the brutal fate of women through Puro’s eyes. The novel exposes how a girl, innocent of any wrongdoing, becomes a carrier of family honour and is discarded once that “honour” is deemed broken. Within a rigid social order that offers neither mercy nor rehabilitation, Pritam’s women embody injustice, despair, and a reluctant inner strength yet remain emotionally bound to the very values and relationships that failed them.
Written in sharp, restrained dialogue and intense emotional fragments, Pinjar brings its characters to life with haunting humanity. Though set in the past, its concerns remain disturbingly present: violence against women, misplaced shame, and the struggle for justice.
Written in sharp, restrained dialogue and intense emotional fragments, Pinjar brings its characters to life with haunting humanity. Though set in the past, its concerns remain disturbingly present: violence against women, misplaced shame, and the struggle for justice.
February 26, 2019
Pinjar by Amrita Pritam- (Skeleton) The novel is originally in Punjabi (Gurumukhi) language published in 1950. I have the English translation. The story has been written in the backdrop of Partition of India in 1947. The story is about a woman protagonist, Hindu girl Pooro who has been abducted by Rashid, a Muslim whose family is living in the same village. Pooro runs from the house of Rashid back to her parents but her parents do not accept her as she has been defiled. Hindu society considers woman not as a person but as a commodity. In the Book, the dark and violent atmosphere of partition and thinking process of all communities- Hindu, Muslim, and Sikhs in the circumstance of violence, murder, is shifting bag and baggage from their ancestral homes in Pakistan to India. Muslims coming to Pakistan from India also suffer the same calamity. The Book depicts two facts of partition of India, first is loss of humanity and second, ultimate surrender to the fate. While living in Muslim household, she looses her dreams of marriage to Ramchand which was already fixed. The moral of the story is that Pooro does not remain a victim of religious violence but she accepts her new identity and becomes an agent of change. She meets the Hindu families moving to India with her good wishes. The moral of the story is that there should be more respect of the girl child and woman on the whole. It is a classic work. It is a must read Book for all.
May 31, 2014
ينقسم هذا الكتاب إلى ثلاثة أقسام
رواية قصائد و قصص قصيرة
بالنسبة للرواية
للكاتبة أسلوب سلس في رواية اﻷحداث جذبني رغم أني شاهدت الفيلم قبل قراءة الرواية نقلت لنا ببراعة صراع الهندوس و المسلمين، إبان اضطرابات 1947 كما ألقت الضوء على مجموعة من العادات و التقاليد الجائرة بحق المرأة من خلال قصة پورو العروس التي لم يعد لها مكان في بيت
والديها بعد أن اختطفت، فإضطرت إلى العودة إلى مختطفها وتقبلها للحياة التي رسمها لها القدر،
الجزء الثاني عبارة عن مجموعة قصائد مررت عليها مرور الكرام، أظن أن الترجمة أفقدتها مغزاها
أما الجزء الثالث فهو عبارة عن مجموعة قصص قصيرة أعجبت منها ب إثنتين كرماوالي و خمس أخوات
فتحت عيني على ما وراء الضفائر السوداء الطويلة، والبشرة القمحية النقية، الأساور الذهبية الساري ملون، ونقطة حمراء على الجبين فهذا كل ما نعرفه عن الهنديات لكن خلف هذه البهاء معاناة مكتومة و محاطة بجدران عالية أقامتها اﻷعراف و التقاليد.
رواية قصائد و قصص قصيرة
بالنسبة للرواية
للكاتبة أسلوب سلس في رواية اﻷحداث جذبني رغم أني شاهدت الفيلم قبل قراءة الرواية نقلت لنا ببراعة صراع الهندوس و المسلمين، إبان اضطرابات 1947 كما ألقت الضوء على مجموعة من العادات و التقاليد الجائرة بحق المرأة من خلال قصة پورو العروس التي لم يعد لها مكان في بيت
والديها بعد أن اختطفت، فإضطرت إلى العودة إلى مختطفها وتقبلها للحياة التي رسمها لها القدر،
الجزء الثاني عبارة عن مجموعة قصائد مررت عليها مرور الكرام، أظن أن الترجمة أفقدتها مغزاها
أما الجزء الثالث فهو عبارة عن مجموعة قصص قصيرة أعجبت منها ب إثنتين كرماوالي و خمس أخوات
فتحت عيني على ما وراء الضفائر السوداء الطويلة، والبشرة القمحية النقية، الأساور الذهبية الساري ملون، ونقطة حمراء على الجبين فهذا كل ما نعرفه عن الهنديات لكن خلف هذه البهاء معاناة مكتومة و محاطة بجدران عالية أقامتها اﻷعراف و التقاليد.
December 8, 2018
الكتاب يحتوى على ثلاثة أنواع من النصوص،
الأول رواية قصيرة تعاصر أحداثها الانفصال بين الهند وباكستان وتعالج أساليب التعامل بين الطوائف المختلفة وتعرض لمعاناة فتاة هندوسية تم اختطافها ثأراً.
والرواية هي أفضل ما في الكتاب.
النوع الثاني هو مجموعة من القصائد المترجمة ولأني -على المستوى الشخصي- لا أحب القصائد النثرية فقد مررت بها مروراً عابراً.
أما آخر النصوص فمجموعة من القصص القصيرة وهي إجمالاً جيدة.
الأول رواية قصيرة تعاصر أحداثها الانفصال بين الهند وباكستان وتعالج أساليب التعامل بين الطوائف المختلفة وتعرض لمعاناة فتاة هندوسية تم اختطافها ثأراً.
والرواية هي أفضل ما في الكتاب.
النوع الثاني هو مجموعة من القصائد المترجمة ولأني -على المستوى الشخصي- لا أحب القصائد النثرية فقد مررت بها مروراً عابراً.
أما آخر النصوص فمجموعة من القصص القصيرة وهي إجمالاً جيدة.
October 21, 2019
I read this book after i had a traumatic experience with "udaas naslein", hence, another blow to my innocent brain!
What i realise is, during indo-pak partition THE HUMAN LOSS WAS ON BOTH SIDES. Muslims suffered in the hands of hindus and sikhs, and hindus suffered in the hands of muslims. So , i was hurt for both.
What i realise is, during indo-pak partition THE HUMAN LOSS WAS ON BOTH SIDES. Muslims suffered in the hands of hindus and sikhs, and hindus suffered in the hands of muslims. So , i was hurt for both.
May 29, 2019
Amrita Pritam is one author who will always end up melting a part of your soul through her writing. This book was no different. It is a powerful story that moves one right to the core and clenches against the heart strings. Strongly recommended in Hindi.
August 25, 2019
Things haven't changed a bit.
Want to read
July 21, 2009i wonder when and where i'll be able to find and read this book! the movie looks sooooo good! i really need to watch it. :P
December 30, 2016
Read as one of the three novels of 'Amrita Pritam - Chune Hue Upanyas'
July 19, 2017
A heart touching story. It shows the condition of women at the time of partition. Beautifully written. Recommendable novel...Everyone should read at least one time!
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