Two

by गुलज़ार, गुलज़ार

It’s the winter of 1946. A truck leaves the village of Campbellpur after news of the impending Partition pours in. It is carrying people who don’t know where they will go. They have just heard words like ‘border’ and ‘refugee’, and are struggling to understand how drawing a line might carve out Pakistan from Hindustan. As they reach the border, the caravan disperses and people go their own ways. Gulzar’s first novel tracks the lives of the people in that truck right from 1946 up to the Kargil war. A novel on what the Partition entailed for ordinary people, Two is also a meditation on the fact that the division of India and the carnage that followed, once set into motion, kept happening inexorably and ceaselessly, and people like those who left their homes on that truck never found another home; they kept looking for a place called home, a place to belong to.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, India, Poetry, Indian Literature, Literary Fiction, Novels

179 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

ग़ुलज़ार नाम से प्रसिद्ध सम्पूर्ण सिंह कालरा (जन्म-१८ अगस्त १९३६)[1] हिन्दी फिल्मों के एक प्रसिद्ध गीतकार हैं। इसके अतिरिक्त वे एक कवि, पटकथा लेखक, फ़िल्म निर्देशक तथा नाटककार हैं। उनकी रचनाए मुख्यतः हिन्दी, उर्दू तथा पंजाबी में हैं, परन्तु ब्रज भाषा, खङी बोली, मारवाड़ी और हरियाणवी में भी इन्होने रचनाये की। गुलजार को वर्ष २००२ में सहित्य अकादमी पुरस्कार और वर्ष २००४ में भारत सरकार द्वारा दिया जाने वाला तीसरे सर्वोच्च नागरिक सम्मान पद्म भूषण से भी सम्मानित किया जा चुका है। वर्ष २००९ में डैनी बॉयल निर्देशित फिल्म स्लम्डाग मिलियनेयर में उनके द्वारा लिखे गीत जय हो के लिये उन्हे सर्वश्रेष्ठ गीत का ऑस्कर पुरस्कार पुरस्कार मिल चुका है। इसी गीत के लिये उन्हे ग्रैमी पुरस्कार से भी सम्मानित किया जा चुका है।

गुलज़ार का जन्म भारत के झेलम जिला पंजाब के दीना गाँव में, जो अब पाकिस्तान में है, १८ अगस्त १९३६ को हुआ था। गुलज़ार अपने पिता की दूसरी पत्नी की इकलौती संतान हैं। उनकी माँ उन्हें बचपन में ही छोङ कर चल बसीं। माँ के आँचल की छाँव और पिता का दुलार भी नहीं मिला। वह नौ भाई-बहन में चौथे नंबर पर थे। बंट्वारे के बाद उनका परिवार अमृतसर (पंजाब, भारत) आकर बस गया, वहीं गुलज़ार साहब मुंबई चले गये। वर्ली के एक गेरेज में वे बतौर मेकेनिक काम करने लगे और खाली समय में कवितायें लिखने लगे। फ़िल्म इंडस्ट्री में उन्होंने बिमल राय, हृषिकेश मुख़र्जी और हेमंत कुमार के सहायक के तौर पर काम शुरू किया। बिमल राय की फ़िल्म बंदनी के लिए गुलज़ार ने अपना पहला गीत लिखा। गुलज़ार त्रिवेणी छ्न्द के सृजक हैं।

गुलजार द्वारा लिखे गए पुस्तकों की सूची-

चौरस रात (लघु कथाएँ, 1962)
जानम (कविता संग्रह, 1963)
एक बूँद चाँद (कविताएँ, 1972)
रावी पार (कथा संग्रह, 1997)
रात, चाँद और मैं (2002)
रात पश्मीने की
खराशें (2003)

Sampooran Singh Kalra (Punjabi: ਸਮਪੂਰਨ ਸਿੰਘ ਕਾਲਰਾ, Hindi: संपूरण सिंह कालरा, Urdu: سمپورن سنگھ کالرا) known popularly by his pen name Gulzar (Punjabi: ਗੁਲਜ਼ਾਰ, Hindi: गुलज़ार, Urdu: گُلزار ), is an Indian poet, lyricist and director. He primarily writes in Hindi-Urdu and has also written in Punjabi and several dialects of Hindi such as Braj Bhasha, Khariboli, Haryanvi and Marwari.

Gulzar was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2004 for his contribution to the arts and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002. He has won a number of National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards. In 2009, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Jai Ho" in the film Slumdog Millionaire (2008). On 31 January 2010, the same song won him a Grammy Award in the category of Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

Gulzar's poetry is partly published in three compilations: Pukhraj, Raat Pashminey Ki and Pandrah Paanch Pachattar. His short stories are published in Raavi-paar (also known as Dustkhat in Pakistan) and Dhuan).

Reviews

[Harun Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

গল্পটা ধর্ষিতা দুই বোনের নয় (ধর্ষণের ফলে যাদের একজন গর্ভধারণ করে), গল্পটা সেই দম্পতিরও নয় যারা বাড়ি থেকে জীবন নিয়ে পালিয়ে যাওয়ার সময় ঘরের চাবি সাথে করে নিয়ে গেছে ( যদি কোনোদিন ফেরত আসা যায়!), গল্পটা সেই শিশু আর তার দাদারও নয়( যাদের পুরো পরিবারকে খুন করা হয়েছে)। এসব কাহিনি শুধুই উপলক্ষ্য। গল্পটা ভারত ও পাকিস্তানের। গল্পটা এই অভিশপ্ত ভূখণ্ডের। গল্পটা বারবার, বারবার ধর্মের নামে রক্তাক্ত হওয়ার ইতিহাস, সাধারণ মানুষের জীবন লণ্ডভণ্ড হওয়ার ইতিহাস, জিনে লুকিয়ে থাকা বর্বরতার ইতিহাস। সেই ১৯৪৭, সেই ১৯৮৪, সেই ১৯৯৯; প্রতিবার সেই একই গল্প, একই কান্না, একই পরিণতি। এর যেন শেষ নেই, এর যেন শুরু নেই।চলছেই, চলছেই...

জয় গোস্বামীর মেঘবালিকার মতো আমাদেরও বলতে ইচ্ছে করে,

"সেই তো রাণী, সেই তো রাজা
সেই তো একই ঢালতলোয়ার
সেই তো একই রাজার কুমার পক্ষীরাজে
শুনবো না যা, ওসব বাজে।"

কিন্তু আমাদের শুনতে হয়, দেখতে হয়, সহ্য করতে হয়, কান্না চাপতে হয়, বিবেককে ঘুম পাড়িয়ে রাখতে হয়।গুলজারের মতো বলতে ইচ্ছে হয়,

"পঞ্চাশ বছর হলো, বরং বেশিই হবে।কী জানি কবে বড় হবে এই দুজন।"

[Yamna · Rating 4 out of 5]

O my heavy, heavy heart

“Death you are a poem
And I've been promised by a poem, that it shall meet me”
― Gulzar

This is the first time I wish I had the chance to read the original manuscript instead of the English translated version. Gulzar specifically mentions in the foreword that he is not entirely satisfied with the translated version and I get why he would say that. There are certain words that get lost in translation and the final text doesn’t have the elegance of its original counterpart. And Gulzar mentions the effort put into making it as technically close to the original as possible, yet if the craft master is not satisfied, I believed I can’t find satisfaction in the paraphrasing of his words either.
During my O’ Levels, I was taking a class with our Pakistan Studies teacher and while we were debating (yet again) over the cruelty faced by Muslims during the partition of the subcontinent, our teacher pointed out something that has stayed me throughout the years. He said that you think Muslims were the only ones facing cruelty and how they never inflicted any pain on any Hindu or Sikh because that’s what your countrymen tell you to make you prejudiced. But for every pig that a Sikh or Hindu killed and threw outside a mosque to enrage Muslims, a cow was slaughtered and thrown outside a temple to enrage the Hindus. And believing only one side of the story won’t take you far.
This is a lengthier version of a quote by Will Durant which states, “Most history is guessing, and the rest is prejudice.”

“It is believed that a community, a society, a nation is as strong and healthy as the stories they tell themselves.”
― Gulzar, Half a Rupee

For most of my life, I believed that Muslims were the victims and Hindus or Sikhs the perpetrators. Obviously it was because I had been taught to believe that. But once I got a mindset of my own, I realized how biased our view is. We never thought of the other side of the tale, nor do we care to this day about it.
The question you’ll ask is “why do you care? It’s been 60-odd years since the partition.”
And I’d say that I care because we haven’t forgotten. We never did. The war may have ended but its repercussions never died. If you are an Indian, you hate Pakistanis by default and vice versa. We can’t see eye to eye and each day, our media is waiting for the perfect scandal to tarnish the reputation of the other country, as though that single moment of glee can hide the fact that beneath all the hatred, all the threats we still pose to each other, all the blood that was lost, we were all once brothers and sisters, united under a common flag

One may cut a mountain in two, but people? It’s a hard task, bhai, to cut one people into two. They bleed

Although Two is not a retelling of Gulzar’s own story, he states that it’s the true story of a number of people who lost, found and reiterated themselves through the partition.
From the small town of Campbellpur (now Attock in Pakistan), emerges a truck, full of people with little belongings and heading towards what will soon be India. They are scared, skeptical and now homeless. They have no idea if they will reach India alive, nor do they have a home or place to their name.
Over the course of the journey, the passengers face many surprises, threats and raw experiences that leave them shaken to their core. Gulzar also maps out the story of a few residents left behind in Campbellpur, and concludes each part of the story with his subjects having faced either utter bereavement or success.
You cannot go into this book expecting smiles or even a straight face. You’ll be left shell shocked as once again the gruesome nature of the partition would jog your memory and you’ll find yourself going back to the tales you heard from grandparents or great-aunts or anyone who travelled from the other country with nothing but the clothes on their back and a handful of family heirlooms. Each recount of a rape or murder will leave you shaken and once you reach the last page, Gulzar’s promise will ring true.

One continues to read this book long after having finished its last page

The events of the partition might be in the past but they still have a strong hold on us. If you close your eyes, you might just smell the blood erupting from a fresh sword wound in the stomach of a Muslim. You might just sense the fear a family of Sikhs felt as Muslims barged into their homes, looted their drawers, raped the women, killed the children and forcefully cut the Sikh men’s hairs, their pride. You might have the urge the vomit as you watch a woman, one of three in the family, get brutally raped before her brother’s body, and vomit some more as the Hindu moves on to the next girl. You’ll weep with the Sikhs who lost their beloveds, the Muslim left to die with a knife in her stomach, the woman forced to bear the child of her rapist and when you open your eyes, you’ll realize the truth that could haunt you if you cared enough.
It still goes on.
In both countries.
In Kashmir, in small districts housing Hindus in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan and in mosques in some cities in India. Citizens of each country bestow violence on those of their neighbor and call it “justifiable”.
The question is: “Till how long will you stay silent and pretend that even though we are a people cut in two and we bleed, and despite that we are still ONE people, we do not deserve to be saved?”
Make a move. Extend a hand of friendship. And you’ll see mine was already raised.

Long are the passages of borders
One has lost count of age
Gathering the pieces of fate
Long are the stories of the partition

[Vikalp Trivedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the foreword of book Pavan K. Verma imposes some questions like- Why should number of pages determine impact and expressiveness of a literary work? Who decides how long a work should be? But more important question I found amongst these questions was that- When should a story end? Should it end when the reader is yearning it to continue or should it last till the reader begins to wonder it will end?

When I started reading the novel. I came across a very simple answer to these questions and the answer was that all these questions are mere limitations to a literary work. And Gulzar Sahaab with his class, impactful and expressive writing defies all these limitations and creates a story which makes the reader yearn for more and at the same time gives a sense of a satisfactory ending. It is the first time when Gulzar Sahaab is explored the genre of novel (and I hope and wish he will continue writing novels). The book is not just a novel. Using canvas of novel Gulzar Sahaab has painted it with beautiful poetic prose and elements of a perfect screenplay.

The book starts during the period when India was at the verge of independence, and also at the verge of the greatest catastrophe the Indian history has ever seen. The (true) rumors of partition are in the air and the speed and intensity of the air is increasing with every passing moment. People are at the brink of loosing their sanity. The only way to keep their almost tattered sanity is to deny (true) rumors. And finally the fateful time arrives and creates an unhealable wound, a wound so deep that its deepness can't be measured. And it may never be healed or measured. In fact with the passing passage of time the wound gets deeper and darker.

The book covers the lives of those "unimportant" and wretched people who were mercilessly crushed by audacious and arrogant storm of history. The book consists the story of those Muslims for whom Amritsar was equally theirs as was Lahore. It is the story of those Hindus for whom Lahore was equally theirs as was Amritsar. It is the story of those who were turned into dust and history doesn't even remember who they were.

The book made me think did the leaders really think of all these "unimportant" people for even once before imposing the catastrophe on them? I think they didn't. They were drowned in the drunkardness of fulfilment of their political agendas. They just gave birth to a blind assassin, named it partation and allotted him swords in both of the hands and set it on the spree of beheading all those "unimportant" people. But they forgot that their assassin was immortal and its​ immortality will be a curse till the time immemorial in different forms, in different ways.

Though the novel consists of many characters, it is the magic of Gulzar Sahaab's quill that he made every character strongly built and gave every character space and time it deserved. The narrative was wonderful and the reader can feel each and every emotion the character is going through. The Hindi translation was classy and compelling.

A Must Read.
Perfect 5 Stars.

[Shotabdi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"বড় দীর্ঘ এ কাফেলা সীমান্তের
আমি বয়সের হিসেব হারাই
আমি কপালের টুকরো কুড়াই
বড় দীর্ঘ এ কাহিনি সীমান্তের।"

...

[Mahmudur Rahman · Rating 5 out of 5]

সোনী আর মোনী দুই বোন। ক্যাম্বলপুরে তাদের বাড়ি। উপর্যুপরি ধর্ষণের শিকার সোনীর গর্ভসঞ্চার হয়। সন্তানটি নষ্ট করার সুযোগও হয় না। ক্যাম্বলপুর থেকে পালিয়ে নতুন আবাসে যায় সে। শিশুর জন্ম দেয়। শিশুটিকে দেখে চোখও জুড়ায়। তারপর বাচ্চাটি বড় হলে মনে হয় ওর মুখে সেই ধর্ষকের মুখের আদল বসানো।

জেলে দেখা করতে গিয়ে মোনী তাকে জিজ্ঞেস করে, 'সোনী, তুই কি জানিস তুই কী করেছিস?'
ভীষণ তিক্ত স্বরে বলে, 'হ্যাঁ...' তারপর যোগ করে
'ক্যাম্বলপুরে সে এতো হিন্দু মেরেছে। আর আমি ছোট এক মুসলমান মেরেছি তো কী হয়েছে?...'

দেশভাগের বিভীষিকা নিয়ে রচিত গুলযারের এই ছোট উপন্যাস। ফজল মাস্টার আর করম সিংয়ের বন্ধুত্বের গল্প দিয়ে শুরু হয়ে উপন্যাস গিয়ে ঠেকেছে 'শরণার্থী'র 'অভিবাসী' হওয়ার সময় পর্যন্ত। কলেবলে ছোটো হলেও এ উপন্যাসের গভীরতা বিপুল। দেশভাগ, দাঙা থেকে শুরু করে শিখ নির্যাতন কোনোকিছুই বাদ পড়েনি। এসেছে দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধ ও বাংলাদেশ প্রসঙ্গ।

৮৩ বছর বয়সে লেখা গুলযারের এই উপন্যাস উর্দু থেকে অনুবাদ করেছেন সফিকুন্নবী সামাদী। অনুবাদকে অনুবাদ মনে হয় না। অত্যন্ত সুখপাঠ্য।

দেশভাগ (বিশেষত পাঞ্জাব অংশের) নিয়ে পড়া সেরা উপন্যাসগুলোর তালিকায় অবশ্যই থাকবে।

[সন্ধ্যাশশী বন্ধু · Rating 5 out of 5]

' দোকান তো বোধ হয় উড়িয়ে দিয়েছে মুসলমানরা? '
'মুসলমান না মা,এরা হিন্দু! '

কিছু দিন আগে "কিষাণ চন্দরের " "পেশোয়ার এক্সপ্রেস " পড়েছি। এখন পড়লাম "গুলজারের " "দুজন"। কেমন জানি লাগছে। এমন কেন আমরা! এমন তো হওয়ার কথা না। মানুষ কেন মানুষ ছাড়া বাকি সব কিছুকে আপন ভাবে? কেউ আমাকে উত্তর দিতে পারবেন?

[Asha Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two is set in a small town named Campbellpur; now a city Attock in Pakistan. Pinned in late 1946 around the partition period, ‘Two’ captures the psychological and physical turmoil of locals, seeking a place they can call home. It revolves around a group of people aboard a truck bound for the proposed partitioned land. No one knows where each is headed but with hopes galore, they leave behind everything that belonged to them to set up paradise in unknown lands. They face trials and tribulations; mostly fatal in nature, but no sooner have they reached the destination, each go their own way, with a heavy heart, a bleeding soul, and scarred memories for belongings.

Known as the greatest tragedy in Indian history, the partition of India sowed seeds for political, social and communal unrest for decades to come, and even today, we are just as much tortured by the atrocities as the populace suffered then. This book attempts to showcase the incidents that have led to the differences the nations nurture, and truly have become ‘Two’ from one magnanimous nation.

The language of the book is simple yet captivating. Gulzar’s choicest of vocabulary make the perils of the characters come alive that tear your heart to pieces. Most characters are real only with different names because this is a personal story, one the author has lived himself. But of course, the characters are redone but their stories are the same. You live them long after you’re through the 200-page partition saga, and yet that’s not all. You wish you could go back and erase the memories the book just etched in your mind.

Of course, it’s been 70+ years of Independence, and of course, no man on either side of the border hates another enough, blames another enough, but what needs to be remembered is that the tragedy fell on both, massacres and riots scarred both, it was not one nation’s doing. The country that was one was made two, and it is still bleeding, and it will go on this way unless conscious, considerate steps of humanity and love are taken by the two. This one message as a leaving note, is compelling enough for humans on both sides to break-free of the shackles that hold them prisoners, despite being free, even after so many years.

Have you read ‘Two’? How did you like it? Share your thoughts in comments below.

[Persephone · Rating 5 out of 5]

গুলজারের জন্ম ব্রিটিশ ভারতের পাঞ্জাবের এক শিখ পরিবারে। ১৯৪৭ সালে দেশভাগের সময়ে তার পরিবার শেকড় ছেড়ে চলে আসে ভারতে। বইয়ের উপজীব্য না বলে লেখককে নিয়ে কেন বলছি? "দেশভাগ" নামক বিষক্রিয়ার ভুক্তভোগী যিনি স্বয়ং তার লেখায় সেই আবেগ, ঘটনার রেশ, সাবলীলতা যে থাকতেই হবে।

সেই '৪৭ থেকে যে ভাগ-বাটোয়ারার ঝড় শুরু, সে যেন অন্তহীন। মধ্য দিয়ে রিফিউজি নামক ঝরাপাতারা এলোমেলো উড়েই যাচ্ছে। এই দিশেহারা মানুষগুলোর জন্মস্থান ছাড়ার এবং তার পরবর্তী সেই অবর্ণনীয় কষ্টগুলোকে অনুভব করার সামান্য ইচ্ছে থাকলেও "দুজন"- বইটি পড়া আবশ্যক।

[Sidharth Vardhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Painde lambe ne lakiran de
Umr de hisaab muk gaye
Totey labbe taqdiran de
Kisse lambe ne lakiran de

(Long are the passages of borders
One has lost count of age
Gathering the pieces of fate
Long are the stories of the partition…)


A book about refugees suffering from Partition of British India into India and Pakistan; riots the followed and the life of refugees. Probably not in the same league as Gulzar's poems but then I only read the translation.

To the characters in the book, the partition was absurd and they struggle to understand how land they lived on could suddenly start belonging to some new nation.

On a side note, the partition that took countless lives was born of a two-nation theory that preached that people from different cultures can't live together. Different cultures make an 'us' and 'them'. And 'us' can't live with 'them' so partition. That is what that approach does - divide countries, build walls, go xenophobic, segregate minorities/migrants, etc. Europe perhaps learned its lesson after Nazis but probably forgot about it afterward.

Of course, there are some people who believe that it is possible for people of different cultures to live together. At time of partition, the first side won in Pakistan making it a country of one culture (Pakistan) while India went on to live the impossible dream of a nation of several cultures - something even Churchill had thought impossible (he famously called India as much of a nation as equator and believed that it would be divided into several parts after British left) because India's leaders here didn't have the same narrow-mindedness (not that such narrow mindedness didn't exist in Hinduism it just hadn't gained as much power).

That idea of India is probably more important today when the first side is gaining popularity again with the so-called 'Ram Raj' gaining popularity in India, Britain's EU exit, Trump building walls, etc.

"As the date of independence came closer, freedom seemed to move further away"

"Like dry leaves falling from a huge tree in a storm, the refugees kept drifting. At times they would float to the ground, only to be blown away by another strong gust of breeze.
Decades passed, the refugees kept wandering. It was impossible to say who moved where fell where. Even time wouldn’t probably be able to recognize them. The roots of the partition were buried deep, its branches reaching out. It was impossible to search for those who had left Campbellpur with Fauji. One leaf drifted a long way off."

[Shalini Choudhary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oct 16 ‘19.
01:32 PM

“This arrogant, conceited history strides with her head in the clouds and never looks down. She does not realize how she crushes millions of people beneath her feet. The common people. She doesn't understand that one may cut a mountain in two, but people? It's a hard task, Bhai, to cute one people in two. They bleed."

Two as the name suggested is story about dividing people in two, two countries- India and Pakistan. It’s a story about partition.
It’s about how each religion-be in Hindus or Muslims blame one and other. When it was everybody who was a victim of this separation. It’s about the chaos that spread like a wildfire when people got to know about partition. Everyone heard that border was going to be made but no one knew where. In the minds of people border was already forming. People where leaving their homes, abandoning their lands to go somewhere. Where? Nobody knew. But they had to leave in order to live. They had to make a decision of leaving their ancestral land. They just wanted to feel safe. Muslims where killing Sikh and Sikh were killing Muslims. It was humanity at it’s worse. Partition brought sorrow and trauma on both ends and nothing more. Was this the face of freedom? I think not. The stories of people in this book leave you to wonder what good comes out of war? What have people achieved after the separation?
This is an intense experience of our history.

[Aishwary Mehta (The_Fugitive_Biker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

33rd book of 2019 (117th book overall)

Quote from the Book I Liked - 'No work of fiction exists in a vacuum. Mine too is rooted in the world I have seen and experienced.' (Page no. 179)

Rating - 3.5 Stars

Plot Summary - It’s the winter of 1946. A truck leaves the village of Campbellpur after news of the impending Partition pours in. It is carrying people who don’t know where they will go. They have just heard words like ‘border’ and ‘refugee’, and are struggling to understand how drawing a line might carve out Pakistan from Hindustan. As they reach the border, the caravan disperses and people go their own ways. Gulzar’s first novel tracks the lives of the people in that truck right from 1946 up to the Kargil war. A novel on what the Partition entailed for ordinary people, Two is also a meditation on the fact that the division of India and the carnage that followed, once set into motion, kept happening inexorably and ceaselessly, and people like those who left their homes on that truck never found another home; they kept looking for a place called home, a place to belong to.

My Review - This book is the first novel by the Legend 'Gulzar Saab'. This one's bigger than a short story and smaller than a Novel yet it is complete in its full glory. In this book, the story of different people is told who all somehow belonged to the town of Campbellpur, now Attock. The story starts prior to the Independence of Bharata from around 1946 when the wind of partition started to spread. It started with a short breeze and took on the whole nation like a wildfire, whose smoke and embers are still hot even after 72 years. The story has different characters of different origin, religion and caste asking the same question of, Will the partition change the core and deeper relationship between the people and the places where they belonged? The story continues even after the partition tore away the very nation into two on the basis of religion. The people of Campbellpur are trying to find their home, trying to get settled in a foreign land far away from their home and their tragedies they face to do so. In each of the character, every Hindustani and Pakistani can feel the emotional surge and connection which will gove every reader goosebumps about the most devastating Sin in the Modern History of Hindustan.

Conclusion - We make you feel among one of the characters of this book.

Full Review on Blog.
Link to Blog - The Tales of Fugitive Biker

[Nahian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This work, which in itself is compact but powerful and heartbreaking, could be considered a novella. This book will appeal to those who enjoy Sadaat Hasan Manto and Krishan Chander. Bangla translation felt like mediocre.

[Arifur Rahman Nayeem · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘হাত তো ছাড়েনি আঁচল এখনো, চোখের সম্পর্ক হয়নি ছিন্ন
আমি ছেড়ে তো এসেছি স্বদেশ, সীমান্তের কাছে পাইনি মুক্তি’

দেশভাগের স্মৃতি মনে আছে, দেশভাগের বিভীষিক��� প্রত্যক্ষ করেছেন; এমন মানুষ কমে আসছেন দ্রুত। লেখকদের মাঝে এমন কাউকে, যাঁর কলম সচল, খুঁজে পাওয়া প্রায় দুষ্কর। আমাদের অর্থাৎ পাঠকদের সৌভাগ্য যে দেশভাগের লাখো শিকারের একজন সম্পূরণ সিং কালরা ওরফে গুলজার ৮৩ বছর বয়সে এসে নিজের প্রথম উপন্যাস লিখলেন দেশভাগকে মূল বিষয় করে। এবং তা অবধারিতভাবেই পার্টিশন লিটারেচারের এক গুরুত্বপূর্ণ সংযোজন হয়ে গেল।

‘দো লোগ’ উপন্যাসটি তিন খণ্ডে বিভক্ত। প্রথম খণ্ডের শুরুতেই দেখা পাওয়া যায় বিভ্রান্ত একদল মানুষের। যারা জানত না কেন এই দেশভাগ, কী হবে এর ফলে, হলোই বা দেশভাগ; এতে তাদের কী, যে যেখানে আছে সে সেখানেই থেকে যাবে, নামেই শুধু হবে দুটি আলাদা রাষ্ট্র, এতে খুব বেশি সমস্যা তো নেই। কিন্তু দূরদর্শী ফজল মাস্টার ঠিকই আন্দাজ করতে পারে। সে বলে, ‘গর্বিত ইতিহাস এমনি ভাবে মাথা উঁচু করে চলে, নিচে তাকিয়েও দেখে না পায়ের নিচে কী কুচলে যাচ্ছে...দেখতেই পায় না...! নিচে মানুষ আছে! আমজনতা! যাদের রক্ত ভেসে যায়।’ এদিকে বাতাসে ক্রমাগত ভেসে আসে গুজব। দেখতে দেখতে এক সময় গুজবগুলো সত্যি হয়ে ওঠে। কোনোমতে শুধু জান হাতে নিয়ে বাকিসব ছেড়েছুড়ে মানুষ বেরিয়ে পড়ে। উপন্যাসের প্রধান চরিত্রদের এক শ্বাসরুদ্ধকর ট্রাকযাত্রার মধ্য দিয়ে শেষ হয় প্রথম খণ্ড। দ্বিতীয় খণ্ডে আঁকা হয় সর্বহারা হয়ে শরণার্থী নাম নিয়ে নতুন দেশে আসা মানুষগুলোর দুর্দশার চিত্র। আর তৃতীয় খণ্ডে লেখক জানান ওই ট্রাকযাত্রীদের (যারা বেঁচে ছিলো) কয়েক দশক পরের হালচাল। তখন চলছিল কারগিল যুদ্ধ। এখানে লেখক ভারত-পাকিস্তানের চলমান বিবাদকে বর্ণনা করেন এভাবে—‘এ যেন দুই স্কুলবালক, ভিক্ষে করা মুখোশ পরে ভয় দেখায় একে অপরকে, একজন ইট ছুড়ে মারলে অপরজন পাথর ছোড়ে।’

‘দো লোগ’ উপন্যাসের সময়কাল দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধ থেকে কারগিল যুদ্ধ পর্যন্ত বিস্তৃত। দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধ আর দেশভাগ ছাড়াও এ সময়ের মধ্যে ঘটা উপমহাদেশের অনেকগুলো উল্লেখযোগ্য ঘটনাই উঠে এসেছে। যেমন, ১৯৬২ সালের ভারত-চীন যুদ্ধ, বাংলাদেশের মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, ইন্দিরা গান্ধীর হত্যাকে কেন্দ্র করে ১৯৮৪ সালের শিখ-বিরোধী দাঙ্গা ও ১৯৯৯ সালের কারগিল যুদ্ধ।

‘লেখকের কথা’য় গুলজার বলে না দিলেও এ উপন্যাসে বর্ণিত ঘটনা ও চরিত্রগুলো যে কাল্পনিক নয়—তা বিশ্বাস করতে অসুবিধা হতো না।

‘দো লোগ’ উর্দু থেকে বাংলায় অনুবাদ করেছেন সফিকুন্নবী সামাদী। নাম দিয়েছেন ‘দুজন’। বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের বাংলার শিক্ষক সামাদী চর্চা করেন উর্দু ও হিন্দি সাহিত্য। তাই ধারণা ছিল অনুবাদ খারাপ হবে না। ধারণা সত্যি হয়েছে। জড়তা নেই অনুবাদে।

[Joyline · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars

[Kunal Thakkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

“History will keep on marching like this. The names of as few people will stick to her fabric. She will register those. There was Hitler, there was Mussolini, Churchill and Joseph Stalin, among others. This time the names will be Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Jinnah, Subhash Bose! But the names of all the lakhs and crores who have lost their lives will be nowhere. They will be mere numbers in which all of us will be included.”


My Review: Although this novel by Gulzar is a work of fiction, it instills the horror the victimes of the partition might have faced in your mind. The way Gulzar saab wrote it’s plot and divided into 3 parts is amazing, it keeps you hooked till the ends and a lot of things change in part two and part three.

In my opinion the tone of Gulzar saab was intentionally or unintentionally biased. Or maybe how the story unfolds kind of tilts to show one community the cause of the partition while putting other tags on other communities. It does depict how the lives of the victims might have flipped, but on many levels this book is not balanced when it comes to identification of the religion positions and their role.

I would have given 4 stars if it was not for this tone. Nevertheless, the book is very well written being the first novel by Gulzar.

[Ravi Prakash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, like other books of Gulzar, I liked this too. It's an heart-rending story related to Indo-Pak partition. The story of twin sisters, Soni and Moni which I read earlier in a story form in an anthology was repeated here too. That story is very heart-touching but I don't think it should be a part of the TWO. The book has three parts while it ought to have only two. Still, the book is praiseworthy. Love and Respect for Gulzar Saab.

[Huzaifa Riaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two________GULZAR
"One may cut a mountain in two but people?It's a hard task,to cut one people into two. They bleed"

Two is a great novel written by the well-known poet and lyricist Gulzar. The novel is based on incidents of partition and how life of common people affected due to it. Gulzar penned every single moment happening in both sides regardless of religion, caste,race or any other identity. The scenes are portrayed so well that you feel to be submerged in them. The story is written with the style of a brilliant writer along with the wisdom of a poet and an eye of a filmmaker.

The novel starts in the mid of 1946 and ends up in Kargil War. During this whole period, this book portrayed what we have lost and still we haven't recovered that loss. The wounds of partition are still bleeding.

"Painde Lambe ne lakiran de
Umr de hisaab muk gaye
Totey labbe taqdiran de
Kisses lambe ne lakiran de"
_____Gulzar

The novel is set in Cambellpur(Now attock), where a truck is heading to the border because the news of partition are in the air. Things got worse when some of the passengers died during the journey and their food supplies also vanished.
Then freedom arrived all right, but it came drenched in blood, wounded.....the body slashed in different parts. The refugees thought their sufferings came to an end because they reached their destination but the trials weren't over yet. There was shortage of space. Famine, Unemployment and Hopelessness scaled new heights. The refugees suffered for decades. Their unity is no more. They are divided due religion,caste and races. That's the price of Partition.

The novel gives an honest account on the moments of partition and never let you feel bored at any point. Infact it's a quick read of just 170 pages.

[Mahiya Tabassum · Rating 5 out of 5]

দুজন (দো লোগ) এমন কিছু মানুষের গল্প, যারা ক্যাম্বলপুর (বর্তমানে পাকিস্তানের অটক) থেকে বেরিয়ে হিন্দুস্তানে পৌঁছেছিল, আর এখনো সত্তর সাল অবধি ঘুরে বেড়াচ্ছে।

লেখকের ভাষায়, "এ উপন্যাস অবশ্যই সক্ষিপ্ত। কিন্তু এটা 'নভেলা' নয়। এর সব অঙ্গ সম্পূর্ণ উপন্যাসের। সফর কমবেশি হওয়ার কারণে নভেল নভেলা হয়ে যায় না, এ আমার ধারণা।"

দেশবিভাগের উৎপীড়নমূলক ঘটনাবলি নিয়ে অনেক গল্প এবং উপন্যাস লেখা হয়েছে। এই বইয়ে লেখক সেসব রিফিউজির উৎপীড়ন বয়ান করেছেন, যারা এখনো বুদ্ধি এবং আবেগের দিক থেকে বসতি স্থাপন করতে পারেনি, যাদের এখন অব্দি সীমান্ত হাত ধরে টেনে রেখেছে।

[Nidhi S · Rating 5 out of 5]

ये किताब Goodreads की पाँच सितारा रेटिंग से परे है।

आज़ादी का हाथ थामकर आये बँटवारे से सिर्फ़ ज़मीं पर कोई मनमानी लकीर ही नहीं खींची गयी बल्कि एक अटूट सत्व को तोड़कर अलग कर दिया गया। वक़्त अपनी चाल चलता रहा और अपने परिवार, घरों और शहरों से उखड़े लोग या वो लोग जो मारे गए इतिहास के पन्नों में केवल गिनती बनकर दफ़्न हो गए।

ये बटवारा ज़मीन का नहीं था, ज़हनों का था!

दो लोग न सिर्फ़ ख़ूबसूरती से लिखी गयी बल्कि त्रासद और दारुण भी है। इस किताब का एक हिस्सा 1984 के दंगों की बर्बरता को भी आँखों के सामने उतार के रख देता है।

लोगों को बाँटने वाले ख्याल और मुल्कों को बाँटने वाले नक्शानवीस अलगाव और विभाजन की चिंगारी जितनी आसानी से भड़का सकते हैं उतना ही दूभर होता है एक दूसरे से जुड़े आम लोगों के लिए उस आग में झुलसना। इस उपन्यास के सभी पात्र इस बात के गवाह हैं। '47 में आज़ादी तो आई पर क्या कुछ टूट कर बिख़र गया इसका लेखा सिर्फ दिलों में और कहानियों में है। यह कहानी उन में से एक है।

गुलज़ार साहब के लफ़्ज़ों में लिखी हुई आम ज़िन्दगी की कोई मामूली सी बात भी खास और यादगार हो जाती है, फिर ये किताब तो ऐसी कहानियों को समेटे है जो एक से दो हुए लोगों के ज़हनों में रची-बसी हैं।

[Roshan Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gulzar's debut novel is a heartrending tale of a group of people who become refugees in their own country overnight. The book is poignant and takes you through the partition, makes you relieve the 1984 anti-sikh riots and the Kargil war and brings you to the present day where you realise nothing much has changed. The hate and differences among people which chopped the limbs of this country returns time and again to spill more blood from an already dilapidated body.

[Rajat TWIT · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most poignant tales written recently on the partition, Do Log is not the only attempt by Gulzar Saheb to revisit the horrors of partition. His award winning short story 'Raavi Paar' has the power to move the hearts of the most tough people. And that is the sad story of partition which was the darkest and perhaps most crucial time of Indian sub-continent in last few centuries. A time which was sorry state for millions of Indians and life turning for many, the era of partition has loads of stories hidden in its chest.
And Gulzar saheb has dug deep in this chest to draw the most painful yet humane stories for the readers. This is a story of town called 'Camblepur' which was peaceful before the 'boundary' for two nations started to form on the grounds of religion. The common people never thought about it, and most of them didn't even thought about it ever. But then this is the power of madness mixed with the religious flavor.
This is unfortunate that our earlier generation has not preserved the stories of partition and the need is to bring all the stories out to readers. One of the books by new history writer Aanchal Malhotra 'The remnants of Separation' talks about it and is critically getting praises. It is time we come forward to explore, write and know more about this phase called partition when one people was divided into two peoples, and a scar was left on the page of history that will never heal!
Or will it?

[Varun Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

गुलज़ार साहब के काम के बारे में कुछ लिखना मतलब सूरज को चिराग दिखाना, आपके पास वह शब्द ही नहीं होंगे जो उनके काम की व्याख्या कर सके। गुलजार साहब शब्दों से वही जादू करते है जो एक कुम्हार मिट्टी से करता है या सुनार धातु से
मैं क्षमापार्थी हूँ उनकी किताब पर कुछ लिखने के लिए......
दो लोग - किताब के मुखपृष्ठ पर गुलज़ार साहब का नाम बहुत था इसे पढ़ने के लिए

हम एक थे
एक अलग हो गया
अब हम दो लोग है
यह तीन पंक्तिया बहुत है किताब में छिपे मर्म को समझने के लिए,
दर्द को ऐसे लिखना की सामने वाला भी उसे महसूस कर सके, यह सिर्फ गुलज़ार साहब ही लिख सकते है।
यूँ तो "दो लोग" कहानी देश के बंटवारे की लेकिन "दो लोग" बंटवारे पर ही ख़त्म नहीं होती। यह हमारा हाथ थामे लिए चलती है हमारे आज तक
कहते हैं जब तक आप दर्द से नहीं गुजरते आपको दर्द का एहसास नहीं होता, गुलज़ार साहब ने वह वक़्त देखा है शायद इसलिए इतना सटीक लिखा है
अगर आप गुलज़ार साहब के गीतों को सुने चाहे वो माचिस के गीत "छोड़ आए हम वो गलियाँ" का
"एक छोटा से लम्हा है, जो खत्म नहीं होता... मैं लाख जलाता हूँ, यह भस्म नहीं होता"
या
घरौंदा फ़िल्म के गीत "एक अकेला इस शहर में" में
"दिन खाली खाली बर्तन है, और रात है जैसे अंधा कुआँ, इन सूनी अंधेरी आँखों में, आँसू की जगह आता है धुआँ, जीने की वजह तो कोई नहीं,मरने का बहाना ढूँढता है"
कहीं न कहीं आप महसूस करते है एक दर्द जो अपना घर, अपना देश छूटने पर होता है, एक अंतहीन तलाश का दर्द

इस कहानी में कहानी ही नायक है, किताब को पढ़ते हुए लगता है कैंपबेलपुर और इसके निवासी आपके जीवन का हिस्सा है या मानो ये सब आपकी आँखों के सामने चल रहा है
ये किताब गहरी उतरती है, चुभती है। इसे वहाँ तक जाने दें, जहाँ ये जाना चाहती है।

[Mangelethe Sneha Menon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two is Gulzar’s ode to the decades-long uncertainty and suffering of people displaced during the partition of Hindustan.
The story set in 1946 follows the inhabitants of Campbellpur (Attock), a city in Pakistan’s Punjab province, as the Hindus set out to move towards the unknown lands of Hindustan. People approach Fauji to take them in his truck to the border (wherever that is), so along with his friend Lakhbeer they set out towards G.T. Road in the quest for the unknown. Who these passengers are, their stories and relationships, how they feel decades later forms the rest of the story.

It is a beautifully written book that transfers us back to days when animosity hadn’t yet set across the communities, a time when people shared their good and bad days. When Master Karim Singh ties his buffalo to a friend’s gate with a note that says ‘I am sorry, I am leaving Pakistan in your custody’, I felt deep anguish in my heart like everything in the world was broken somehow. The helplessness of individuals in the grand scheme of things reflects the same emotions currently unfolding in the present world, so little has changed in the world on this front. As I said at the beginning, this is an ode to the lives, dreams and heartaches of common people

[Gautam Chintamani · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can one say anything about Gulzar sahab that hasn't been said earlier.... This is the first time that he explores the novel format and the poignant tale that he weaves soaks you in right from the word go. His lyrics have often explored the endless yearning of the displaced to find a home, to settle down somewhere somehow such as the couplet in 'Machis' - Ek chhota lamha hai jo khtm nahin hota,
Main laakh jalaata hun, wo bhasm nahin' or the song 'Ek Akela Iss Shahar Mein’ from 'Gharonda' - "Din khaali khaali bartan hai, Aur raat hai jaise andha kuan, In suni andheri ankhon men, Ansu ki jagah ata hai dhuan, Jine ki wajah to koi nahin, Marane ka bahaana dhundhata hai." 'Two' is also translated from the Urdu by Gulzar sahab himself and is a must-read to get a first-hand account of what the torment of leaving behind everything and trying to rebuild meant for millions of people dispalced by the Partiion of India.

[Himanshu Pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do Log is another masterpiece from the pen of The Gulzar Sahab, this time in the form of novel.

Story of Do Log is based on the migration of people during the partition of India - which is the largest migration of people from one place to another in the history of mankind. The main characters of the novel hail from Campbellpur (now known as Attock since 1978) now in Pakistan. Campbellpur is a town where people from all the religion (mainly Hindu, Muslim and Sikh) live in harmony with each other.

When they heard about the possibility of partition, they didn't believe in the news. None from the Campbellpur wanted to migrate to other side of border but violence in the surrounding areas forced them to leave their home, property and friends and migrate to India and start a new life from the scratch.

This novel is based on the journey of migration of those residents of Campbellpur i.e. how they all started their journey together, what they witnessed on the way and how these incidents affected their life, what problems they went through, how they got separated from each other on the way knowingly unknowingly, how many of them reached their destination safely.

हम एक थे. एक अलग हो गया. अब हम दो लोग हैं

Partition which divided India into two independent countries and further into three is the darkest spot in the history of mankind. This was not only a partition of land but of people, relations, emotions and much more. Very less has been written in this subject, historians have always escaped themselves from writing much about partition.

Pain of partition did not stop only in 1948-50 rather its effects continued till many decades, and another massacre happened in 1984 which renewed the wounds of partition. Wounds of partition have not yet been healed and its effects can be seen in many forms from time to time.

"हाथों ने दामन छोड़ा नही,आँखों की सगाई टूटी नही
हम छोड़ आए अपने वतन, सरहद की कलाई छुटी नही !"

Gulzar sahab always creates magic from his pen which has continued here also. Gulzar saheb has written the incidents & wounds of partition in his book in such a way that a reader can visualize it easily and feel the pain of partition. The soul of book and fragrance of Gulzar Sahab's pen can be felt from the fist page itself.

A must read book for everyone who is interested reading about partition - a black stop in the history of mankind.

rating: 4.7/5

[Shishir Chaudhary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gulzar is a good storyteller, there is no doubt about it. In his first ever novel, his talent is present in its full glory, even more effective because Gulzar deals with a topic which has featured consistently in all his work - conflict - political, geographical and personal. He tells the story of a bunch of inhabitants of a village called Cambalpore who are impacted by the partition of India in 1947, and who come together in a truck with the only objective of escaping (Watch out for how brilliantly he narrates the road trip). He follows the stories of a few major characters from that doomed truck through major political setbacks of India all up to the Kargil war.

Available in both Hindustani (a combination of Hindi and Urdu) and English (with the title 'Two'), I would recommend getting the former because that is the author's forte. After all, why would you read Proust in English when you know French?

[Aditya Lotia · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are 2 types of melancholy books - one which makes you want to scream into the pillow and another which makes you want to turn to the world and scream at them till your voice goes and you want to ask questions to the world - "Why?", "What did you possibly gain?" and "Are you happy now?". And then you realize you are part of this world, you are part of the problem. This book is the latter type.

I have come back to Hindi books after a long time and regret not reading more Hindi literature before. Gulzar writes the most gut-wrenching statements in simplest of sentences.

Do Log is about 1947 India-Pakistan partition at the outset. But it is more about humanity and the lack of it. It is about loyalty and betrayal. It is about love and hate. It is about our fake claims of 'Unity in Diversity'.

I am certainly going to come back to this book time and again.

[Amit · Rating 4 out of 5]

आज जब हम आजादी की 75वीं सालगिरह मना रहे हैं, साथ ही हमें पार्टीशन के भयानक दौर को भी याद करना चाहिए। सोचिए, जब पूरा देश "tryst with destiny" और आजादी को लेके खुशियां मना रहा था, उसी समय करीब 2 करोड़ जिंदगियों को पार्टीशन खा गई। भारत पाकिस्तान की वहशियत के नाम पर कई परिवार और रिश्ते ऐसे भटके की रिफ्यूजी कैंपों में सूखे पत्तों की तरह वो परिवार, शायद आज तक भटक रहे हैं। अपना घर, दोस्तों, रिश्तों के छूटने का दुख शायद ही कोई किताब बयां कर पाए, पर "दो लोग" में गुलजार साहब जिस खूबसूरती और सरलता से चंद लोगों की व्यथा और परिस्थियों को दिखा पाए, काबिले तारीफ है। इस कृति की देसी पंजाबी टोन , बिल्कुल सटीक बैठती है। साधारण से , देसी अंदाज में लिखी यह किताब साधारण से "कैंबलपुर" के साधारण लोगों की परिस्थितियों को जिस मासूमियत से दिखाती है, आपका दिल पसीज उठेगा। क्योंकि Gulzar, संपूर्ण सिंह कालरा,ने खुद भी पार्टीशन को करीब से देखा है, शायद यही कारण है कि वो इन कहानियों के साथ पाठकों का राब्ता पैदा करने में कामयाब हुए।

[Aishwarya Rathor · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredible book!
Gulzar is my most loved poet and his take on writing a novel is great.
I read both the hindi/urdu and english version of the book.
The story is about 1947 partition, about people,their emotions,their selflessness. The emotions people had about leaving their home, their land is well described. The use of urdu is Phenominal.
The stories are sensitive and describing pain of those people.
I really dont have words to describe this book. I am just speechless.

[Fatima Anwar · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The country was divided, but then it divided the people too. Earlier, they were one people, now there are two."

An intricate work that draws the attention of people to the unsaid stories of people during the Partition. Gulzar has done an amazing job in writing this book.

"She doesn't understand that one may cut a mountain into two, but people? It's a hard task, to cut people into two. They bleed."

Totally loved it.