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Pinjar: The Skeleton and Other Stories
"The Skeleton" and "That Man", two of the most moving novels by Amrita Pritam, one of India's great women writers. In the Skeleton, set against the background of religious and clan feuds on the eve of partition, Amrita Pritam portrays the inmost being of novel's complex characters. The Skeleton, translated from Punjabi into English by Khushwant Singh, is memorable for its lyrical quality. The Man is a compelling account of a young man born under strange circumstances and abandoned at the altar of God.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
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About the author
Amrita Pritam
370 books468 followersAmrita Pritam (Punjabi: ਅਮ੍ਰਿਤਾ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਮ, امرتا پریتم ) was considered the first prominent woman Punjabi poet, novelist, and essayist. She was the leading 20th-century poet of the Punjabi language, who is equally loved on both the sides of the India-Pakistan border. With a career spanning over six decades, she produced over 100 books, of poetry, fiction, biographies, essays, a collection of Punjabi folk songs and an autobiography that were translated into several Indian and foreign languages.
She is most remembered for her poignant poem, Aj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu (Today I invoke Waris Shah - "Ode to Waris Shah"), an elegy to the 18th-century Punjabi poet in which she expressed her anguish over massacres during the partition of India in 1947. As a novelist, her most noted work was Pinjar (The Skeleton) (1950), in which she created her memorable character, Puro and depicted loss of humanity and ultimate surrender to existential fate. The novel was made into an award-winning eponymous film in 2003.
When British India was partitioned into the independent states of India and Pakistan in 1947, she migrated from Lahore to India, though she remained equally popular in Pakistan throughout her life, as compared to her contemporaries like Mohan Singh and Shiv Kumar Batalvi.
Known as the most important voice for the women in Punjabi literature, in 1956, she became the first woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award for her magnum opus, a long poem, Sunehe (Messages). She received the Bhartiya Jnanpith, one of India's highest literary awards in 1982 for Kagaz Te Canvas (The Paper and the Canvas). The Padma Shri came her way in 1969 and finally, Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award in 2004, and in the same year she was honoured with India's highest literary award, given by the Sahitya Akademi (India's Academy of Letters), the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship given to the "immortals of literature" for lifetime achievement.
She is most remembered for her poignant poem, Aj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu (Today I invoke Waris Shah - "Ode to Waris Shah"), an elegy to the 18th-century Punjabi poet in which she expressed her anguish over massacres during the partition of India in 1947. As a novelist, her most noted work was Pinjar (The Skeleton) (1950), in which she created her memorable character, Puro and depicted loss of humanity and ultimate surrender to existential fate. The novel was made into an award-winning eponymous film in 2003.
When British India was partitioned into the independent states of India and Pakistan in 1947, she migrated from Lahore to India, though she remained equally popular in Pakistan throughout her life, as compared to her contemporaries like Mohan Singh and Shiv Kumar Batalvi.
Known as the most important voice for the women in Punjabi literature, in 1956, she became the first woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award for her magnum opus, a long poem, Sunehe (Messages). She received the Bhartiya Jnanpith, one of India's highest literary awards in 1982 for Kagaz Te Canvas (The Paper and the Canvas). The Padma Shri came her way in 1969 and finally, Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award in 2004, and in the same year she was honoured with India's highest literary award, given by the Sahitya Akademi (India's Academy of Letters), the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship given to the "immortals of literature" for lifetime achievement.
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May 24, 2024
This book has only two stories: Pinjar (The Skeleton) and That Man. "Other Stories" in the title doesn't make much sense.
Pinjar: the Skeleton
5 🌟
"It was crime to be born a girl."
*Coming of age
*Rural community, culture and custom
*Unexpected friendships amidst communal riots
*Assault and violence
Depicts a story of abduction and forced marriage during the time before the partition in which the daughters/girls are considered some kind of burden and the birth of sons/boys are celebrated. There are parts which portray the mother-daughter bond so beautifully. This is a story about taking revenge because of the elders' bidding and the so called honour to protect at the cost of their daughters' lives; the terror everyone had to survive through the times of partition and the cruelty of man towards each other specifically towards women.
That Man
2 🌟
Content warnings for assault and abandonment; PTSD
It's a story of faith and hatred, a story about a man's unusual life with the yogis in a religious place.
Sadly, I didn't like the second story at all. It lacked character depth, plot and the writing in patches at parts dragging the story made the reading experience rather dull. Handling such sensitive matters as faith, assault and the after effects, strong negative emotions towards someone's parents, questionable godmen and rituals need some better writing.
Pinjar: the Skeleton
5 🌟
"It was crime to be born a girl."
*Coming of age
*Rural community, culture and custom
*Unexpected friendships amidst communal riots
*Assault and violence
Depicts a story of abduction and forced marriage during the time before the partition in which the daughters/girls are considered some kind of burden and the birth of sons/boys are celebrated. There are parts which portray the mother-daughter bond so beautifully. This is a story about taking revenge because of the elders' bidding and the so called honour to protect at the cost of their daughters' lives; the terror everyone had to survive through the times of partition and the cruelty of man towards each other specifically towards women.
That Man
2 🌟
Content warnings for assault and abandonment; PTSD
It's a story of faith and hatred, a story about a man's unusual life with the yogis in a religious place.
Sadly, I didn't like the second story at all. It lacked character depth, plot and the writing in patches at parts dragging the story made the reading experience rather dull. Handling such sensitive matters as faith, assault and the after effects, strong negative emotions towards someone's parents, questionable godmen and rituals need some better writing.
November 16, 2020
This book contains two of Amrita Pritam's novellas - PINJAR & THE OTHER MAN.
About PINJAR: Clearly one of the bests of the two. It deserves 5 stars. In fact, after having read the novella, the impact was such that I was not able to start the next one for two days. The characters played in my mind and my heart went out to them.
I can not say anything about the plot of the story. All I can say is that it is set in the pre-partition Pakistan Punjab when the tensions were running high between the Hindu and Muslim communities. The plot moves through India's independence (the partition of the country into India and Pakistan) when the communal tensions reached to monstrous levels on both side of the borders. It ends with the post-independent India and Pakistan. What I have stated are the historical details. But Amrita Pritam has woven a heart wrenching story in this backdrop. All she wants to tell is that Love is the Ultimate Victor who wins over irrespective of the differences created by the mundane realities, such as Caste, Religion, and National Boundaries.
This book is a must read for every Punjabi, Indian and Pakistani. Also thrown in are the critical observations on the patriarchal society's unjust hold on the womenfolk. This story was perfect in every sense. The plot kept the reader on the edge. The characters were well rounded, I think. The translation was superb. It certainly must have sounded very well in the original.
About THAT MAN: The premise looked fantastic for this novel. But I felt something went wrong. May be, it was more dense in its thoughts. It was not a plot driven story for the most part. It was more a delve into human being's thoughts and inner struggle. Not that, I do not like such novels. I do like them. But I felt the translation might have done damage to it. I did not get the thought flow immediately. I had to reread some passages. May be, it would have sounded superb in the original Punjabi. That is why I might end up giving this novella only 3 stars.
This is a story of a boy who at his birth is offered to the temple to be brought up as God's child. He grows up in the temple along with three other priests (a Head Guru and other two servant rishis). He develops no love for the mother who had given him up to the temple. He avoids her whenever she comes to the temple. Later he finds out some more devastating truths about his birth. That pulls him to dark caverns of hatred, the thought of his mother revolts him. How does he save himself from this hatred and how does he reconcile himself to his mother? Or did he reconcile to his mother?
Lovely premise. But too much of brooding spoiled the story.
Finally: The book is worth for PINJAR. So, no complaints.
About PINJAR: Clearly one of the bests of the two. It deserves 5 stars. In fact, after having read the novella, the impact was such that I was not able to start the next one for two days. The characters played in my mind and my heart went out to them.
I can not say anything about the plot of the story. All I can say is that it is set in the pre-partition Pakistan Punjab when the tensions were running high between the Hindu and Muslim communities. The plot moves through India's independence (the partition of the country into India and Pakistan) when the communal tensions reached to monstrous levels on both side of the borders. It ends with the post-independent India and Pakistan. What I have stated are the historical details. But Amrita Pritam has woven a heart wrenching story in this backdrop. All she wants to tell is that Love is the Ultimate Victor who wins over irrespective of the differences created by the mundane realities, such as Caste, Religion, and National Boundaries.
This book is a must read for every Punjabi, Indian and Pakistani. Also thrown in are the critical observations on the patriarchal society's unjust hold on the womenfolk. This story was perfect in every sense. The plot kept the reader on the edge. The characters were well rounded, I think. The translation was superb. It certainly must have sounded very well in the original.
About THAT MAN: The premise looked fantastic for this novel. But I felt something went wrong. May be, it was more dense in its thoughts. It was not a plot driven story for the most part. It was more a delve into human being's thoughts and inner struggle. Not that, I do not like such novels. I do like them. But I felt the translation might have done damage to it. I did not get the thought flow immediately. I had to reread some passages. May be, it would have sounded superb in the original Punjabi. That is why I might end up giving this novella only 3 stars.
This is a story of a boy who at his birth is offered to the temple to be brought up as God's child. He grows up in the temple along with three other priests (a Head Guru and other two servant rishis). He develops no love for the mother who had given him up to the temple. He avoids her whenever she comes to the temple. Later he finds out some more devastating truths about his birth. That pulls him to dark caverns of hatred, the thought of his mother revolts him. How does he save himself from this hatred and how does he reconcile himself to his mother? Or did he reconcile to his mother?
Lovely premise. But too much of brooding spoiled the story.
Finally: The book is worth for PINJAR. So, no complaints.
April 18, 2021
In 1956, Amrita Pritam became the first woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award for her long poem, 'Sunehade' (Messages). In 1981, she won the Bharatiya Jnanpith for the novel 'Kagaz Te Canvas' (The Paper and the Canvas). In 1969, she was conferred with the Padma Shri and in 2004 the Padma Vibhushan. She was also awarded the highest honour conferred by the Sahitya Akademi - 'Immortals of Literature' in 2005.
Written in 1950 Pinjar is the story of Hindu girl, Puro, who is abducted by a Muslim man, Rashid. Puro's parents refuse to accept her when she manages to escape from Rashid's home. Written in the backdrop of India’s partition, it is a moving story of a young girl who is first bewildered at her changed circumstances and later calmly accepts her fate and makes peace with her soul. Equally moving is the sensitive portrayal of Rashid who is torn between his love for Puro and the guilt of having abducted her.
Yaatri is story about a man born under strange circumstances. Sacrificed at the altar of God because of a vow taken by his mother, the young boy grows up hating his mother. Only much later when he realizes the truth does he come to terms with his own life.
The Tara edition has these two stories translated from Punjabi in English (The Skeleton and That Man) by Khushwant Singh. The cover is painting titled Self Portrait by Deepti Naval.
Written in 1950 Pinjar is the story of Hindu girl, Puro, who is abducted by a Muslim man, Rashid. Puro's parents refuse to accept her when she manages to escape from Rashid's home. Written in the backdrop of India’s partition, it is a moving story of a young girl who is first bewildered at her changed circumstances and later calmly accepts her fate and makes peace with her soul. Equally moving is the sensitive portrayal of Rashid who is torn between his love for Puro and the guilt of having abducted her.
Yaatri is story about a man born under strange circumstances. Sacrificed at the altar of God because of a vow taken by his mother, the young boy grows up hating his mother. Only much later when he realizes the truth does he come to terms with his own life.
The Tara edition has these two stories translated from Punjabi in English (The Skeleton and That Man) by Khushwant Singh. The cover is painting titled Self Portrait by Deepti Naval.
December 24, 2020
"It was a double life: Hamida by day, Pooro by night. In reality, she was neither one nor the other, she was just a skeleton, without a shape or a name."
From PINJAR THE SKELETON by Amrita Pritam, translated from the Punjabi by Khushwant Singh, 1950 / 1987.
#ReadtheWorld21 📍Pakistan / India
#womenintranslation
What an engrossing read! I picked this up and had a hard time putting it down until the end.
Set in Amrita Pritam's native Punjab, at that time in British colonial India, this story takes place in the 1940s, on the cusp of Partition. This book is a lens into the daily occurrences of Muslim and Hindu village life, and the intersections of the two, pre-Partition. Interestingly enough, the author was born into a Sikh family, but the book only mentions Sikhs once.
"Just as a peeled orange falls apart in many segments, the Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs of the Punjab broke away from each other. As clouds of dust float over the roads, rumours of 'incidents' began to float over the countryside."
Young Pooro becomes Hamida, a wife and mother. She also becomes a safe haven for many - neglected children and foundlings, a woman with a mental illness, and finally, young girls who have (like she was) been abducted and forced to marry. Into this setting, we see the increased tensions, and ultimately the horrible violence of Partition in this small village of the borderlands.
Even despite the tragedy of this time, this story has hope and endurance.
Pritam wrote many novels, poetry collections, a hand full translated into English from Punjabi and Hindi. She is recognized as the foremost Punjabi writer of the time, popular in both India and Pakistan (she lived and worked in both Lahore and New Delhi after Partition). Pinjar is her best known work. It was even made into a film in 2003.
From PINJAR THE SKELETON by Amrita Pritam, translated from the Punjabi by Khushwant Singh, 1950 / 1987.
#ReadtheWorld21 📍Pakistan / India
#womenintranslation
What an engrossing read! I picked this up and had a hard time putting it down until the end.
Set in Amrita Pritam's native Punjab, at that time in British colonial India, this story takes place in the 1940s, on the cusp of Partition. This book is a lens into the daily occurrences of Muslim and Hindu village life, and the intersections of the two, pre-Partition. Interestingly enough, the author was born into a Sikh family, but the book only mentions Sikhs once.
"Just as a peeled orange falls apart in many segments, the Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs of the Punjab broke away from each other. As clouds of dust float over the roads, rumours of 'incidents' began to float over the countryside."
Young Pooro becomes Hamida, a wife and mother. She also becomes a safe haven for many - neglected children and foundlings, a woman with a mental illness, and finally, young girls who have (like she was) been abducted and forced to marry. Into this setting, we see the increased tensions, and ultimately the horrible violence of Partition in this small village of the borderlands.
Even despite the tragedy of this time, this story has hope and endurance.
Pritam wrote many novels, poetry collections, a hand full translated into English from Punjabi and Hindi. She is recognized as the foremost Punjabi writer of the time, popular in both India and Pakistan (she lived and worked in both Lahore and New Delhi after Partition). Pinjar is her best known work. It was even made into a film in 2003.
March 29, 2021
Pinjar is a short read. Through one woman, Pritam tells the story of many women of that time who were displaced, abducted, raped, or forcefully married into another religion. The English translation is simple to read. I imagine the original would have a much deeper impact on the reader. The story of the protagonist, Puro, is complex. She questions her place in the world and the injustice done to her for being a woman. She comes to love as well as hate her husband who abducts her, marries her, and converts her into his religion. I think this novel is incredibly relevant even today. Pritam shows how women, since time immemorial, have been used as objects of revenge during wars. In the works that I have read so far, I've found her writing to be bold, powerful, and full of emotions.
I did not finish the story following this "That Man"
Check out more of my book reviews, recommendations, and other content on my blog Travelling Through Words and bookstagram!
I did not finish the story following this "That Man"
Check out more of my book reviews, recommendations, and other content on my blog Travelling Through Words and bookstagram!
November 28, 2017
Pinjar is the journey of Pooro - a woman abducted to assuage the scar of an immaterial feud and abandoned to salvage the all important prestige that religion and family hold in society. Pooro (like many other women in the book) embodies the patriarchy that the world around us today in 2017, is still trying to break free from. She has no control over her life. Even her ability to raise the child she births and nurses, is decided by the men around her.
In her writing that now ages several decades, Amrita Pritam and her Pooro make us wonder at our own dismal hypocrisy when we wonder if the men who kidnapped and abandoned her respectively, still weren't all that bad after all.
Set in an era that two nations (if nations are its people and not its politicians) would most likely want to go back and re-write, Pinjar is still relevant. And if that isn't scary, what else is?
In her writing that now ages several decades, Amrita Pritam and her Pooro make us wonder at our own dismal hypocrisy when we wonder if the men who kidnapped and abandoned her respectively, still weren't all that bad after all.
Set in an era that two nations (if nations are its people and not its politicians) would most likely want to go back and re-write, Pinjar is still relevant. And if that isn't scary, what else is?
August 21, 2017
Normally, when I read translations from famous originals, the story makes perfect sense, but the language leaves much to be desired. Especially with Indian authors, many of the translators are just people who know the two languages, and not really artists in either one of them.
However, Khushwant Singh was masterful in his use of English & Punjabi. Not only that, he was a raconteur and knew precisely how to keep the audience engaged.
And that's the best part about Pinjar. The first story in the book is that of Pooro - who ends up being married to her abductor. The storyline is a complex tapestry of human emotion and incorporates elements of the caste/religion divide and the backdrop of partition. Poignant, this one.
The second story is much more complex and conflicted, but I didn't think as highly of it. Probably, much better language and not enough storytelling.
However, Khushwant Singh was masterful in his use of English & Punjabi. Not only that, he was a raconteur and knew precisely how to keep the audience engaged.
And that's the best part about Pinjar. The first story in the book is that of Pooro - who ends up being married to her abductor. The storyline is a complex tapestry of human emotion and incorporates elements of the caste/religion divide and the backdrop of partition. Poignant, this one.
The second story is much more complex and conflicted, but I didn't think as highly of it. Probably, much better language and not enough storytelling.
March 21, 2025
I've wanted to read Amrita Pritam's 'Pinjar' ('Skeleton') for a while now. Today I finally picked it up.
Puro lives in her village with her parents and siblings. She is engaged to get married to a young man from the next village. Then one day when she has gone out to pick some vegetables, she is abducted by a man on horseback. His name is Rashida and his family has a long-standing feud with Puro's family. He keeps her locked inside a cottage for a couple of weeks. He provides her food but otherwise doesn't do anything to her. He tells her that he wants to marry her. One day Puro escapes from the cottage and finds her way home. Her parents are initially happy to see her, but then they don't let her inside the house. For them religion and caste rules are more important than love and family and so they reject her and ask her to leave. Puro is shocked because she hasn't done anything wrong, and now she has no place to go back to. Rashida comes in search of her and Puro goes back with him to his house. Puro and Rashida get married and Puro changes her name to Hamida. What happens to Puro after this, the twists and turns her life takes, and how historical events impact simple people in a small village, and what happens in the aftermath is depicted in the rest of the story.
I loved reading 'Pinjar'. Amrita Pritam's style is very spare and simple, and so the impact of the emotional scenes in the story is high. I loved most of the characters in the story. The most beautiful, of course, were Puro and Rashida, and the way their relationship evolves and changes is so beautifully depicted in the story.
Writing a novel set during the time of Partition is a challenging task, and writers tend to lean one way or the other. But Amrita Pritam, like an accomplished trapeze artist, walks on the wire perfectly without swaying, and manages to pull it off brilliantly. Just shows how accomplished a storyteller she is. 'Pinjar' is popular and acclaimed in both India and Pakistan and readers love Amrita Pritam on both sides.
There is one more novella in the book called 'That Man'. I decided to read it later, because I wanted to shine the spotlight on 'Pinjar' today. (I did read it later, but after 'Pinjar' it was quite underwhelming. So I'm going to just ignore it 😊🙈)
The picture on the cover of this edition I read is a self portrait by acclaimed actress and director Deepti Naval.
Sharing some of my favourite parts from the book.
"The boy tugged at his mother's breast. Hamida felt as if the boy was drawing the milk from her veins and was sucking it out with force, just as his father had used force to take her. All said and done, he was his father's son, this father's flesh and blood and shaped like him. He had been planted inside her by force, nourished inside her womb against her will - and was now sucking the milk from her breasts, whether she liked it or not.
The thought went round and round in her head with insidious insistence: This boy ... this boy's father... all mankind ... all men ... men who gnaw a woman's body like a dog gnawing a bone and like a dog consuming it.
The boy continued to suck at his mother's breasts, while Hamida's mind continued to fill and empty like the buckets of a Persian wheel.
Out of this conflict of hate and love, love and hate, were born Hamida's son and Hamida's love for her husband, Rashida."
"Hamida had suffered much; the suffering had aged her. She was only twenty years old, but these twenty years had taught her more than she could ever have learnt in an age. She had become as serious and as thoughtful as an old philosopher. Only she could not put her many thoughts into words. Her emotions rose like foam on the crest of a wave, were battered against the rocks of experience and subsided once more into the water."
Have you read 'Pinjar'? What do you think about it?
Puro lives in her village with her parents and siblings. She is engaged to get married to a young man from the next village. Then one day when she has gone out to pick some vegetables, she is abducted by a man on horseback. His name is Rashida and his family has a long-standing feud with Puro's family. He keeps her locked inside a cottage for a couple of weeks. He provides her food but otherwise doesn't do anything to her. He tells her that he wants to marry her. One day Puro escapes from the cottage and finds her way home. Her parents are initially happy to see her, but then they don't let her inside the house. For them religion and caste rules are more important than love and family and so they reject her and ask her to leave. Puro is shocked because she hasn't done anything wrong, and now she has no place to go back to. Rashida comes in search of her and Puro goes back with him to his house. Puro and Rashida get married and Puro changes her name to Hamida. What happens to Puro after this, the twists and turns her life takes, and how historical events impact simple people in a small village, and what happens in the aftermath is depicted in the rest of the story.
I loved reading 'Pinjar'. Amrita Pritam's style is very spare and simple, and so the impact of the emotional scenes in the story is high. I loved most of the characters in the story. The most beautiful, of course, were Puro and Rashida, and the way their relationship evolves and changes is so beautifully depicted in the story.
Writing a novel set during the time of Partition is a challenging task, and writers tend to lean one way or the other. But Amrita Pritam, like an accomplished trapeze artist, walks on the wire perfectly without swaying, and manages to pull it off brilliantly. Just shows how accomplished a storyteller she is. 'Pinjar' is popular and acclaimed in both India and Pakistan and readers love Amrita Pritam on both sides.
There is one more novella in the book called 'That Man'. I decided to read it later, because I wanted to shine the spotlight on 'Pinjar' today. (I did read it later, but after 'Pinjar' it was quite underwhelming. So I'm going to just ignore it 😊🙈)
The picture on the cover of this edition I read is a self portrait by acclaimed actress and director Deepti Naval.
Sharing some of my favourite parts from the book.
"The boy tugged at his mother's breast. Hamida felt as if the boy was drawing the milk from her veins and was sucking it out with force, just as his father had used force to take her. All said and done, he was his father's son, this father's flesh and blood and shaped like him. He had been planted inside her by force, nourished inside her womb against her will - and was now sucking the milk from her breasts, whether she liked it or not.
The thought went round and round in her head with insidious insistence: This boy ... this boy's father... all mankind ... all men ... men who gnaw a woman's body like a dog gnawing a bone and like a dog consuming it.
The boy continued to suck at his mother's breasts, while Hamida's mind continued to fill and empty like the buckets of a Persian wheel.
Out of this conflict of hate and love, love and hate, were born Hamida's son and Hamida's love for her husband, Rashida."
"Hamida had suffered much; the suffering had aged her. She was only twenty years old, but these twenty years had taught her more than she could ever have learnt in an age. She had become as serious and as thoughtful as an old philosopher. Only she could not put her many thoughts into words. Her emotions rose like foam on the crest of a wave, were battered against the rocks of experience and subsided once more into the water."
Have you read 'Pinjar'? What do you think about it?
August 2, 2020
This book By Amrita Pritam is small but a difficult read. This book talks about unjust plight of women who become the target of a family feud and her whole relationship with her parents is dissolved. Pooro, kidnapped by Rashida right before her betrothal to Ram Singh from the neighboring state is perplexed.
Why will her parents not accept her back?
Why does the man before her wants to forcibly marry her?
Is exacting the family feud all necessary and will lead to her parents lynching?
Does a person die inside but lives to be a shell of a human being?
A remnant perhaps is left behind..
The book is agonizing, and a cry for help. The help never comes.. And the living goes on..
" Who will marry you now? You have lost you religion and your birthright. If we dare to help you, we will be wiped out without a trace of blood left behind to tell of our fate"
Pooro now rechristened as Hamida yearns to feel something for her newborn child and for her husband. She feels kind of a disgust for both and feels at loss.
" I have no desire to divulge anything, but the decaying processes have begun within me."
Will Pooro ever get a chance at redemption?
Another story is That man. I found this story particularly hard to read. Its about a baby which is given to the temple to be taken care of and grows to be a sage. The boy develops absolute hatred for his mother, loses a sense of belonging , does not understand devotion and searches for inner peace. The author delves into the inner machinations of the human soul which get more and more complicated as the layers are peeled back. The inner musings and the torture that overthinking does is palpable in this story.
"Each question is measurable in terms of darkness. The only difference is that if the question is a small one, it crawls and cries like an infant; but if it is a big one, it gropes, hands outstretched in the blinding blackness and strikes its head against the cave walls.''
Why will her parents not accept her back?
Why does the man before her wants to forcibly marry her?
Is exacting the family feud all necessary and will lead to her parents lynching?
Does a person die inside but lives to be a shell of a human being?
A remnant perhaps is left behind..
The book is agonizing, and a cry for help. The help never comes.. And the living goes on..
" Who will marry you now? You have lost you religion and your birthright. If we dare to help you, we will be wiped out without a trace of blood left behind to tell of our fate"
Pooro now rechristened as Hamida yearns to feel something for her newborn child and for her husband. She feels kind of a disgust for both and feels at loss.
" I have no desire to divulge anything, but the decaying processes have begun within me."
Will Pooro ever get a chance at redemption?
Another story is That man. I found this story particularly hard to read. Its about a baby which is given to the temple to be taken care of and grows to be a sage. The boy develops absolute hatred for his mother, loses a sense of belonging , does not understand devotion and searches for inner peace. The author delves into the inner machinations of the human soul which get more and more complicated as the layers are peeled back. The inner musings and the torture that overthinking does is palpable in this story.
"Each question is measurable in terms of darkness. The only difference is that if the question is a small one, it crawls and cries like an infant; but if it is a big one, it gropes, hands outstretched in the blinding blackness and strikes its head against the cave walls.''
August 28, 2024
this was the first text for what's probably my favourite course i've taken in all of my degree (the course is called "women's writing from south asia") and holy hell was it intense and so masterfully written.
everything from the extended metaphor of the women as skeletons (and corpses) to such intense commentary on maternity (both biological and emotional) to even the fracture of time as a means to reveal the fracture of the self (the main character's identity politics are so integral to the novel) and gendering of morality and religion. i've always wanted to read partition literature but have been daunted by it and have not known where to begin. i can go on and on and i do have to go on and on about this but for class so i'll leave my thoughts with this excerpt (pg. 25 lives rent free in my head):
"in her dreams, when she met her old friends and played in her parents' home, everyone still called her pooro. at other times she was hamida. it was a double life: hamida by day, pooro by night. in reality, she was neither one nor the other, she was just a skeleton, without a shape or a name."
in short, i highly recommend reading pinjar. it's an underrated piece of fiction about the partition and more importantly, written by a woman. i love prof mohite so much.
everything from the extended metaphor of the women as skeletons (and corpses) to such intense commentary on maternity (both biological and emotional) to even the fracture of time as a means to reveal the fracture of the self (the main character's identity politics are so integral to the novel) and gendering of morality and religion. i've always wanted to read partition literature but have been daunted by it and have not known where to begin. i can go on and on and i do have to go on and on about this but for class so i'll leave my thoughts with this excerpt (pg. 25 lives rent free in my head):
"in her dreams, when she met her old friends and played in her parents' home, everyone still called her pooro. at other times she was hamida. it was a double life: hamida by day, pooro by night. in reality, she was neither one nor the other, she was just a skeleton, without a shape or a name."
in short, i highly recommend reading pinjar. it's an underrated piece of fiction about the partition and more importantly, written by a woman. i love prof mohite so much.
March 23, 2019
This volume includes two novellas by the celebrated Punjabi author and poet, Amrita Pritam. Both novellas are hard to find in English translation, making this an interesting and important read.
• The Skeleton (Pinjar)
The Skeleton is the story of Pooro, who is abducted by Rashida a few days before her wedding, and married to him by force. Thus, in pre-partition Punjab, Pooro; rejected by her Hindu parents for fear of ostracization; becomes Hamida. What follows is a compelling and gut-wrenching account of Hamida's pathos as she gives birth to her son and slowly, painstakingly grows to accept her fate and to lover her husband. Yet, Pooro is unable to leave the remnants of her old life behind, and is faced with a crossroads of emotions when the violence of partition begins.
This story explores well how the pride of two religions — and later, two nations — was nested in the body of the woman during the bloodiest civil war the world has ever seen. It also explores the predicament of a woman 'dishonoured' for religion, through multiple women lost over borders and vengeful conquests. Detailing the bloody history of the partition of India and Pakistan from the eyes of a woman, The Skeleton reveals to the reader the hatred and fear that informed attitudes in the autumn of 1947.
One particularly poignant scene in the story is when Pooro's brother comes to the village she resides in and burns her husband's fields in rage, being unable to find; and retrieve; her. Pooro then wonders whom she feels for — her Hindu brother, or the husband who abducted her and whom she has grown to love. As a woman of the partition, she occupies the greyest of the grey areas of alliances.
Another impactful idea that the author speaks of in this story is the idea of honour itself, and how the same religion that ostracized Pooro on being abducted later took its other women back — just as they tried to take the madwoman's 'Hindu' son back from Rashida and Hamida's household — so that no numbers are lost to the other side.
The Skeleton is a very poignant reminder of the inhumanity of the Partition and of the horrific subjection of women to the tenets of honour. As lovely as Khushwant Singh's translation is; I wish I could read gurmukhi, because I would love to read Pinjar in Amrita Pritam's own words.
• That Man/ The Other Man (Yaatri)
That Man is the story of a son born after much prayer and offered to the temple at birth to be brought up as God's child, in the care and company of two priests and the Head Guru. As he grows up, he becomes enveloped in his own hatred for the world around him, for being forced to live on alms;
and especially for the mother who relegated him to such a fate, and whom he avoids as much as he can because of it. As the story progresses, the boy is faced with more unsettling truths about his birth, alongside the memories of his own secrets and having to respond to the gigantic responsibility forced onto his shoulders.
Written in the stream of consciousness, That Man explores the inner darkness and mental torment of the twenty-year old boy and gives us a glimpse into the human faults and fallacies of everything 'holy'. It is a heart-wrenching story, but one whose affect is stunted and delayed till the very end. As always, a lot is lost in translation — this holds especially true for 'Yaatri', which, in the process of becoming 'That Man' loses a lot of lucidity (one does not know whose translation this one is, but it isn't Khushwant Singh's). In its translated version; at least; Yaatri becomes a slow read with a lot of philosophical inserts and not enough narrative-linguistic glue to keep it together.
Both novellas considered, this was a good read. I would recommend it. Although That Man was stretched thin, The Skeleton redeems this collection, and gets it five stars.
• The Skeleton (Pinjar)
The Skeleton is the story of Pooro, who is abducted by Rashida a few days before her wedding, and married to him by force. Thus, in pre-partition Punjab, Pooro; rejected by her Hindu parents for fear of ostracization; becomes Hamida. What follows is a compelling and gut-wrenching account of Hamida's pathos as she gives birth to her son and slowly, painstakingly grows to accept her fate and to lover her husband. Yet, Pooro is unable to leave the remnants of her old life behind, and is faced with a crossroads of emotions when the violence of partition begins.
This story explores well how the pride of two religions — and later, two nations — was nested in the body of the woman during the bloodiest civil war the world has ever seen. It also explores the predicament of a woman 'dishonoured' for religion, through multiple women lost over borders and vengeful conquests. Detailing the bloody history of the partition of India and Pakistan from the eyes of a woman, The Skeleton reveals to the reader the hatred and fear that informed attitudes in the autumn of 1947.
One particularly poignant scene in the story is when Pooro's brother comes to the village she resides in and burns her husband's fields in rage, being unable to find; and retrieve; her. Pooro then wonders whom she feels for — her Hindu brother, or the husband who abducted her and whom she has grown to love. As a woman of the partition, she occupies the greyest of the grey areas of alliances.
Another impactful idea that the author speaks of in this story is the idea of honour itself, and how the same religion that ostracized Pooro on being abducted later took its other women back — just as they tried to take the madwoman's 'Hindu' son back from Rashida and Hamida's household — so that no numbers are lost to the other side.
The Skeleton is a very poignant reminder of the inhumanity of the Partition and of the horrific subjection of women to the tenets of honour. As lovely as Khushwant Singh's translation is; I wish I could read gurmukhi, because I would love to read Pinjar in Amrita Pritam's own words.
• That Man/ The Other Man (Yaatri)
That Man is the story of a son born after much prayer and offered to the temple at birth to be brought up as God's child, in the care and company of two priests and the Head Guru. As he grows up, he becomes enveloped in his own hatred for the world around him, for being forced to live on alms;
and especially for the mother who relegated him to such a fate, and whom he avoids as much as he can because of it. As the story progresses, the boy is faced with more unsettling truths about his birth, alongside the memories of his own secrets and having to respond to the gigantic responsibility forced onto his shoulders.
Written in the stream of consciousness, That Man explores the inner darkness and mental torment of the twenty-year old boy and gives us a glimpse into the human faults and fallacies of everything 'holy'. It is a heart-wrenching story, but one whose affect is stunted and delayed till the very end. As always, a lot is lost in translation — this holds especially true for 'Yaatri', which, in the process of becoming 'That Man' loses a lot of lucidity (one does not know whose translation this one is, but it isn't Khushwant Singh's). In its translated version; at least; Yaatri becomes a slow read with a lot of philosophical inserts and not enough narrative-linguistic glue to keep it together.
Both novellas considered, this was a good read. I would recommend it. Although That Man was stretched thin, The Skeleton redeems this collection, and gets it five stars.
September 3, 2020
PINJAR: The Skeleton and Other Stories by Amrita Pritam
Translate by : Khushwant Singh
I am in no mood to write a long caption. No matter what I say, this book is a must-read.
The book comprises of two short stories: The Skeleton and That Man.
The Skeleton is my favourite of the two, and that's the one I highly recommend.
Pinjar or The Skeleton is a story set in the backdrop of partition of India. The word partition itself is enough to give an idea about the mood of this story.
It's the tale of Puro. Puro is the obedient daughter who gladly accepts the marriage proposal which her parents chose for her and dreams about a life with the prospective suitor. Her world turns upside down when Rashid abducts her to avenge a similar crime committed by her uncle. After struggling for days, she manages to escape and return to her family. But the family was not ready to accept her fearing society. The rejection gave her a severe blow than abduction. Devastated, Puro returned to Rashid and started to live like a Skeleton. She broke all the ties from her past life, even her name and religion.
The story later takes us to the partition of India. It also highlights the atrocities towards women, their sufferings, and sacrifices that took place in this background. Behind all this, the life of Puro is an example of struggle, motherhood, compassion, and determination.
In fact it's a story that won't fail to transfer the emotions of the characters towards the reader.
That Man : It's the story of a man who was born to be a saint as his parents decided so. The whole story is the man's search for closure. The story, written as poetic prose, has an air of melancholy surrounding it. I guess The essence of the story got lost in translation, and it failed to impress me.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Translate by : Khushwant Singh
I am in no mood to write a long caption. No matter what I say, this book is a must-read.
The book comprises of two short stories: The Skeleton and That Man.
The Skeleton is my favourite of the two, and that's the one I highly recommend.
Pinjar or The Skeleton is a story set in the backdrop of partition of India. The word partition itself is enough to give an idea about the mood of this story.
It's the tale of Puro. Puro is the obedient daughter who gladly accepts the marriage proposal which her parents chose for her and dreams about a life with the prospective suitor. Her world turns upside down when Rashid abducts her to avenge a similar crime committed by her uncle. After struggling for days, she manages to escape and return to her family. But the family was not ready to accept her fearing society. The rejection gave her a severe blow than abduction. Devastated, Puro returned to Rashid and started to live like a Skeleton. She broke all the ties from her past life, even her name and religion.
The story later takes us to the partition of India. It also highlights the atrocities towards women, their sufferings, and sacrifices that took place in this background. Behind all this, the life of Puro is an example of struggle, motherhood, compassion, and determination.
In fact it's a story that won't fail to transfer the emotions of the characters towards the reader.
That Man : It's the story of a man who was born to be a saint as his parents decided so. The whole story is the man's search for closure. The story, written as poetic prose, has an air of melancholy surrounding it. I guess The essence of the story got lost in translation, and it failed to impress me.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
September 11, 2021
This got a 3 star rating just because I loved Pinjar! Even in its translated form, it did complete justice to communicating the nuances of the story, physical setting, the characters and the complexities of the partition era, specifically from point of view of women.
However, the second short story- " The Other Man" was something I did not totally understand, even after trying to read it with utmost concentration. At certain phases it was bordering philosophy, at others it was trying to set tone of life complexity and at the rest parts it felt like a rant with no specific direction. The ending again did not really feel like revelation, making this a very okay/ below average read.
Highly recommend Pinjar out of the two short stories in this translated work. Happy Reading!
However, the second short story- " The Other Man" was something I did not totally understand, even after trying to read it with utmost concentration. At certain phases it was bordering philosophy, at others it was trying to set tone of life complexity and at the rest parts it felt like a rant with no specific direction. The ending again did not really feel like revelation, making this a very okay/ below average read.
Highly recommend Pinjar out of the two short stories in this translated work. Happy Reading!
June 3, 2021
Pinjar (The Skeleton)- This is a masterpiece. There is no other word to describe it. Pinjar pulls at every single one of your heartstrings. The tale explores the story of women during the India-Pakistan partition.
No review, no synopsis, no rating can ever do justice to this tale. You have to read it, to experience it.
That Man- It is very important to keep in mind that this story is a work of fiction and not any kind of commentary on anyone's faith. This tale follows the stream-of-consciousness approach where almost 90% of the story is the inner monologue of our imperfect unreliable narrator. For someone like me who is a fan of Absurdism, this story is a blessing. We can see from the structural quality and language that this was one of Amrita Pritam's experimental works. Agreed that it is not a very conventional approach of storytelling, and that some charm of the story might be lost in translation; but if we look at the whole (rather than focusing on the parts of it), this tale does tug at an emotion hidden deep within the caves of our being.
No review, no synopsis, no rating can ever do justice to this tale. You have to read it, to experience it.
That Man- It is very important to keep in mind that this story is a work of fiction and not any kind of commentary on anyone's faith. This tale follows the stream-of-consciousness approach where almost 90% of the story is the inner monologue of our imperfect unreliable narrator. For someone like me who is a fan of Absurdism, this story is a blessing. We can see from the structural quality and language that this was one of Amrita Pritam's experimental works. Agreed that it is not a very conventional approach of storytelling, and that some charm of the story might be lost in translation; but if we look at the whole (rather than focusing on the parts of it), this tale does tug at an emotion hidden deep within the caves of our being.
September 14, 2022
5⭐ for Pinjar
3⭐ for That Man
“Could the earth soaked with human blood produce golden corn? Could maize remain fragrant if its roots were fed with stinking corpses?”
🖼️
A voice that hits you to the core. A story that leaves you numb. A journey that makes you feel the pains of the past & inadvertently your mind keeps on reminding you of that journey.
Amrita Pritam is that voice. Her stories are those lived unlived journeys. One of the prolific writers of India, she has had been on my wishlist for ages, and when I say ages it's almost 10 years when I first came across this name ‘Pinjar’ & the significance of this literary piece.
‘Pinjar & Other Stories’ by Amrita Pritam (tr. from Punjabi by Khushwant Singh), basically has 2 stories in it—one—Pinjar (which translates to ‘The Skeleton’) & the second is—‘That Man’.
‘Pinjar’ narrates the journey of a girl Pooro from a pre-partition India, where the fires of the religious conflict between Hindu & Muslim is burning and we follow her through the brutal partition & the atrocities perpetuated from both sides. (I know I'm being vague with the description, but the journey is one I feel you should enter blindly & gear yourself for the impact.)
It's a heart wrenching journey & will hit your nerves, with the gruesome times that continues to be a reality even after 75 years. Amrita Pritam's simple yet complex characters & a lyrical tone, narrates the hardships of the times & the society laden with the cruelties & sufferings of partition. The women & children are facing the brunt of the patriarchal society and yet in those dark times, humanity finds its way to thrive & extends its arm. The pains of the partition, Pooro's self journey of pain & suffering, and forgiveness will prick you & it'll be etched forever.
The second tale—‘That Man’—describes the life of a boy turned Priest, born under strange events & abandoned at the footstep of God. We follow his internal monologues & there's an anger & yearning in his voice for his parents—mainly his mother—before the secrets of his birth is spilled.
The story has a complex narration & largely character driven, but the internal voices at points became repetitive & burdened. The debate following the revelation is something I personally loved. Here again comes the talk of the male gaze—how a man perceives something & what could be the truth from a female perspective. It's beautifully done & the depth of the story lies in its craft of bringing forth the structure of a Hindu familial bonds & the flawed scriptures that govern the lives.
Obviously I'm more biased towards Pinjar & that's a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read. That Man is a good read too but you can surely take time adjusting to its tone!
3⭐ for That Man
“Could the earth soaked with human blood produce golden corn? Could maize remain fragrant if its roots were fed with stinking corpses?”
🖼️
A voice that hits you to the core. A story that leaves you numb. A journey that makes you feel the pains of the past & inadvertently your mind keeps on reminding you of that journey.
Amrita Pritam is that voice. Her stories are those lived unlived journeys. One of the prolific writers of India, she has had been on my wishlist for ages, and when I say ages it's almost 10 years when I first came across this name ‘Pinjar’ & the significance of this literary piece.
‘Pinjar & Other Stories’ by Amrita Pritam (tr. from Punjabi by Khushwant Singh), basically has 2 stories in it—one—Pinjar (which translates to ‘The Skeleton’) & the second is—‘That Man’.
‘Pinjar’ narrates the journey of a girl Pooro from a pre-partition India, where the fires of the religious conflict between Hindu & Muslim is burning and we follow her through the brutal partition & the atrocities perpetuated from both sides. (I know I'm being vague with the description, but the journey is one I feel you should enter blindly & gear yourself for the impact.)
It's a heart wrenching journey & will hit your nerves, with the gruesome times that continues to be a reality even after 75 years. Amrita Pritam's simple yet complex characters & a lyrical tone, narrates the hardships of the times & the society laden with the cruelties & sufferings of partition. The women & children are facing the brunt of the patriarchal society and yet in those dark times, humanity finds its way to thrive & extends its arm. The pains of the partition, Pooro's self journey of pain & suffering, and forgiveness will prick you & it'll be etched forever.
The second tale—‘That Man’—describes the life of a boy turned Priest, born under strange events & abandoned at the footstep of God. We follow his internal monologues & there's an anger & yearning in his voice for his parents—mainly his mother—before the secrets of his birth is spilled.
The story has a complex narration & largely character driven, but the internal voices at points became repetitive & burdened. The debate following the revelation is something I personally loved. Here again comes the talk of the male gaze—how a man perceives something & what could be the truth from a female perspective. It's beautifully done & the depth of the story lies in its craft of bringing forth the structure of a Hindu familial bonds & the flawed scriptures that govern the lives.
Obviously I'm more biased towards Pinjar & that's a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED read. That Man is a good read too but you can surely take time adjusting to its tone!
May 23, 2024
I loved Pinjar’s plot line. It’s said to be Amrita Pritam’s best work. I feel Khushwant Singh couldn’t do justice to Pritam’s writing as a translator. The second story in the book titled ‘The Man’ bored me and Singh’s translation just made it worse. I left it after reding the first 10 pages. I am going to read Pinjar again in Hindi.
March 25, 2021
Reading stories on tragic events always stir up emotions which I never even knew existed. The sense of helplessness & despair overwhelming. But to make a reader feel these things the book needs to be well written too.
Pinjar is surely one of those books. Set in the era where communal tension was brimming up all over the country because of the partition that's supposed to take place. This book consists of two such stories, Pinjar and That Man. Both the stories will take you on an emotional ride as different characters develop with time & how they evolve according to the situations they faced. I had heard a lot about this book but opened it with clear mind and it simply blew me away. The stories as well as its translation has been done with utmost care and thought. One of the few books which will stay with me forever. A must read.
Pinjar is surely one of those books. Set in the era where communal tension was brimming up all over the country because of the partition that's supposed to take place. This book consists of two such stories, Pinjar and That Man. Both the stories will take you on an emotional ride as different characters develop with time & how they evolve according to the situations they faced. I had heard a lot about this book but opened it with clear mind and it simply blew me away. The stories as well as its translation has been done with utmost care and thought. One of the few books which will stay with me forever. A must read.
January 2, 2019
Amrita Pritam wore her heart on her sleeves. It’s typical of poets and writers to feel everything deeply and you can tell from reading her books as to why she was the first recognized female name in Punjabi literature. It’s sad that her writings are not readily available. It took me years to get to read ‘Pinjar’, one of her highly acclaimed novels. And I haven’t even read her poetry yet. For this specific collection, there are two included novellas, ‘Pinjar’ and ‘The Man’.
Pinjar is a beautiful story intertwining emotion and destiny with the era of India’s partition and the strict values punishing an honor less woman even if it was the same society that slaughtered her honor in the first place. Only a woman could get under the skin of Puro (the Protagonist) and tell us her soul-shattering story. A Hindu girl, from a good family about to be married to the man of her dreams gets kidnapped by a lowly, poor muslim man. He claims its revenge he’s seeking but he falls in love with her. She manages to run away from his clutches, only to find that the parents who loved her dearly now reject her, fearing ostracization by the society. She’s dead to them and has no place but to go back to the same man who brought ruin to her. The rest of the story describes the cruel winds of those times and the society’s treatment of women. For the sake of not putting in any spoilers here, I would recommend this book to folks interested in Punjabi history or someone looking for good literature with a history lesson included. (Note: Translated into English by my favorite Sikh author- Khuswant Singh. Calculating from the date of publication to Khuswant Singh’s age, I guess this was translated around the time he was 92-93 years old. I haven’t read the book in its original Punjabi language so am unable to comment on the quality of translation.)
‘The Man’ is overshadowed by the first novella so I am unable to review it in the same manner as Pinjar. The story is of the emotional turmoil of a son who has been donated to the temple by his mother at the tender age of 1 to be brought up by the priest. Most of it is a monologue of dark self-destructive thoughts of this young man. Towards the end, he learns some facts that clears up the doubts that he has had for his entire life but is it enough for the salvation that his soul years for….not sure? You might as well read it as a part of this collection, it’s probably no more than a 100 pages.
Pinjar is a beautiful story intertwining emotion and destiny with the era of India’s partition and the strict values punishing an honor less woman even if it was the same society that slaughtered her honor in the first place. Only a woman could get under the skin of Puro (the Protagonist) and tell us her soul-shattering story. A Hindu girl, from a good family about to be married to the man of her dreams gets kidnapped by a lowly, poor muslim man. He claims its revenge he’s seeking but he falls in love with her. She manages to run away from his clutches, only to find that the parents who loved her dearly now reject her, fearing ostracization by the society. She’s dead to them and has no place but to go back to the same man who brought ruin to her. The rest of the story describes the cruel winds of those times and the society’s treatment of women. For the sake of not putting in any spoilers here, I would recommend this book to folks interested in Punjabi history or someone looking for good literature with a history lesson included. (Note: Translated into English by my favorite Sikh author- Khuswant Singh. Calculating from the date of publication to Khuswant Singh’s age, I guess this was translated around the time he was 92-93 years old. I haven’t read the book in its original Punjabi language so am unable to comment on the quality of translation.)
‘The Man’ is overshadowed by the first novella so I am unable to review it in the same manner as Pinjar. The story is of the emotional turmoil of a son who has been donated to the temple by his mother at the tender age of 1 to be brought up by the priest. Most of it is a monologue of dark self-destructive thoughts of this young man. Towards the end, he learns some facts that clears up the doubts that he has had for his entire life but is it enough for the salvation that his soul years for….not sure? You might as well read it as a part of this collection, it’s probably no more than a 100 pages.
March 22, 2017
I happened to read this book recently but had seen the movie long time ago. While the movie was sure great, the book touches chords that not only make you sympathetic towards Pooro but also make you respect the men who go all out to fight for their wife, their sister.
The time when this incident happened in history is one that alot of our elders can relate to and have sure narrated stories of the Hindu-Muslim differences and the suffering on both sides. While it hurts to see that the parents also turn their back on their daughter in times as painful as these, we still don't blame them because we understand that its not because they didn't love her, its because they had to save the others.
Painful journey, expressed beautifully in words written from the heart......LOVED IT!!!
The time when this incident happened in history is one that alot of our elders can relate to and have sure narrated stories of the Hindu-Muslim differences and the suffering on both sides. While it hurts to see that the parents also turn their back on their daughter in times as painful as these, we still don't blame them because we understand that its not because they didn't love her, its because they had to save the others.
Painful journey, expressed beautifully in words written from the heart......LOVED IT!!!
March 21, 2018
One of the strangest and most unnerving narratives I've read in a while- especially "The Skeleton", this novel, set during the eve of Partition, and set amongst the conflicts between the Muslims and Hindus make a compelling and disturbing read.
January 3, 2015
Read pinjar
September 16, 2019
Its funny how village life is so similar everywhere, I guess thats the human experience
May 23, 2021
Pinjar includes 2 stories - The Skeleton and That Man.
Plot - Speaking of 'The Skeleton', it focuses on the abduction of a Hindu girl, named Pooro by a Muslim man, Rashida owing to lineal wrangle. Even though she escapes from Rashida's captivity, her own parents repudiate her and she has no other option but to come back. Pooro's plight is delineated so splendidly that a reader can't resist submerging into emotions. The predicament of women, their objectification and appropriation as if they were fields or a piece of land to cast vengeance or personal vendetta pestered me so much that I couldn't halt myself from reading it at one go.
Characters - The irreversible mutation of Pooro's character to Hamida is commendable. Apart from her, I really adore Rashida's character who leaves no stone unturned in placating Pooro and redeeming himself by the end.
Favourite Quote - "Whether it's a hindu girl or a muslim one, whoever reaches her destination, she carries along my soul also." (Scene -A police constable said, "All Indians going to India, come this side, The bus is ready!" Her brother on their first and last reunion, told her that is her only chance to...)
About the author - Amrita Pritam is considered the first prominent female Punjabi poet, novelist, essayist and the leading 20th-century poet of the Punjabi language, who is equally loved on both sides of the India–Pakistan border. She is best remembered for her poignant poem, Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu (Today I invoke Waris Shah – "Ode to Waris Shah"), an elegy to the 18th-century Punjabi poet, an expression of her anguish over massacres during the partition of India. As a novelist, her most noted work was Pinjar ("The Skeleton", 1950), in which she created her memorable character, Puro, an epitome of violence against women, loss of humanity and ultimate surrender to existential fate; the novel was made into an award-winning film, Pinjar (2003).
Plot - Speaking of 'The Skeleton', it focuses on the abduction of a Hindu girl, named Pooro by a Muslim man, Rashida owing to lineal wrangle. Even though she escapes from Rashida's captivity, her own parents repudiate her and she has no other option but to come back. Pooro's plight is delineated so splendidly that a reader can't resist submerging into emotions. The predicament of women, their objectification and appropriation as if they were fields or a piece of land to cast vengeance or personal vendetta pestered me so much that I couldn't halt myself from reading it at one go.
Characters - The irreversible mutation of Pooro's character to Hamida is commendable. Apart from her, I really adore Rashida's character who leaves no stone unturned in placating Pooro and redeeming himself by the end.
Favourite Quote - "Whether it's a hindu girl or a muslim one, whoever reaches her destination, she carries along my soul also." (Scene -A police constable said, "All Indians going to India, come this side, The bus is ready!" Her brother on their first and last reunion, told her that is her only chance to...)
About the author - Amrita Pritam is considered the first prominent female Punjabi poet, novelist, essayist and the leading 20th-century poet of the Punjabi language, who is equally loved on both sides of the India–Pakistan border. She is best remembered for her poignant poem, Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu (Today I invoke Waris Shah – "Ode to Waris Shah"), an elegy to the 18th-century Punjabi poet, an expression of her anguish over massacres during the partition of India. As a novelist, her most noted work was Pinjar ("The Skeleton", 1950), in which she created her memorable character, Puro, an epitome of violence against women, loss of humanity and ultimate surrender to existential fate; the novel was made into an award-winning film, Pinjar (2003).
October 14, 2021
1. Stockholm syndrome but in pre-independence India.
2. Blame game got me f"ckd up.
2. Blame game got me f"ckd up.
August 29, 2020
"In her dreams, when she met her old friends and played in her parents’ home, everyone still called her Pooro. At other times she was Hamida. It was a double life: Hamida by day, Pooro by night. In reality, she was neither one nor the other, she was just a skeleton, without a shape or a name."
Pinjar( English meaning- the skeleton) is based on a girl named Pooro, whose fate was not decided by her but by others. The story is based during the time of partition of India, in a village where Muslims and Hindus lived together.
She is abducted just before her marriage, by a muslim guy named Rashida. He tells her about an old conflict going on between his family and her family which resulted in bringing defame to his family thus he had to abduct her and marry her to bring the old equation to an equal point.
She was held captive for days so that she would choose to live as Rashida's wife. As the scenario is based in old times, the untouchability between Hindus and Muslims is pretty high. She escapes successfully from Rashida but her family doesn't accept her so she has to go back to him and they get married, even her hindu name is changed to Hamida.
Months later, she is pregnant but isn't happy about it as she still has no emotion for her husband or her family who ditched her even when they had the opportunity to save her.
The circumstances lead her isolate herself from the world but the trauma she is going through teaches her lessons that are worthy for her whole life.
The helpless of a woman against the society is well portraited even how a woman is materialized. It's beautiful the way the words are flowing through out the book, I wonder if I loved this translated work then how beautiful is the original work.
The punjabi vibes going on in the book is amazing. I will surely suggest to check out this book.
Pinjar( English meaning- the skeleton) is based on a girl named Pooro, whose fate was not decided by her but by others. The story is based during the time of partition of India, in a village where Muslims and Hindus lived together.
She is abducted just before her marriage, by a muslim guy named Rashida. He tells her about an old conflict going on between his family and her family which resulted in bringing defame to his family thus he had to abduct her and marry her to bring the old equation to an equal point.
She was held captive for days so that she would choose to live as Rashida's wife. As the scenario is based in old times, the untouchability between Hindus and Muslims is pretty high. She escapes successfully from Rashida but her family doesn't accept her so she has to go back to him and they get married, even her hindu name is changed to Hamida.
Months later, she is pregnant but isn't happy about it as she still has no emotion for her husband or her family who ditched her even when they had the opportunity to save her.
The circumstances lead her isolate herself from the world but the trauma she is going through teaches her lessons that are worthy for her whole life.
The helpless of a woman against the society is well portraited even how a woman is materialized. It's beautiful the way the words are flowing through out the book, I wonder if I loved this translated work then how beautiful is the original work.
The punjabi vibes going on in the book is amazing. I will surely suggest to check out this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 11, 2024Very poignant read of the times. It's amazing how so much has been packed into a short story. The emotions are varied. The issues dealt with are pertinent even today. How things reman the same (internally) yet so much has changed (externally).
September 11, 2012
Two novels, Pinjar and That Man, both written by Amrita Pritam and translated by Khushwant Singh. Pinjar, an amazing chronicle of life and times during the India-Pakistan partition, has since been made into a movie par excellence. "That Man" captures the inner workings of a man, whose parents sacrificed him to the local place of worship, to serve God. Excellent books! Too bad I could not enjoy them in Punjabi (thus, only four stars!). The translation into English is very clinical and unaffected. I certainly expected a better job from Mr. Singh.
October 12, 2015
Amrita Pritan has been done a disservice. Khushwant Singh apparently decided to phone in the translation over the course of an afternoon. While Pinjar is still readable and compelling in this translation because of the strength of the original piece, the translation is awful. Also, what editor decided to pair Pinjar with Yaatri, some godawful story about a Stranger-esque character and his existential meanderings through life. Regardless, Pinjar is a must read, and this is the best translation available in English, so this is what we get. Skip Yaatri.
November 15, 2018
To say that this is an exceptional story is an understatement. Amrita Pritam gets straight to the point and doesn't beat around the bush. She paints a bleak yet realistic picture of what it was to be a women in 1940s India; especially during partition. All one could do is sigh while reading it. It is not easy to read. The characters are suffering beyond imagination. However, it ends with hope. The ending is bitter sweet; but perfect. The story also exposes the Hypocrisy of religious fundamentalism. This will always be one of my favorites.
May 14, 2011
I really enjoyed "The Skeleton" but not "That Man." "The Skeleton" was a story of abduction but the strength to overcome it and accept it when nothing could be done about it. "That Man" I didn't really follow, but I did know that the central male character had mommy issues and liked to smoke a lot of weed. Not as moving as "The Skeleton" and not nearly as poetic.
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