Raisa Nighat spent her childhood in Delhi and Agra and her story resonates with remembrance of the two cities before Partition.
She was eleven years old at the time of Partition and vividly recalls the pain and loss of the experience, and the journey across the border.
Although born in Agra, Raisa Nig
hat lived mostly in Delhi. She reminisced about returning to Agra for vacations with her family, picnics by the Taj Mahal, and the musical tradition in the family. Raisa Nighat herself was also trained in the classical Hindustani style and hummed a few tunes for the team during the interview. She is in her eighties now, but her command over the ragdefies her age.
When the partition was announced in 1947, Delhi became ridden with violence and bloodshed. Raisa Nighat was a child at the time and witnessed the chaos that ensued from her family home in Old Delhi, near Turkman Gate. Uproar spread and daily-life was disrupted. The women and girls were given instructions to jump i
nto the well should the house ever be attacked. Fortunately, they never had to.
They managed to escape. Raisa Nighat’s brothers had connections in the army and they arranged for an army truck to escort the family to safety. However, upon its
arrival, chaos broke out as the entire neighbourhood’s womenfolk began to fill i
nto the truck. Before anyone could do anything about it, the truck was full and on its way. Amidst all the confusion, Raisa Nigat’s brothers could not climb o
nto the truck, and were left behind. Under strict instructions to remain silent, Raisa Nighat’s mother had to hold in her cries for her sons.
Although after depositing the women to safety the truck was supposed to return for the brothers,circumstances prevented this from happening.
Completely unaware of where they were headed, the women in the truck ha
d been unable to take any belongings with them.
After a long journey, theyfinally
arrived at the Old Fort in Delhi, which was functioning as a makeshift refugee camp at the time. Raisa Nighat recalled the suffering, destitution, disease and hunger at the site. Here, with a stroke of luck, she found her broth
ers. They had all survived. Raisa Nighat and the women also learnt that they had narrowly escaped a night of of terrible bloodshed and violence which broke out shortly after their departure the day they fled.
From the fort, the family was able to visit their home briefly, only to find it plundered. However, their troubles did not end here. They still had to make the journey to Pakistan.
Published in Daily Times, June 24th, 2017.
