Train To Pakistan- Review

Train To Pakistan, written by Khushwant Singh was published in the year 1956. Since then it has been one of the most talked about novels written on the partition of India. It is a fiction story which talks about the loss of life and other horrors that people had to face on either sides of the border. 

The story is set up in a small town called Mano Majra. There are several characters, all of them introduced in elaborate details but many of them absurdly left somewhere in between the story. Through his characters representation has been given to all the major communities. Khushwant Singh has portrayed the life of common people, of governmental officials, religious priests, police highlighting their differing view on partition. The author has made an effort to show how partition affected the lives of people coming from different backgrounds.

There is a lot of detailing about each and every thing in the novel however on completing the novel one realizes there isn't much to the storyline. At one point in the novel he has dedicated several pages in describing the night and then additional pages in narrating the morning view. None of which had any relevance to the main storyline. Too much detailing about everything made the novel a rather tiresome read. Many plots introduced with great mystery didn't really had any purpose, like that of Meet Singh or the dacoits. 

I have read Absolute Khushwant which is considered as the partial autobiography of Khushwant Singh. It was a good read and if you are picking up this novel with the same expectations then it will be a disappointment. One must read this novel because of the popularity it holds however, for a good fiction story or for an account of partition it is not the best recommendation.