Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh

The first book by Khushwant Singh that I remember reading was a collection of jokes. I was about 14-15 then and there was one joke which I still remember: 

Q: What is the definition of table tennis in Hindi?

A: Batti ke neeche...takht ke oopar...idhar se thaka-thak,udhar se thaka-thak.

Since then I have read his autobiography and 'Death at my Doorstep', a collection of obituaries written by him. The last obituary in the book is of the author himself, maybe he does not trust anyone else to do justice to it. Or maybe he wants to have the last word on himself. The obituaries are written in his natural style. There is no glorification, he states it as he saw it, perhaps, with a little malice as he was wont to do.

Train to Pakistan is set at the time of the partition of India, into India and Pakistan. At the start of the story he places the reader in an almost non-existent village with no more than three brick structures and a railway station. But, it is clear that the village is on the brink of losing its sleepy status when the author informs - Of the many slow passenger trains, only two, one from Delhi to Lahore in the mornings and the other from Lahore to Delhi in the evenings, are scheduled to stop for a few minutes.

The story does not address the political or social aspect of it. It is about some of those people who knew least about the goings-on but were probably affected the most. And that is why it strikes a chord. The story is written in his threadbare style. He writes without bias, without taking sides and without passing judgement. He plays the role of the commentator and leaves the reader to judge and opine. He paints graphic images, without any inhibitions, that made me cringe and shudder and vow not to read it before bed. 

Train to Pakistan was Khushwant Singh's third novel, and it makes it clear that the man never did hold back. His ability to express himself without reservation was not acquired with fame and experience, he was born with it.