Contextualising Partition and Post-Independence Politics in Chaman Nahal’s Azadi

Abstract

This paper discusses the historical pre- and post-partition riots during the period of independence as well as the predicament faced by Lala Kanshi Ram and other Hindu families during their convoy ride from Pakistan to India and their subsequent settling in Delhi after arriving in India in Chaman Nahal’s Azadi. It is the tale of a whole country, of millions who had to flee their homes and to whom Azadi only brings unimaginable suffering and an uncertain future. The division, which resulted from the goals and objectives of political groups, exposes the suffering of the populace. The experience is demonstrated while the migrants are leaving Sialkot for the convoy’s first camp and often glance back at the city’s streets. Nahal was unable to express his opinions about individuals and historical issues in the novel, but Azadi opposes the two-nation doctrine despite not commenting on history because he was also a victim of partition.