Jan 22, 2009




She stood on the wall of the well

Looked deep down to find the silent waters

There came all the memories to her recall

Back came the days of those slaughters



She was being forced by her father to get drowned

And she did not want to suicide

But what else could the man has done

    It was a matter of the man’s pride

For she was being left alone by the family

And they were going too far

Her little brother was mourning too

How that innocent would know it was a war

When India and Pakistan were made apart

Families faced condition so miserable

All came to kill each other

Be it Hindus, be it Muslims

The girls had to die

For they had no other choice


She didn’t want to suicide

But did she have any voice?

The young girl suddenly got down and ran

To find a place to hide

Her brother calling her not to go

He was also crushed in the tide

All of them gone, no Hindu left

Her family also disappeared

And there came some Muslims

They saw her shivering with fear

There was a good one among them

Who saved her and married

And she was forced to get converted

Quran in her closet since, she always carried


And there comes the day again

She is standing on the same wall

For the previous time it was her father

This time it was son’s call

The merciful day came when she saw her brother again

But they were no more her family

Now she was Hindu no more

She now has a son who listens to her barely

He calls himself a “Jehadi” now

And hates the so called blasphemous

He also became doubtful of her

Asked “whether you are still one of us”

What could have she replied

She, herself didn’t know

Molded herself to time

But it was her time to go


She stood on the wall of the well

And looked deep down to find the silent waters

There came all the memories to her recall

Back came the days of those slaughters


This time she made up her mind

She had come here after all the prayers

Be it Quran, be it Jap Sahib

She read it all with taught flairs

This time she came prepared

She could not have taken any more

And “splash” she went down

‘Coz she was broken from the core

The only doubt she had in mind

Before this quirk …

Which place will she be going?

The Muslims’ Jannat or Hindus’ Swarg!


(Inspired By a Pakistani Movie: Khamosh Pani, The Silent Waters)


P.S.: If you get a chance don't miss this movie..you will get another perspective of how the females are treated in this part of the world...they are always forced to adopt what thier parents, husbands and sons choose for them. It was a heart melting time when I wrote this since my Grandparents have been through all this during the partition. My Grand mother had to stay inside a heap of agricultural waste with a child of 3 years  for more than a week to get out with safely. She was pregnant that time.

Crossposted @ Writers' Lounge

2 comments:

jack said...

hey naveen too long i must say, got lost in between :), but it was neatly done in the end, well will surely watch the movie

Navchawla said...

ooh yes jack..i also realized that its long only after i made it...but then i thought this is a kinda narration of the whole story..if i edit or omit, the juice would be take out from the fruit...let's have water melon this time instead of lemons!!!