Broken Pakistani Heart

TIME Magazine: the bloody, violent Partition of India. October 27, 1947

"Broken Pakistani Heart" is the first story in Urdustan (get a copy!).

I am Indian, and I am Muslim. When I was a little girl, I went through a phase when I thought we were Hindu. Why? Because being surrounded by Indians most of whom were Hindu, I assumed we were Hindu. We looked the same, we dressed the same, we ate the same food, we listened to the same music and watched the same movies,  we all obsessed over Aamir Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Jackoe Shroff, Kajol, Juhi Chawla, the Big B, Rekha, Sanjay Dutt. Being a deaf child, no one ever told me anything. Everyone ignored me, so I didn't receive any information and didn't "hear" anything. Looking around me, I perceived things through my eyesight. So, I assumed we were all the same because we looked the same.

Then as I got older, I found out we were Muslim, and not Hindu! Being young and clueless and ignorant, I was very baffled by this. How were Muslims and Hindus any different? What exactly was this "religion" thing? Try explaining that to a little deaf child who was ignored by everyone and rarely explained to by adults, so I thought everyone were either white, black, or brown. There was even a time when I thought we were Mexican when we lived in Texas, because we were surrounded by Chicanos (Mexican Americans).

As a pre-teenager, I became aware of Pakistan and Pakistani people. Again, as a deaf child who was rarely talked to and informed by adults, I thought all South Asians came from the same nation. So, I found out that Pakistan and Bangladesh were two seperate nations from India. There are hundreds and hundreds of different languages, different religions, castes, ethnic groups, regional communities, traditions and customs all around the Indian subcontinent. We all come from different nations but we share the same land and history. One of my best friends (during my pre-teen years) was a Pathan girl from Peshawar, Pakistan. So we wore the same clothes and ate the same food and gossiped about Bollywood stars, but she was from Pakistan and I from India.

During my time as a student in high school, the 2002 Gujarat train massacre happened, which resulted in communal violence and riots. These affected both Hindus and Muslims. A lot of people were murdered, raped, and even set on fire. This caused very serious tension between Indian Hindus and Indian Muslims, both in India and overseas. It was something that we didn't like to talk about but none of us could ignore it. 

Through-out high school, there were a few instances when I was told by Pakistani people that I was not a "real Muslim" because I was from India. And then there were Indian Hindus who told me I wasn't a "real Indian" because I was Muslim and not Hindu. I was even called a traitor at least once or twice!

North Indians and Pakistanis pretty much share the same history, culture, food, languages, customs, traditions, etc... with a few differences here and there. For thousands of years, Pakistan, along with Bangladesh, was part of India until the 1947 Partition. For thousands of years, Pakistanis were called "Indian." For thousands of years, Muslims in the Indian subcontinent shared the same culture and food and traditions and customs, with some differences here and there in various regions. North Indian Muslims and Pakistanis are the same people. We are all brothers and sisters, one large community.

"Broken Pakistani Heart" is inspired by a real-life incident in which an Indian Muslim woman was dumped by a Pakistani man because she was not Pakistani. The Indian woman's sister decides to seek revenge on the Pakistani family. Aaaannndd...

Sorry, I don't wish to divulge in any more details in fear of ruining any spoilers for ya. 

Please buy a copy of Urdustan and find out for yourself.

NEXT WEEK: "Leon, Her Hasidic Jewish Friend" (second story in Urdustan)