V.K. Jotwani, M.D.
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My only advice is that the youth should realize the plight of the older parents and do something for them and should not ignore them. Young people will also become old and face the same problems. If we ignore our parents our children are likely t
o ignore us.
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Interview conducted by: Vishwa Chandra on 18 July 1997 at 12:30 pm (IDT)
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Q:
Today I am going to interview Dr. Jotwani, an eminent New Delhi Physician.
Good evening Dr. Jotwani.
Dr. Jotwani has kindly agreed to tell us about how he came from Pakistan, what is now Pakistan and about how different life was then.
Dr. Jotwani, in the beginning, could you give us an idea of your life before independence?
A:
I was born in Rohni town in Sindh which is now a part of
Pakistan. Up to 1946 we had a comfortable life in cities and
bigger towns. The two main communities were the Hindus and
Muslims. We were under the British rule then. Though we had
some problems during World War-II i.e. 1939 - 1945 but it was not
that bad. Off and on we used to have communal riots between
Hindus & Muslims but they were generally confined to smaller
towns. The rift between the two communities was basically due to
the British policy of Divide and Rule.
Those were the days we had the Joint Family System. Everyone
whether of Hindu or Muslim lived in the same house. There were
6-7-8 or more family members living in the same house.
I come from a richer family. There was poverty in Pakistan but
there was a lot of consideration for the poor by the rich who
helped them in one or another form. I do not think that there
was any disharmony on that account between rich and poor. There
was no such thing as murders or terrorism what you find today.
At the most there were small theft and robberies in smaller
towns.
During my days, i.e. 1935 onwards there was agitation against
the British rule which some time became violent but by and large
under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi it was more or less non-
violent.
Then came 1947, Britishers started thinking of handing over power
to Indians but as per their divide and Rule policy between the
two communities i.e. Hindus & Muslims that culminated into a sort
of a war between two communities. Muslims wanted to be under the
rule of Muslims and with Jinha's leadership wanted a separate
chunk of India. India was divided into India and Pakistan.
Basically it was a Divide and Rule Policy by Britishers which
culminated in the partition of India. There have never been good
relations between the two since then. In pre partition days our
joint family system functioned very well. The head of the family
was the father or the grand-father and he was the whole sole of
the family. There was no such thing as rich/poor brother.
Whatever one earned was put in a common kitty and shared by all
the family members. This is how the life was before partition of
India.
Q:
After partition then what happened Dr. Jotwani?
A:
After partition we Sindi Hindus and Punjabi Hindus and Sikhs from
West Punjab had to leave our houses penniless and in the whole
process almost a million must have died on both sides of the
border. The richest became the poorest. It was a terrible and
pathetic situation. Suddenly from a comfortable life they became
penniless. Many of us who did not have any source of income came
and lived in tents in camps set up by the government of India.
The Government of India and other social organizations helped a
lot but the problem was insurmountable - lots or refugee camps
were set up in places like Punjab, Bombay, Rajasthan and right up
to Madhya Pradesh. We had never heard or seen such a migration
before.
What is happening today in Bosnia and Palestine is very minor
compared to what happened at that time because in Bosnia only a
few millions of people are involved but in 1947 over 20 million
people were displaced. Muslims going from India to Pakistan and
Hindus coming from Pakistan to India. All the roads and trains
were chocked.
Personally my family hired a special Dekota from Bombay which
could carry only 21 people. Thus we sent our children and elders
to India along with some of our women folks. The rest including
me and my sisters traveled in terrible conditions to Karachi by
train and then onwards a cargo ship to Bombay. There was no food
or water for the thousands of people. In India we took a train
from Rajkot to Bombay and finally reached Nagpur where my brother
had settled.
Q:
After reaching India then what did you do?
A:
In 1947 there were riots all over. I remember my uncles' whole
family was butchered at Lahore railway station and only one young
boy survived. My own sister's son was knifed and left for the
dead but luckily he survived. Such stories are many. How in the
name of religion such atrocities were committed it is
unimaginable. Reading about them is one thing but what we
actually saw is totally unimaginable.
I would say that religious leaders and politicians who for their
own glory created such chaos. I feel that they were responsible
for the slaughter of human beings.
Slowly people recovered from the shock and tried to rehabilitate
themselves in the best way they could.
Immediately after partition I did not loose a single minute and
started working even without pay. I was the medical officer for
the refugee camp and saw how the people were huddled together in
huge army barracks. A lot of unpleasant things happened.
Q:
What is your opinion was the greatest loss to us as human
beings due to partition?
A:
Well, the greatest tragedy was the complete failure of joint
family system. Brothers and sisters were separated and there
were no big houses to accommodate all the member of the family.
Every one went in search of jobs or business in different
directors of towns and cities. For survival, one had to work and
earn money. Money became the main motive - ethics and culture
were forgotten - joint families system naturally broke down.
Respect and consideration for elders was of lesser consideration.
Everyone, everybody was on his own. Distrust between the two
main communities grew and still today after 50 years it is
prevalent.
Q:
Do you have any advice for the youth of today?
A:
Today the way elders are neglected is beyond our imagination. In
a poor country like India we do not have any nursing homes or
senior citizen homes like in USA. Without any help the elders
are leading a lonely life even the rich are feeling lonely -
widows or widowers- and just waiting to die peacefully.
These days the people who saw wonderful days are having a tough
time in the evening of their life. My only advice is that the
youth should realize the plight of the older parents and do
something for them and should not ignore them. Young people will
also become old and face the same problems. If we ignore our
parents our children are likely to ignore us.
THANK YOU DR. JOTWANI.
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