I also remember there were similar expectations of women from the Sikh & Muslim
communities during partition in 1947 whereby the women were expected to kill
themselves & their children in any way they can if their men did not survive an
onslaught 'from the other side'.
Some found themselves having to throw themselves in the wells, some had to
ask their elder sons to chop off their heads or else fall victim to the other
side, being raped or similar worse fates that may befall them.
It was thought kinder to kill their mums, sisters and wives and their
children if they were to be overwhelmed by the attackers, be they from one
religion or the other, it mattered not, death was preferable to anything that
may happen to them afterwards.
There were issues (and still exist today) because the Punjab was 'divided'
between the newly formed Pakistan & India, or lay between two countries,
therefore it became an impossibity for many to make this arduous move, elderly,
sick, physically & mentally challenged people, the young, pregnant women etc
were finding it difficult, impossible in fact, many died on the roads, from
lack of food, medicine & of course from conflicts between THREE religions that
bumped into each other during their travails, in the day and during the nights.
It seems any death is preferable, no matter how its perpetrated or by whom,
is welcomed rather than be in the hands of the 'enemy", and after all this, in
the name of politics, to partition India into two separate countries (three
originally if you take East Pakistan into account, aka Bangladesh) & all this
because religion was brought together with politics.
It brought about the deaths of a million Indians during partition when
hundreds of thousands of people were herded hundreds of miles along roads,
HINDUS, SIKHS, MUSLIMS, all brothers and sisters, in the name of religion.
Fatal when combined with money & politics! Death appears to be compulsory if
you dont fit in.
John Monteiro
04.12.07......15.40hrs (UK)
