Belles- Lettres

The effect of India-Pakistan Partition on relationships between two communities is addressed in the story ‘Roots’ written by Ismat Chughtai. The title of the short story depicts the strong roots of an old woman who is unable to uproot herself from the land where all her memories of home lie.            Utilising powerful and figurative language, the author has successfully conveyed the seriousness and the impact of the problems that had emerged. Down below are some of the impactful sentences from the story: “India was operated upon with such clumsy hands and blunt knives that thousands of arteries were left open. Rivers of blood flowed, and no one had the strength left to stitch the wounds.” These sentences point out the intricacy of the Partition. ‘Clumsy hands and blunt knives’ refers to the Britishers who exploited India and left many damages. The authentic goods and properties of the nation were stolen and thousands of people lost their lives as the Bri...

The roots is a short story written by Ismat Chugtai which vividly elaborates the impact of partition on interpersonal relationships and the idea of homeland. This is one of the stories that touches the readers heart with the mastery of soul stirring language.  According to me, these are the five most profound sentences that captured the essence of the story.  1. The wretched urchins did not realize that the English had left and, while leaving, had inflicted such a deadly wound that would fester for years to come.  – This is the sentence in the opening paragraph which is the focal point of the story. Metaphor is used as the children are referred to as wretched urchins here. It says that when English left India, they had inflicted a deadly wound, which is the partition that resulted in aggressive communal riots and disharmony and it’s effect would continue to be a curse for our country.  2. India was operated upon such clumsy hands and blunt knives that thousands of ar...