Page 48 - DENG503_INDIAN_WRITINGS_IN_LITERATURE

Indian Writings in Literature

Notes For to look for words of any other kind would be to give them meaning, and that is a risk we
cannot take any more than we can afford to listen to madness.” Such an approach can at best be
described as wishing away the realities. But the hard fact is that realities do not go away simply
because you close your eyes to it. The riots that are not discussed or causative factors sorted out
would not bring one to reality and equip one to face the menace and stop its recurrence. It shows
the lack of courage to take up the situation.

The Shadow Lines has also thrown some light on the riots, their nature and brutalities.
The riots erupt due to the impulsive and rash action caused by provocation, more easily
in those superfluous religious enthusiasts and self appointed champions who lose no
time in fanning hatred and subversive activities.

The state is not free from the blame because it does nothing to restrict them or discourage them.
Very often the existence of the Government depends upon them. Speaking or taking a stand
against them means losing the popular votes for they do command those particular sections
whose wrath may turn the tide against them.
The shadow lines is a continuous struggle of the author to undo the demarcations to prevent the
establishment of the borders. And to reinforce his ideology, he has even gone to the extent that
nationalism is a defunct force. Nationalism has been under attack in the novel, which is perceived
as a hurdle in the unification of mankind. Tha’ mma initially is projected as a great enthusiast of
the concept of the nation and nationalism, the one who would not mind holding a pistol and
killing for freedom. She believes in strength and opines that without building a good body first,
one cannot build a strong nation, and similar other views. Her nationalism is broad enough to
include the two nations and the line drawn as border between her native place in Dhaka and her
present stay at Calcutta disturbs her. She stills grows nostalgic about her home in Dhaka. After the
border between the two countries was demarcated, she believes that it separates. She believed that
there would be trenches or soldiers pointing guns at each other. That the two would be distinct
identities but to her dismay she finds otherwise and that is the reason she laments: Why all this
killing, so much of blood shed if there was nothing to demarcate. It would be the same when we
used to take a train from Dhaka and reach Calcutta. After the cruel killing of Tridib and the old
man on the street of Dhaka her nationalism shrinks. It comes to denote India now. She tells her
grandson that they must treat them now with guns and bullets and gifts away her only necklace
to the war fund. She grows fanatical to the extent of donating a few drops of blood that drip when
she bangs her fist on the radio. But the million–dollar question, which is best explained by Roby
outside in London, is how many lines can be drawn. Everywhere they are doing it to be free —in
Assam, the northeast, Punjab, Sri Lanka, Tripura. People are shot by terrorists and separatists and
the army and the police. ‘You will find somewhere behind it all that single word; every one is
doing it to be free.’ says he. He also remembers an incident when he would tell his policemen to
be firm and kill whole villages if necessary to track down the terrorists for they should be willing
to pay a price of their unity and freedom and on his return he would find a note saying ‘ we are
going to get you, nothing personal, we have to kill you for our freedom’. Roby sums this up by
saying: “why don’t they draw thousands of little lines through the whole sub continent and give
every free place a new name?” ‘What would it change? It is a mirage, the whole of this is a mirage.’
Even after hundreds of lines are drawn peace will not prevail. It will only lead to greater distrust

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