This was the time when I was studying at the famous Gordon College of Rawalpindi. What days those were, what carefree times. After classes, we friends would sometimes sit at Zam Zam Café on College Road behind Gordon College, and sometimes wander during long summer evenings. Near College Road is Alam Khan Road, also called Bird Street, where colourful bird shops line both sides of the road. Many people buy these birds and set them free. In a way, this is an expression of gratitude for the fulfilment of a vow. On the left side of this road stands a building, a majestic structure with prominent woodwork. Among its residents at one time were Balraj Sahni and Bhisham Sahni. Balraj cast his spell in acting, and Bhisham in literature.
Bhisham Sahni was two years younger than his brother Balraj Sahni. He remained frail since childhood and often stayed home from school. This gave him more time with his mother. While doing household work, she would often hum songs. Bhisham remembers these songs as steeped in deep sadness. At that time, he did not know the reason for this sorrow. He had two sisters and two brothers, but later he learned that he had three elder sisters who had passed away. This was the reason for the sadness in his mother’s songs. Their ancestors had come to Rawalpindi from Bhera. Even today, there is a Sahni quarter in Bhera.
On 8 August 1915, Bhisham was born into this family. This Sahni boy rose to fame as a short story writer, novelist, playwright, translator, teacher, actor, and director. From the beginning, Bhisham was influenced by his elder brother Balraj. Balraj was his role model, possessing a creative mind and independent thought. Both brothers went to school together and spent most of their time together. Bhisham was fond of playing hockey. Most players on his team were Muslims. In Rawalpindi lived Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians. The area around Bhisham’s house had a Muslim majority. He recalls his mother talking at length with her Muslim neighbour across the wall.
Bhisham must have been eleven or twelve when Hindu–Muslim riots broke out in Rawalpindi, and the grain market was set on fire. Smoke from the flames spread far and wide. It was summer. In Punjab, people sleep on rooftops during summer nights. From his rooftop, Bhisham could clearly see the flames and smoke. The scene of that day stayed with him for life.
He never felt alienation among Muslim friends. He remembers that when Ramadan arrived, a beggar would come through the street, loudly waking people for sehri. Bhisham too would ring a bell to wake people. When school ended, Balraj went to Lahore for further studies and earned an MA in English from Government College Lahore. Following him, Bhisham also reached Government College and obtained an MA in English. He had an early passion for writing. His first story, Aabla, was published when he was in the tenth grade. His writings were also published in Ravi, the college magazine. In Lahore, along with literary taste, his political awareness also matured.
Bhisham also assisted his father in the family business, which involved frequent travel to various cities. He stayed away for days, but returning to Rawalpindi felt as if all fatigue vanished. His parents, siblings, wife, and children awaited him
After his MA, he returned to Rawalpindi and helped in his father’s business. Once, while travelling on a train from Allahabad to Delhi, he thought of getting off at Kanpur to finish some work and then go on to Delhi. He did not know he could continue on the same ticket. When the train stopped at Kanpur, Bhisham got down to ask the clerk. While waiting in line, a white army officer came from behind, a pistol hanging from his belt. He pushed Bhisham aside and went ahead. Bhisham protested. The officer grabbed him by the neck and shoved him, and he fell some distance away. When Bhisham reached the counter again, the clerk, instead of supporting him, complained that he had angered the sahib.
That day, Bhisham felt intensely what the relationship between ruler and subject meant. To end this era of slavery, he joined the freedom movement and actively participated in the Quit India Movement. He was arrested in 1942 for his political activities. This was the time of the Second World War. Every conscious person in India was part of the freedom struggle.
Bhisham also assisted his father in the family business, which involved frequent travel to various cities. He stayed away for days, but returning to Rawalpindi felt as if all fatigue vanished. His parents, siblings, wife, and children awaited him.
The freedom movement intensified. The British Raj began to falter. Finally, the day came when the British decided to leave India. Partition was to be announced on 14 August, but riots had already begun in Rawalpindi. Bhisham was part of the relief teams helping victims. Then came 13 August. Bhisham and his father were alone in the Rawalpindi house. Balraj was in Bombay, and Bhisham’s mother, wife, and daughter were in Srinagar.
Bhisham wished to go to Delhi to see the celebrations. His father permitted him. Bhisham left home, intending to return. He did not know he would never return. At Meerut station, he learned that trains had stopped. Routes were closed. He was in Meerut, his mother and wife in Srinagar, his father in Rawalpindi, and Balraj in Bombay. Sitting at the station, he thought about how unreliable life is. We dream many dreams, but not all are fulfilled. Watching people rush home, he deeply missed his own home.
In solitude, he would return in imagination to Rawalpindi, looking into every room of his house, filled with sadness
Sitting at Meerut station, Bhisham thought about how everything had scattered. Transport had stopped. He had no news of his father. He sent telegrams and letters, but there was silence. He went to Bombay, where Balraj was. Balraj hoped that conditions would normalise and all would return to Rawalpindi. Their father said governments may change, but he would not leave Rawalpindi. He had built the house with love. Many memories were attached to it.
Days passed, and hope faded. Life never stops. Bombay became Bhisham’s new home. Balraj was associated with theatre and was an active member of the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). Bhisham also joined IPTA. For him, theatre was not mere entertainment but a means to highlight social issues.
Having passed his MA from Government College Lahore, he enrolled for a PhD at Punjab University, Chandigarh. Bhisham’s story, Bhoot Gari, was adapted into a play by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. Gradually, he moved from writing to acting and directing. IPTA brought him closer to leftist thought. He wished to serve the poor.
He left Bombay and went to Punjab, teaching at Ambala College, then Khalsa School. Alongside teaching, he organised the Punjab College Teachers’ Union. In 1952, he returned to Delhi College. A new phase opened when he worked as a translator in Moscow, translating Tolstoy’s stories and later Resurrection. This was his best period. Returning, he edited Nai Kahaniyan from 1965 to 1967.
In 1973, Balraj Sahni passed away. This was a great tragedy. Balraj was not only his brother but his friend and mentor. In solitude, Bhisham recalled Partition, the riots, Rawalpindi, the house with balconies, the streets, the lost friends. He had seen violence closely. Many died, many were crippled, many were displaced, many disappeared.
Haunted by these images, he decided to write a novel. In 1974, his masterpiece Tamas appeared and won the Sahitya Akademi Award. It begins in Rawalpindi. Tamas gained wide popularity and was translated into many languages. It was also adapted for television. His story, Amritsar Aa Gaya Hai, is another lasting Partition narrative.
Ten collections of stories were published. He wrote six novels, including Tamas, Jharokhe, Basti, Kadiyan, Mayadas Ki Mari, Kintu, and Neeloo, Neelma, Neelofar. He wrote film screenplays, including Kasba (1991), and acted in films. His first was Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho (1984), his last Mrs Iyer (2002).
Bhisham wrote in almost every genre. He wrote Balraj Sahni: My Brother and his autobiography, translated as Today’s Past. He lived a full life, leaving behind rich, creative work. Despite many storms, his personality was calm and gentle. Though successful, there was a void. In solitude, he would return in imagination to Rawalpindi, looking into every room of his house, filled with sadness. He wished to return once, but could not. In 2003, Bhisham passed away at the age of 87.
I left Rawalpindi long ago. Yet whenever I return in memory, I go to Gordon College on College Road and then to Alam Khan Road, where a house still stands, its gate draped with bougainvillaea, its worn threshold still waiting for Balraj and Bhisham, who left and never returned.