A perilous journey (From Asian Image)

A perilous journey

10:42am Monday 13th August 2007 in News features By Asian Image reporter

Abdul Piracha was aged 21 in 1947 and in Delhi and Bombay.

Between 1943 and 1947 Abdul was at the centre of the political environment as a student at the Muslim University of Alighar.

"During the months of July and August my assignment was to go to Bombay and find out what was going on at grassroots level in the city.

"However as the situation deteriorated my close friend (a Hindu) told me to leave the city for my own safety.

"My parents at the time were in what is now Pakistan.

The journey back however was very dangerous. The train to Lahore was via Jodhpur to Hyderabad. There were many killings going on. So I put on my Gandhi cap and sat amongst the Hindus. On my way the train was stopped and I got asked if I was a Hindu? I simply pointed at my cap. Luckily I survived.

"The whole journey lasted two days.

When the boundaries were finally approved it turned out my mum and sisters' children were in Gurdaspur (near Amritsar).

"I decided to go back and look for them. I found them and on the way back the convoy was stopped. Shooting started but luckily we survived.