As told by Auntie Nirmla Daswani
Transcribed by Sunita Jiandani
This is the sequel to Nirmla's story about life before and after the Partition. It is continued from the May 2017 edition of Sindhi Khabri.
My family and my mother's sister's family left Sindh just before the actual Partition in August 1947. We left everything behind except just a few clothes and some money wrapped up in them. Initially, life was very challenging. We reached Baroda and had to share a house with another family — there were already nine in our family and the other family had about six members, so it was a very crowded house indeed! It was a long time before we could have the house to ourselves. But the owner of our building was a very kind old Muslim man who was concerned for us and would often ask after us.
They had a ration card system back then, so from eating freely in the Sindh, our food was now rationed to us. What we received was less than appealing, but what choice did we have? We had to take what we were given. Life changed so much from the comfortable life in Sindh to life in our new house. Soon, my two brothers had to leave for Ghana to provide for us, so they were no longer around.
The Indian government provided assistance to some Sindhis, so my elder brother put in for papers with the government to get a home in Baroda. After much effort, we were granted a home left by some Muslims (who must have gone to Pakistan), but since my father lost the paperwork for the house, we weren't able to move there.
My brother tried again and we were granted a couple of smaller houses, one in Hyderabad and another in another city. We put those up for rent as they were so far away. However, the poor elderly Sindhi gentleman who rented those houses came to my mom, saying he was desperate with many daughters to take care of, asking to buy our properties. He was so earnest, even putting his hat at Mom's feet. And my kind-hearted mother succumbed and sold the houses to him for a much lower cost than they were worth.
The other family we lived with were able to find other accommodations. Soon after they left, our Masi (mother's sister) and her family came to live with us. It was great having them nearby as they were of tremendous support to us. We lived off the money my father had brought from Sindh and lived better than some others as a result, but still finances were tight. So eventually my other brother and my cousin went to Hong Kong to work, leaving my parents, sisters, and me alone. My father was unwell at the time and he passed away when I was just 19 or 20, to our great sorrow after we had already lost so much.
But when family was sometimes lacking, the relationships we forged in those challenging times were extraordinary. Through the struggles we faced, we became closer to the people whom we shared those experiences with and developed relationships that have lasted through the years. There were many who were such a comfort and encouragement to us and others in the community. Love was seen in action during those difficult lives together as people reached out to one another and supported one another. Those were some of my initial remembrances of life after we came to India after Partition.
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