Transcript in English

Part 1 – 3.58-5.58

Question: So tell me, first of all, from where does your father and grandfather hail from?

Answer: They hail from Pabna.

Question: Pabna?

Answer: The name of the village is Jorulia.

Question: And from there, you…

Answer: Listen, my brother’s in-laws… and two of my paternal uncles lived in Assam. Meanwhile, my brother’s mother-in-law died. My father had three brothers, my eldest paternal uncle said… two sisters are there in Assam, let’s go there.

Question: How did the sisters land in Assam?

Answer: They were married there.

Question: You mean, you got them married there.

Answer: Our paternal uncles (aunts’ husbands) were in Assam, but they had no property of their own – that’s the reason everybody came to stay on Ramhari char. Then, after 18 years, the children joined there.

Question: Then, you came. I mean, your father came?

Answer: My father and grandmother came first, but my grandmother died. There was no money, how would they buy land? Ejhab papers were given in Borjana char… if you cleared the land, an official would come and name the land after you. No money was required for that. My father and his brothers had no money. They first lived on Ramhari char, then Borjana.

10.53-14

Question: Have you seen Mahatma Gandhi?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Where?

Answer: Saw him in Bongaon meeting, gondhibosti meeting… I had gone.

Question: You were present? How many people attended the meetings?

Answer: People just came over.

Question: Who attended those meetings… Hindus, Muslims, people from all communities?

Answer: Yes, people from all communities came.

Question: Do you remember what Gandhiji said in those meetings?

Answer: He said, this country does not belong to the British, but to us, the British took it from us on the sly – the people had all come together. Assamese, Muslims, Hindus and Muslims were very cordial then. All came.

Question: Where exactly was Borjana placed within the British administration then?

Answer: Borjana was not there.

Question: What was there?

Answer: Aamtala.

Question: How far is Aamtala from Borjana?

Answer: 1 mile.

Question: 1 mile?

Answer: No, 2/3 miles.

Question: Since the British were just a mile away, didn’t they disturb your village?

Answer: People left from our village, Mohonpur.

Question: Did all the people of Mohonpur leave the village?

Answer: Yes, they did.  

Question: When India became independent, it became partitioned into two nations, India and Pakistan – how did you come to know about that?

Answer: Mr. Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi clashed at the time of independence. Both wanted to be badshah, but who would be? If you don’t go then I will, then who will form the government? That is when it was democratically decided… means, you and I go our separate ways. They were facing off against each other. The matter was put to the vote. In Assam, Gopinath Bordoloi became the Chief Minister in 1947. Mr. Jinnah said, we will create Pakistan.

15.42-19.0

Answer: Then the Assamese government was formed. In 1947, Gopinath Bordoloi became the Chief Minister and proposed that the Muslims had to be evicted…

Question: The riots of 1950 began?

Answer: There was violence.

Question: What was the situation like in your village when the riots of 1950 began?

Answer: Our village was not affected. We had a river running through it. What was the point in staying?

Question: Which communities were mainly involved in the violence?

Answer: Hindus and Muslims.

Question: Hindus and Muslims?

Answer: Assam was left out.

Question: There was renewed amity?

Answer: Yes, and then we didn’t go on the other side of Borjana.

Question: Tripura is not far from Borjana.

Answer: They are on two sides of the river.

Question: What was the name of the river?

Answer: Manas.

Question: Since you were on the other side of the Manas river…

Answer: On the western side.

Question: Was there a lot of violence on this side of the river?

Answer: On both sides.

Question: If you remember…

SK: [At 18.38, Saleha Khatun joins in].

SK: They burnt the houses.

BM: Yes, they burnt the houses.

Question: What happened to the people when they burnt the houses?

SK: They were panic-stricken.

BM: People ran helter-skelter.

Part II (Baniz Uddin Mirdha)

7.58-8.11

Question: Who were there in your family, when you set out for Pabna?

Answer: My two brothers, two sisters, myself, my mother and father.

Question: What belongings did you carry with you when you left?

Answer: WE just took a bit of rice and bedding with us. Our cows, calves and buffaloes we had left behind. Then we walked out from the southern side. We reached Dhuburi in eight days. Then we crossed Orissa and came to Kurigram. When we reached the border at Kurigram, there was an announcement welcoming brothers from Assam. And we were fed with khichuri.

Question: Did you face any trouble when you crossed the border at Kurigram?

Answer: No, we crossed by boat.

Question: Did you need to show any papers at the border?

Answer: Yes, they checked papers.

Question: What papers?

Answer: Papers related to our land. They took details of what we have left behind. They said they would give us cows and money for their maintenance for 6 months.

Question: Which government would give?

Answer: The Bengal government… but they tricked us. They didn’t inquire after us, so then after staying for a few days…

Question: What was the situation in your maternal grandfather’s place in Pabna when you went there.

Answer: The situation there? (smiles). Oranges were priced at 5 annas, rice at 8… Meanwhile, after 14 days of violence and burning of houses in Assam, when the Central Government heard about it, it urged those who have left to return. But how can people just return if there is nothing to eat? Then the Assam Government assured that it will reimburse and make good all the damages suffered by people. It is then that we came.

Answer: We came by road some of the way, some by boat… people made their own arrangements, the government didn’t help… and then we came and saw that our house had been usurped by Hindus. Then we camped there. Then the DC decreed that we should occupy deserted houses… people fled wherever they could… and we got back to our house.

Part-III (Saleha Khatun)

15.55- 16.37

Question: After how many years of coming from East Pakistan did you marry grandfather?

Answer: After 9 years. Visited after the riots. I passed out from LP school.

Question: You had also gone?

Answer: Yes.

Question: How old were you then?

Answer: 6 years.

Question: How many of your family members went there?

Answer: My parents and five of us siblings.

Question: Which route did you take?

Answer: Abhaypuri, Aamguri, Borjana, these places were burnt down… people had to leave with their children… It was a time of deep despair. Then we came to Kukurmara jungle and fled. They burnt down Borjana while we were at Kukurmari. After that, we crossed Golpara in the dark of night. Keeping close to the southern border, we reached Kurigram. There was none of our family in Bangladesh. My parents stayed at other people’s places. Then we returned after independence.