Trauma during the Partition in Bisham Sahni's Tamas

One of the most significant historical events of the twentieth century was the partition of the subcontinent. It is not Indian history that tells us about the black historical partition, but the literature. History has lauded the freedom movement and its accomplishments. We find total disregard in the past for the return of the black historical partition of self-governing India into India and Pakistan. But in literature, some writers’ important effort to show the reality of elements revolves around it. This tragic incident of partition influenced and affected Indian English novelists in an unusual way. These novels are based on the insane butcheries committed in the name of religion after or at the time of partition. Only a few brave authors have depicted a realistic picture of partition. In it we may find, Khushwant Singh’s Train to Pakistan, Raj Gill’s The Rape, and some references in B. Rajan and Bhabani Bhattacharya’s writing. Bisham Sahni’s Tamas also deal with this religious mental instability.
Tamas is a very beautiful depiction of partition trauma. It portrays communal violence generated by fundamentalists in the three communities, and people were duped into serving the ulterior purposes of the communalists, who infused tension and hatred for their own ends at the cost of inter-communal harmony. The title "Tamas" itself suggests an attempt to depict and condemn the ignorance and darkness involved in communal violence on the eve of the partition of India. The first episode of the novel is the killing of a pig and throwing it on the steps of a mosque at the instance of a Muslim Leaguer, Murad Ali. The other events, silhouetted against this backdrop, including are envisioned to show how the tentacles of communalism spread to rural areas. The novelists make it clear that the three communities—Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs—had openly discriminated against.
In the name of religion, commit burning, rape, murder, and other atrocities. The writers seem to depict the evil designs of the British and of the communal groups mostly through Richard, an I.C.S.
The conversation between Richard and his wife Liza announces the theme of partition. Their conversation clarifies the fact that the policy of "divide and rule" brought havoc by making the people separate and grow distrustful of one another. The British purposely tried to encourage the growth of communalism because they knew well that "the Indians are an irascible lot and highly volatile. They are ready to shed blood in the name of religion." Instead of controlling the communal crisis, they acted as observers. 
Richard, the British official of the district, is "the mouthpiece of British imperialism" because he took upon himself the task of putting into practice the policies and imperialist enterprises of the British ruling class (p. 40). The novelists vividly defined the tricks of divide and rule among the communities. In the period of pre-independence, there was no central idea of separation among the people. Colonizers adopted the policy of severing unity and integration so that they could spend their time fighting each other rather than opposing the Empire. The government implemented a policy to undermine unity and integration so that they could spend their time fighting each other rather than opposing the Empire. The government adopted the policy and encouraged every fissiparous inclination in the country to safeguard the empire and themselves. This was clear when Richard said to his wife:

When the people fight among, themselves the ruler is safe. (p.45)

Bhisham Sahni has wisely depicted how massacres were heaped on the people of "other religions," as we see some Muslims catch hold of a Hindu girl and rape her one after another. When the last man’s turn comes, he realizes that "he is doing it on a dead body." The Brahmin peon is murdered, and his wife is forcibly abducted by the village numberdar. A teenager named Ranveer and his group members kills a Muslim seller who was worried for the safety of his murderers and intended to help. Jasbir Kaur, in order to guard her honor against the captor’s belongings of a different faith, jumped into the Gurudwara well with the rest of the ladies of the village. Many men were powerfully converted to the other religion, like Iqbal Singh, who was caught while searching for his parents.
Bhisham Sahni’s Tamas (1974) is an entry into the inspection of Islamic and Hindu fundamentalism, to trace its origins in historical or political events, to determine the cause of violence that can rudely erupt in its name, and to interrogate the conditions in society that help foster and nurture such imaginings. The novel captured the nation's imagination with its simple but powerful storyline about life in the city and its surrounding villages in a district near what is now India's and Pakistan's northwestern border. 
It starts with Nathu, a poor chamar, a tanner by occupation, who is asked to kill a pig by Murad Ali for a pittance—five rupees. Nathu buys Murad Ali’s story about the pig being required by the veterinary doctor and struggles to tackle the resilient pig. The pig is finally killed, and as per Ali’s instructions, it is hauled away by Kalu, the Jamadar, just before the break of dawn. The dead pig (deemed unclean and dirty by Islam) is then abruptly left on the steps of the mosque, rousing trouble in the city. Riots erupt in the city as a result. On the other hand, Congress workers try hard to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s resolve to step out, singing nationalistic songs that quickly turn into a mission to clean the streets of the community to foster pride in the local and civic infrastructure. Their own scorn at being forced to do this work is obvious, and some of them perceive it to be meant only as a symbolic gesture and do not want to substantially labor for public convenience. The trouble starts out early, with the party being stopped from entering a Muslim Mohalla by Mahmood Saheb because he declares the Muslims who are accompanying the Congress party workers as "terrorists." The general feeling of unrest disrupts any further cleaning efforts, and the party disperses immediately. It shows that regional identity supersedes nationalist identity. Bhisham Sahni here wishes to highlight the relative positions of Hindus and Muslims. Although they have lived together for centuries, Hindus and Muslims do not trust each other. It is easy to see how insecure they feel in others' presence.
However, every nation in the world has at one point or another suffered the consequences of a patriotic struggle for its independence. However, the struggles for independence of a few nations have raised their voices because of the eternal messages of morality and humanity that they have conveyed to the world. The American War of Independence brightened the world with the perception of democracy. The French redeemed it with the ideals of equality, community, and liberty. And the Indian Independence Movement referred to a century troubled by the violence of its two world wars, as well as the only substitute for peaceful coexistence: the Ahimsa dogma, or "non-violence." 
Led by the preacher of peace, Mahatma Gandhi, if the message reached its conclusion by stirring the multitudes of the second most populated nation in the world against the British Empire, its assumption in the form of Indian independence was nothing but the opening of Pandora's box.
A box containing holocaust and devastation. Following India's independence on August 15, 1947, there were communal riots that exceeded every limit and horror imaginable to a rational mind. And the most distressing and realistic depiction of the national tragedy can be seen in Bhisham Sahni’s Tamas.
Partition is very awful and terrible, and it took place in India. It is stressed in the writings of many novelists. Bhisham Sahni, who wrote Tamas, has penned down his emotions through this novel, and this novel depicts the condition of men, women, and children and how they suffered due to communal disturbances.
A traumatic historical event typically elicits two artistic and literary responses. The primary response tends to be emotionally intense and personal in character, even sensational. On the other hand, when the event is reflected upon with emotional disinterest and objectivity, a clearer arrangement of the various forces that shaped it is likely to emerge. Tamas is the rational response to the partition of India, one of the most tragic events in the recent history of the Indian subcontinent.
All religious contests, communal contests, riots, or collective violence in the Indian subcontinent are provoked and orchestrated under the banner of "anti-nationalism," which constitutes the first type of nationalism. Space and region are the central elements in religious nationalism. In fiction, the nation is frequently portrayed as a brotherhood of men protecting their female subjects. Men are portrayed as strong and powerful and women as weak and powerless. But protection also indicates the level of male authority to which women have to submit. (85)
Some authors have written about mutual tensions between Hindus and Muslims during the Partition. The writings vary from men's to women's writers. Women write about partition from feminist perspectives; they feel the pain and trauma they have experienced. While men just write about the partitions of lands and the journeys of the people who created two countries, these religious conflicts led to violence, mass migration, and huge losses of life and property. In fact, Partition in 1947 was a historic event woven into the socio-political fabric of India as a nation, and the roots of fundamentalism have flourished and reemerged every once in a while, in the nation-state’s history.
In the end, we may say that Tamas is a very beautiful depiction of the interactions between these communities of Hindus and Muslims. It is also called socio-cultural linkage. But this support and consideration were artificial. Indians pursued professional specialization based on their community. It is one of the symbols of traditional Indian society. Muslims were given jobs according to their caste. The cultural and social perceptions led to suspicion or mistrust in the hearts of both Hindus and Muslims, and the result was Partition. We see the same type of society in the novel. The majority of the cloth shops are owned by Hindus, while the shoe shops are owned by Musselman’s, the motor-lorry works are owned by Musselman’s, and the grain business is owned by Hindus. Both Hindus and Muslims work in minor professions. (91-92)
During the riots, violence was, by most accounts, organized and systematic: Hindu and Sikh shops and businesses in West Punjab were targeted for looting and burning, while Muslim property and homes were targeted in East Punjab. In Borders and Boundaries, Ritu Menon and Kamla Bhasin say they had friendly relations with other castes, but only up to a certain limit.

“We neither broke bread with them, nor inter-married, but the rest was fine”. (12)

In "The Other Side of Silence," Urvashi Butalia says that Hindus had very good relationships with Muslims. They were considered untouchables, which sowed the seeds of partition.
All this disseminated the seeds of mutual hatred and mistrust in the hearts and minds of the average Indian and Pakistani.