“Toba Tek Singh” and “The Final Solution” A Retrospection of the 1947 Partition Through the Kaleidoscope of History from Below


The Criterion

The Criterion: An International Journal in English
Volume 17, Issue 2 · April 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

Open Access
CC BY 4.0
Crossref DOI


“Toba Tek Singh” and “The Final Solution” A Retrospection of the 1947 Partition Through the Kaleidoscope of History from Below


Papri Mitra

Indian Literature
Pages 455–471
Article #28
2026V17N2076

DOI

Digital Object Identifier

10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.28

Registered with Crossref · Open Access · CC BY 4.0

Abstract

The partition of 1947 was one of the most horrible and shameful events that has ever been written on the pages of human history. It predominantly remodelled Indian Literature by creating a new genre popularly known as Partition Literature. This genre authentically depicts the true circumstances and consequences of the partition. The illogical division of the nation and the making of imaginary borders in the partition caused the great shift of people from Pakistan to India and vice versa. The Partition Literature is the living testimony of the violence, torture, suffering, pain, and trauma experienced by the millions of innocent people who were forced to leave their motherland. Mainstream history never reveals the actual configuration of the partition to justify the decision. In this scenario, as a wave of revolution, Partition Literature exposes the fabrication and manipulation of the authorised history of the state power, portraying the real, bloody reality of the Partition. Rewriting history from the perspective of the victims of the partition, who are powerless and subaltern in society, this kind of literature challenges the documented history by replacing it with the people’s history.

Keywords
PartitionPhysical ViolenceTraumaMemoryHistory from belowVoice of the Subaltern

Cite This Article — MLA 9th Edition

Papri Mitra. ““Toba Tek Singh” and “The Final Solution” A Retrospection of the 1947 Partition Through the Kaleidoscope of History from Below.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 2, Apr. 2026, pp. 455–471. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n2.28.

Article History
Received
3/21/2026/2026
Accepted
17 Apr 2026
Published Online
30 Apr 2026

Journal
The Criterion: An International Journal in English
Volume / Issue
Vol. 17, No. 2 (April 2026)
Pages
455–471
Article ID
2026V17N2076
ISSN
0976-8165

Open Access
CC BY 4.0
Crossref DOI

Open Access · CC BY 4.0 · Crossref DOI ·
the-criterion.com

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