Partition: Love & Hate in Waris Shah Nu

Abstract

This paper will explore the trauma of partition and the destruction of a valued way of life as expressed by Amrita Pritam in her Punjabi poem Waris Shah Nu. It becomes imperative to look at literature, either celebrating Independence, or the tragedy of Partition, by foregrounding this human cost. The poem makes a connection between the individual tragedy and the collective trauma that marks the Partition.