Mrs. Swarna Kanta-ji was born in Niaz Baig, near Lahore, Pakistan in the year 1942 to Shri Shyam Lal Bajaj and Shrimati Gyaan Devi.

Oral Historian: Sunny Kumar

Camera Person: Simran Seth

Summary:

Mrs. Swarna Kanta-ji was born in Niaz Baig, near Lahore, Pakistan in the year 1942 to Shri Shyam Lal Bajaj and Shrimati Gyaan Devi. She is not aware of the exact date of her birth so she decided to choose the date of her wedding as the date of her birth. She gently mentioned that, “marriage is considered as the second birth of a human being, so that’s why I choose the date of my marriage as my birth date”. Her birthplace is identified as Thokar Niaz Baig at present day, as confirmed by her frequent references to Bhadrakali Mandir, an ancient Hindu temple located near her erstwhile home in Niaz Baig. The place is in the outskirts of Lahore and serves as a major entry point into Lahore from the southwest at present time. 

She lost her mother at an early age and spent most of her life before marriage with her elder sister who later on got married to Shri Harish Chand Kataria in Kasur. Therefore, she had to travel back and forth between Niaz Baig and Kasur. She had a memory of living at both places but mostly she remembered her sister’s place, as she had spent most of her time with her sister after her father remarried. She remembers how she used to travel in a tanga (horse-drawn carriage) from Niaz Baig to Kasur. Though her father’s main business was ‘Sudh’ (lending money), he also had a tanga. Before leaving for any place they used to take the blessing from Bhadrakali Mandir as it was along their route. 

Her brother-in-law (elder sister’s husband) used to call her Noni as she used to speak infrequently. She used to be terrified of him because she had seen how he used to beat her sister after consuming alcohol. She thought that if getting married is something like that then she would not get married in her entire life. She went to Kapurthala in June – July of 1947 as her sister was getting treatment. Later on she revealed that her sister went through an abortion and also had typhoid in June – July of 1947. She saw people getting attacked on the street and people shouting, “Maro Maro” (‘Die, Die’). They had a sense by June that they might have to go to some safe place. That’s why they hid their valuables, like gold and silver, under the earth and made sure to cover it with something before leaving for Kapurthala. 

She remembered the disturbing visuals which she saw from the window and was

advised by elders not to peep out. From there they decided to come to Jalandhar, then to Haridwar, and finally settled in Saharanpur. It seemed that they were sure of coming back once the situation became normal, which is why they buried their valuables in soil and came almost empty handed. She goes on to say ‘Ham do kapde me aayen the’ (“We came in only two outfits”).

She was roughly five years old around Partition but has a first-hand experience of the hardship she and other family members had to go through. As a child she was not aware about the developments of Partition, but she felt the changes which happened in her life. Although she doesn’t remember exactly the mode of transportation, she said at one time there was some vehicle on which she traveled along with her sister and brother-in-law, and finally met with her father in Haridwar. She also remembers the time spent in camps and food packets being dropped from the air. She said she was not in the habit of eating chana (chickpeas) and other ready to eat food, and how for weeks they were dependent on public supply of food and eating whatever they got. 

Her father took possession of one of the houses vacated by a Muslim family and later on received that as compensation. That house got shared between her father and her brother-in-law. Later, she had to move to Hardoi and Moradabad to help her brother-in-law’s mother who used to live with three children. One of them was working with the railways before finally coming to Delhi with her sister, later on getting married and starting her own life. She wished to go to Pakistan to see her old home at least once, where she was born and spent her childhood. While sharing this wish she remembered the rooms, courtyard, and trees behind her home.