Subhani

Subhani was born in 1937 at Ratnaki in the princely state of Alwar (now part of Rajasthan) to a Mewati-speaking agrarian family. When Subhani was seven years old, her father passed away. She was brought up by her grandmother, maternal uncle, and mother. The violence of Partition spread like fire throughout Alwar, she recounts. “Anyone who was running from home with their belongings in large crowds was murdered by men with swords, on horses. Anyone running empty-handed and in small crowds was spared,” she says. Recalling an incident with her maternal uncle, she says, “He wouldn’t let go of his cattle and the insurgents caught up with him. He just barely escaped with injuries to his hands. The British troops came to us and told us to leave everything and go to Pakistan immediately,” she says. After a long and circuitous journey, Subhani’s family was taken to Chhato Mangi village in Shikarpur District, where Subhani and her family managed to settle.