The presentation of the mad protagonist in Toba Tek Singh is of great significance to the story. It is evident that the partition of India and Pakistan shortly after achieving independence has caused a stir in the society. The decision to partition British India according to religious beliefs is an issue of great concern. The colonists believed this was necessary to prevent the incidence of civil war in the community. However, the action was catastrophic to the Pakistani and Hindustan peoples. Bishan Singh, the lunatic character is presented to demonstrate the inhumanity in the decision. The two new governments have decided to exchange asylum inmates with the Hindu and Sikhs being transferred into India while the Muslims remain in Pakistan. Bishan shows the difficulty that these governments had to experience in explaining the logic behind this action. The character depicts the realistic nature of trauma that people encountered after it was decided that they should move out of their homes and go to another country. In this case, Bishan was a symbol of representing the madness of the partitioning process.
The short story ends with Bishan screaming that he has found his hometown Toba Tek Singh which does not fall in either India or Pakistan. It is evident that the author would like to show the reader that home is not the physical geographic location. Rather, it is a state of mind where the individual feels most comfortable. The lunatic character Bishan seeks to identify that he does not recognize himself with either country and instead wants to be associated with his hometown. His horrible scream was intended to alert all the members of the society of how abnormal this act of partition is and its influence of creating chaos in the society. The people who were once united in seeking independence from the British colonists were now enemies based on their religious beliefs.
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