'Dressing Table' : A Different Voice of partition/ 'ড্রেসিং টেবিল' : দেশভাগের অন্যস্বর

Abstract

Salil Chowdhury was a poet and composer. Apart from Hindi and Bengali, he composed music for songs in various Indian languages. In addition to writing poetry, he also wrote several stories. Dressing Table is one of his notable short stories. The story is set against the backdrop of the Partition of India. Its subject matter is somewhat different from conventional partition stories. Generally, stories written in Bengali about the Partition focus on the tales of refugees moving from East to West. The experiences of those moving from West to East remain unspoken. From a statistical perspective, nearly seven lakh people migrated from India to what was then East Pakistan. ‘Dressing Table’ presents a comprehensive picture of people displaced by the Partition. Alongside the displaced, a part of the story also focuses on a couple not directly affected by the Partition, yet burdened by the painful memories. Though they weren’t victims of the Partition, they carry the weight of its sorrow.

The Partition didn’t just create physical divides between neighbors but also deepened religious divides, leading to the death of humanity. It left a void for future generations, a lingering wound that is deeply felt. ‘Dressing Table’ creates a complete framework around the Partition, much like a triangle, with one corner representing the pain of Bengali Hindus forced to leave their homeland, another highlighting the experience of Bengali Muslims displaced, and the third corner depicting a couple who weren’t direct victims but could still feel the suffering of the Partition. Dressing Table is, in essence, a true document of the lives affected by the Bengal Partition.