Story of Boota Singh and Zainab

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Love Across two Borders

Story of Boota Singh and Zainab is a real epic love story mentioned in the famous book 'Freedom At Midnight' by Larry Collins and Dominque Lapiere.

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Prologue

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In August 1947, the subcontinent of India divided into two countries, India and Pakistan.

The British, after having ruled sub-continent for about 150+ years (1757 - 1947) were also exhausted by the effects of World War II (1939 - 1944) at home in the UK.

Finally, the British empire in consultation with the local leaders, and gauging the local geo-political situation, and Indian masses pressure, eventually decided to pull out from the subcontinent,

British Empire employed Cyril Radcliffe to draw a map of the two countries.

Strangely, Cyril Radcliffe had never before visited India, he was only supposed to do his job and leave India within weeks of completing his terrible cartography.

As Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre chronicled in their monumental work 'Freedom at Midnight', this line did not merely divide provinces; it divided souls, families, and the very fabric of shared existence that Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs had woven together for centuries.

The Punjab, that fertile land of five rivers, became the epicenter of humanity's largest and most brutal migration.

Ten million people were set into motion. Hindus and Sikhs were moving from West to East side of Pakistan (now India), Muslims were fleeing from East (India) to West (Pakistan).

Trains arrived at stations with their passengers slaughtered, sometimes with a chilling message scrawled in blood: "A gift for you." Villages that had shared wells for generations became slaughter places overnight.

Collins and Lapierre estimated that up to a million people perished in this communal violence, while about seventy-five thousand women were abducted, raped, or worse caught in the crossfire of honor and hatred that consumed the land.

Indian partitioned is considered as one of the most deadliest and bloodiest human tragedies in history.

Hundred of thousands of people on both sides were killed, families separated and stranded.

Civil unrest and violence was all-time high. The hatred against each other was at all-time high. 

Both governments were trying their level best to manage such civil unrest.

They were forming the refugee camps to house those people who were left alone and were in need of shelter and food and wanted to go back to their loved ones. But everyone was not lucky at that time.

It was during such turbulent times, one strange epic love story was taking its shape.

The story of Boota Singh and Zainab ...

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Retelling of Boota Singh and Zainab Story

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How It All Began ...

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Boota Singh, 55 year old, was an unmarried local farmer who had earlier served in the British Army in Burma for sometime. He had his own landholding of about 12 acres.

It was a clear sunny afternoon in mid September 1947 just a month after India-Pakistan partition.

He was working in his fields near Amritsar (Indian Punjab).

Suddenly, he hears a desperate screaming of a girl behind him.

He turned back and saw that one young girl was crying and running towards him who was being followed by another Sikh.

She suddenly grabbed Boota Singh and hid behind him crying, 'please save me, save me, please'.

Boota Singh immediately understood the story behind the precarious situation.

The girl was a Muslim and the Sikh chasing her was an Indian Sikh. 

Boota Singh stopped the Sikh aggressor and tried to argue him for leaving the life of the girl.

But the aggressor did not budge and was furious to get back the girl.

Eventually, Boota Singh negotiated a monetary deal.

The aggressor demanded Rs 1500 to leave the girl.

Boota Singh had saved his money for sometime.

He went inside his house and brought Rs 1500 and handed over to the aggressor Sikh, who seemed happy and left them in peace.

The girl was Zainab, who was just 17 years old at that time.

Boota Singh brought the girl inside his house and offered her water and food and assured her that she was safe now.

Next day, he took Zainab to the market and offered her to buy some clothes and shoes.

Boota felt happy after a long time.

The girl had no one left who could take care of her, all of her relatives had been migrated to Pakistan.

And due to some ill-luck she got stranded back in India.

Boota Singh and Zainab kept living together for a few months and they developed good respect and love for each other. 

Boota Singh then decided to marry Zainab.

One day, he went out and came back on a horse ride with groom-dressed attire along with some friends, family, and a Sikh Guru for the marriage ceremony.

They both took their oaths under the Sikh rites under the Sikh religious Granth Sahib Book.

And the Sikh Guru declared them husband and wife.

They kept living happily with each other.

Next year, they had baby girl born, who was named Tanveer Kaur.

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Happiness was Short-Lived

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However, the happiness and peace was short lived in the story of Boota Singh and Zainab.

After a few years in 1952, when Tanveer grew to around 5 years old, Boota Singh's nephews started getting jealous of the happy family with a daughter.

Since Boota was unmarried and single for a long time, his family were hoping to get the inheritance share from him, but with new family and daughter, now their aspirations were getting failed.

Two of his nephews secretly planned.

They went to the local Indian authorities and reported that Boota Singh was keeping one Pakistani Muslim girl in his house illegally.

In the next days, authorities approached him and snatched the girl and took her to the refugee camp.

This was a turbulent and traumatic trigger of events for Boota Singh.

He pleaded with the authorities repeatedly that they were married now with a daughter and begged them to return Zainab back to him.

But authorities had to follow their polices and refused.

Zainab was kept in Refuge camp for about 6 months in India.

Everyday, Boota Singh with his daughter visited Zainab, and they cried together and assured each other that everything would be aright soon.

One day, Zainab was informed that her parents in Pakistan have been located and arrangement will be done to send her back to Pakistan.

Boota Singh was completely devasted for the separation.

He approached the High Commissioner of Pakistan and pleaded but nothing worked in his favor.

Zainab was equally unhappy as she had found in Boota Singh a genuine loving person and husband who cared for her with all of his heart.

Eventually Zainab was migrated to Lahore in Pakistan, where her parents and relatives took her to their village near Lahore (Shahdara).

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Struggle Begins

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Boota Singh, went to Delhi and kept pursing his claims and pleadings, but nothing seemed to work.

One day, Boota Singh went to the local Mosque and converted himself to Muslim, cut his long hair, removed his turban, and changed his name to Jamil Ahmed.

Perhaps, only with this hope that he will able to travel to Pakistan and bring his wife back.

He made all the arrangements to cross the border and finally he reached Shahdara, Lahore.

He found Zainab's home and went there with their daughter in hand.

On arrival, he discovered that Zainab was already re-married by her relatives to one of her cousins.

Her relatives told Boota Singh to leave immediately.

Boota resisted and asked for his wife.

On that, the family got furious and hit Boota hard with physically injuries on his body. 

Later, he went to the local police station to report the incident and told them his story that his  wife is here and he has come all the way to get her back.

Police was astonished on such bravery or stupidity of Boota Singh.

Anyways, they seemed little perturbed and concerned.

They asked him to lodge a formal complaint which they would put it in the local court for the decision.

Local Court sent a summon to Zainab's house to appear in the Court. 

On this, her family got more furious, but somehow they had to appear.

The day court was summoned all had arrived.

The town had got a the word of the story, many people had arrived to see the story's final end.

Court started its proceedings and asked Boota Singh to come to dais and tell his own story.

He narrated the story and told that he, Boota Singh and Zainab got married in India and this is their daughter in his arms now.

He also showed all the papers for that. He was asked what he wanted now.

Boota told that he has come to take his lawful wife back.

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Boota Singh's World falls Apart

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On this, Judge told that it can only happen if the wife provides her consent here in public to go with you.

On that note, Judge asked Zainab to come forward and tell them that if she would like to stay with Boota Singh or not.

The question shook her a apart and she started crying.

Zainab's family was trying their level best to motion her to utter the words which her relatives wanted to hear.

Zainab could not say anything for a long gap.

she was repeatedly being asked.

Boota Singh was standing opposite her and trying to look into her eyes with his own misty eyes.

There was now a pin-drop silence and no words were coming out.

She was asked again. and finally Zainab said,

'No, I don't want to go back to India and live with Boota anymore'.

After this, she burst out into more crying.

Boota Singh was flabbergasted and felt betrayed, defeated and finished.

He did not respond after that.

He left the dais and started walking towards Zainab with their daughter.

He asked Zainab directly that would she want to keep her daughter or not.

On that she again looked into the eyes of her sweet innocent daughter and again said in a hysterical voice:

'No, please take my daughter away'.

Boota Singh was out of his words.

The emotions came brimming that he could not stand and thought his heart would break open and felt like fainting.

He tried to get to his senses and left from there.

Next morning, he planned to leave the place with his daughter.

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Moving to The End of world & Life...

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It was February 1957. He arrived at the local railway station at Shahdara, holding her daughter in her arms.

They both were fully dressed up.

After a few minutes the local train started arriving.

He held her daughter Tanveer tightly and moved closer to the track.

Instead, waiting for the train to stop, he with his daughter jumped on the train track.

Next moment, he was badly crushed under the train, but miraculously his daughter survived unscathed.

The local authorities pulled out his body and saved the daughter.

In his pocket, they got all the papers and one letter for his wife Zainab.

It mentioned that as his life was completely shattered and he was left with no reason to live any longer so he decided to leave this world for good, but there is one last wish.

'Zainab, I have always loved you with all of my heart and soul. As I am no more in this world, there is only one last wish. Please bury me in your village and from time to time, please do visit my grave and bring for me red rose to put on my grave, it may perhaps comfort me...'

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Epilogue

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The relatives of Zainab did not allow Boota Singh to be buried in Shahdara.

Consequently, the authorities moved his body to Lahore Miani Sahib graveyard in February 1957.

This case of Boota Singh and Zainab had become known publicly as it was reported in the local media many times.

People were really sad about the outcome and had big sympathies with Boota Singh.

And they made his grave in Lahore and used to come to put red roses (instead of Zainab).

But it was later known that the Zainab's family even desecrated his grave in Lahore.

After that, people built even a bigger grave.

After a prolonged controversy, authorities removed his grave for larger reasons.

The family of Zainab is still unknown as they were closed off to any media coverage and appearances.

Similarly, her daughter (Tanveer's) whereabouts are unknown, but according to some sources, it is believed that some family in Lahore adopted her (Tanveer Kaur).

The current state of the family is not known much now.

This story of Boota Singh and Zainab was first highlighted in the early sources of history through a famous book on partition, 'Freedom at Midnight' by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre (1975).

The story Boota Singh and Zainab had a tragic ending, and was indeed not only reflective of the crimes done during the partition but also how the innocent hearts lived, loved and suffered during such times.

You may also read story of Boota Singh and Zainab in presentation format