Earth Page #3

Yousaf says

they're fallen women.

Look, fallen women.

You, come here!

Was your mother raped?

When Hindus attacked our village,

they killed everyone.

I hid under the dead bodies.

They killed your mother?

Yes.

Are you Hindus?

No, Parsees.

Want to play marbles?

After the Hindus left,

I went to look for my mother.

She was in a mosque.

Her hair was tied to the ceiling fan.

She was naked.

It's my birthday.

Do you want some cake?

Cake? What's that?

Remember Kirpa Ram,

that miserly Hindu money-lender?

Well, we packed him off to lndia.

You knowwhat we found

hidden in the walls of his house?

What?

900 gold guineas.

Open your hand.

Keep it. It's for you.

No.

But I brought it for you.

Please keep it.

I don't want it.

Where is Sher Singh?

He seems to have disappeared.

Who's guarding the lion in the zoo?

Nobody.

After the atrocities the Sikhs committed,

it's good he's left.

Muslim refugees here want revenge.

And you, do you also want revenge?

What's it to you?

What kind of Muslim are you?

If you want to know, I'll tell you.

Yes, I've thrown grenades

at Hindus and Sikhs

who I've know all my life.

I want to kill someone for each breast

they cut off my sisters.

You're right, brother.

There are some things

that can drive one mad.

God preserve us now.

I've sent my family to Delhi,

and soon I'll join them.

And you, Hari?

Where will you go?

Where can I go?

I'm becoming a Muslim.

Good. A number of you Hindus

are converting.

While you're at it,

change your name.

Yes, when our friends want to kill us,

then we have few choices.

I should leave Lahore.

Madame says she'll send me

to Amritsar.

Maybe that's best for me.

You don't have to go anywhere.

Don't worry.

I'm here.

Lenny-baby, go to your room.

Don't cry, Shanta.

here.

Why don't we get married?

So what if I'm a Muslim?

I'm yours and always will be.

Let's go to Amritsar.

I'll become a Hindu.

Marry me, Shanta.

Yes.

Sher Singh,

it's me, Hasan.

These days,

one can't be too sure.

I didn't mean to scare you.

It's all right.

Even a sneeze is a cause

for worry these days.

I've made arrangements for us

to cross the border to Amritsar.

Will there be any danger?

No.

Ahmed Ali is doing good business

hustling Hindus and Sikhs out of Lahore.

He wants money in advance.

All of you should get some rest.

It's a long journey ahead.

Son, what you've done for us,

Have a long life, son.

How can we ever thank you?

Sher Singh is like my brother.

Have a long life, son.

May the ten Sikh Gurus bless you

Madame, he's becoming a Hindu.

Madame?

What is it, Shanta?

Madame, I'm getting married.

Really?

To whom?

Dil Navaz, lce Candy Man?

No, no, to Hasan the Masseur.

Madame, he's becoming a Hindu.

We'll leave Lahore and go to Amritsar

and get married there.

Madame, you're not angry,

are you?

Angry?

No, no, not at all.

This is very good news.

Does Lenny know?

No.

When are you leaving?

Hasan says really soon.

Don't tell Lenny,

or she'll come in your trousseau!

But Lenny-baby...

Don't worry.

I'll take care of everything.

Okay, Madame, I'll go now.

Shanta, wait.

Madame, but this is gold.

Keep it carefully.

This is for you too.

Make sure Hasan talks with us

before you leave.

Hari, why did you cut

your pigtail?

Lenny-baby, don't call me Hari.

My name is Himmat Ali now.

Where is Nanny, Hari?

Sorry, I mean Himmat Ali.

At home.

What did they do to you, my friend?

No.

Lenny-baby, let's go!

No.

Come on. Let's go!

We shouldn't be here.

But the Masseur!

He's dead.

Get inside! Hide in my bedroom!

Phone my husband!

Praise Allah!

Praise Allah!

The police are coming.

We are the police.

What are you bastards up to?

Where are all the Hindus?

Get them out.

There are no Hindus here.

This is a Parsee house.

Where is Hari the gardener?

Hari has become a Muslim.

Now his name is Himmat Ali.

Tell him to recite the Kalma.

There is no God but God,

and Mohammed is his prophet.

Let's see if you're a proper Muslim.

Undo your salwar.

Get away!

I vouch for him.

Why don't you ask the barber?

He circumcised him.

There's no barber here.

Great!

The barber did a good job

on his penis!

Bastards!

Using religion for private fun.

Shame on you!

Where's Moti?

Here he is.

He's become a Christian.

Yes, Mr. David Masih.

The priest married his daughter

to a dwarf.

I was there.

So he's become a black-faced gentleman.

Mr. Latrine Cleaner,

David Masih.

Now he'll sail off to England

and marry a white woman.

Where's the Hindu woman, that nanny?

She's gone.

She's gone nowhere.

I told you, she left Lahore.

He's lying!

Why are you lying, lmam Din?

If that is so, then swear by Allah.

Don't take Allah's name

and defile it with your dirty tongue.

So you're not ready

to take an oath, liar.

I swear by Allah, she's gone.

What the hell's going on here?

Get out of this place!

It's all right, Madame.

Don't be scared, Lenny-baby.

I'm here.

I knowwhat will make Lenny-baby smile.

Ice cream.

Tell me where Nanny is.

I've come for her.

She's here, isn't she?

You know I'll do anything for her.

Where is she?

She's inside in Mummy's bedroom.

She's hiding inside.

Ice Candy Man, lce Candy Man, I lied!

She's not here! She left!

I lied! She's gone to Amritsar!

Madame!

Madame, tell Hasan!

Two hundred and fifty years

of the British Empire ended in 1947,

but what's there to show for it,

except a country divided?

The massacres and kidnapping,

vendettas and more violence,

was it all worth it?

Fifty years have gone by

since I betrayed my Ayah.

Some say she married lce Candy Man.

Some say they saw her

in a brothel in Lahore,

others that they saw her

in Amritsar.

But I never set eyes on her again.

And that day in 1947 when I lost Ayah,

I lost a large part of myself.

Over one million people were killed

during lndia's division.

Seven million Muslims and five million

Hindus and Sikhs were uprooted

in the largest and most terrible exchange

of population known to history.

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