Exploring Decolonization and Colonial Legacies: A Postcolonial Reading of Khushwant Singh’s Novel Train to Pakistan

Abstract

The paper examines the multifaceted nature of decolonization, encompassing socio-cultural, economic, political, psychological, and territorial aspects, which signifies the emancipation of the colonized. It focuses on the Indian subcontinent, utilizing Khushwant Singh’s partition novel, Train to Pakistan, to scrutinize whether an ideal decolonization occurred in postcolonial India or not. Besides, it underlines the imperative of achieving ideal decolonization, emphasizing the prime necessity of reclaiming native identity, language, and cultural heritage for India’s advancement following the British Empire’s collapse in 1947. The research aims to depict the often-violent process of decolonization and examines how inheritances of colonialism still persist in contemporary Indian societies, political and administrative systems, manifesting in various forms, and masks. This qualitative study employs postcolonial theory to analyze the selectedtext, supplemented by data from credible secondary sources to accomplish its objectives.