Microsoft Word - AP-HND 2700 Fall 2019 Exam.docx AP-HND XXXXXXXXXX: SOUTH ASIAN LITERATURE & CULTURE FALL 2019 TAKE-HOME EXAM GRADE WEIGHTAGE: 15% OF COURSE TOTAL PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING...

Running Head: South Asian Literature.             1
South Asian Literature.                         5
SOUTH ASIAN LITERATURE.
Table of Contents
Partition:    3
Arya Samaj:    3
Andaman and Nicobar Islands:    4
“The Quilt”:    4
The theme of Change in Toba Tek Singh:    7
References    10
Partition:
The partition of India was a nightmare for the people on either side. The partition was made on the basis on religion and this gave rise to communal hatred and both Hindus and Muslims lost lives. The partition was proposed by Syed Ahmed Khan with Jinnah as the main spokesperson. The country of Pakistan became a Muslim country and India became a secular Hindu country. People crossed the border overnight on foot leaving everything they owned to either side. The trains were filled with people crossing to either side. Next door neighbours and childhood friends became sworn enemies and started to kill each other. The women were raped and dismembered and the children and old people were killed mercilessly. Houses and shops were burnt and people were scared away from their houses. There was blood and corpses everywhere and those who survived still remember the bloody horror. Mobs gathered and burnt the houses of people who were once friends and neighbours. The partition saw hatred and death that one may say were worse than Nazis. The Radcliffe line brought many refuges to either side who still live a hard life as many could not get citizenship. The unplanned partition brought much horror to both sides. People who were once rich were left to beg for food. It was one of the biggest migrations in history.
Arya Samaj:
Arya Samaj is a movement that raised to reject the worship of idols. The founder of this movement was Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati. Arya Samaj is also a Hindu Organisation that introduced the method of proselytization for the very first time in Hinduism. The Arya Samaj was established in the year 1875 in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. Dayanand’s former efforts were to reform orthodox Hinduism in India. He started preaching his ideologies by forming Vedic schools. To reach a wider audience, Dayanand started to preach his findings and his ideologies in Hindi rather than in Sanskrit. With Arya Samaj gaining its popularity all over the world, it began to break down into various segments. For example, there was Rajkot Arya Samaj, Arya Samaj in Pubjab, Arya Samaj in Sindh, Bombay Arya Samaj, Arya Samaj in Gurjat, Arya Samaj in Malabar and various others. Some of the main viewpoints of the Arya Samaj include, preaching everything that is there in the Vedas since Vedas were considered to be the prime source of knowledge that is enough for any human being to survive their time on the planet. Moreover, he believed that ignorance is sin and everybody should work towards acquiring as much knowledge as they can during their lifetime. He believed that everything that a person does or thinks of doing should be in accordance with Dharma. Gayetri mantra is considered to be the most Holy Mantra among the Arya Samaj. Finally, Arya Samaj was not only limited to the borders of then India. It was in fact spread in Tanzania, Thailand, Fiji, Ghana and many other parts of the world.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a Union territory in India. There was an ancient trade route between India and Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is situated right there. A huge Tsunami took place in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 2004 and since then the place has managed to gather a huge attention. The...