环球英语 — 298：Friends Across the Partition

　　Voice 1
Hello, I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby¹ Jones. Welcome to Spotlight². This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3
“I am writing you this letter as a human being. I hope that you will not be unhappy because a Hindu is writing to you. We are first human beings, and then religious³ people.”
Voice 1
A man called Harkishan Das Baydi wrote these words. He lived in India. He lived during the time when India and Pakistan became independent nations. In today’s programme, we hear how the events of that time affected⁴ the lives of millions of Indian and Pakistani families. And we hear more from Harkishan Das Baydi’s letters - how he managed to live through some very dark days.
Voice 2
From the late eighteenth century, the British government ruled India. India under the British covered the territory⁵ that is now India and Pakistan. Britain considered it to be one of its most valuable colonies⁶. But in 1939, the Second World War began in Europe. This proved to be very unsettling for India. Some Indian soldiers fought for Britain in the war. But for many Indians, it was a time of terrible poverty⁷ and unemployment⁸. The people’s desire to govern their own country grew. The Indian National Congress⁹, or INC, gave voice to these desires. This organization mostly represented¹⁰ the majority Hindu population. It had long been fighting for Indians to have more control over their country. Its leaders demanded India’s independence.
Voice 1
In 1945, the war came to an end. And the British government seemed ready to agree to demands for independence. It wanted to concentrate¹¹ on re-building Britain after the war. So, it accepted the fact that India should be left to rule itself. But this was not as easy as it seemed. India was a divided country. Which group would govern when the British left?
Voice 2
The majority of the people in India were Hindus. A much smaller percentage of people followed the Sikh religion. And there was also a large number of Indian Muslims. The most likely group to rule was the majority - the Hindus. However, the Muslims worried about living in a country with a Hindu government. They believed that no one would listen to their demands or problems. Their political¹² organization was called the Muslim League. The League wanted the British government to divide India into two countries - one with a Hindu majority, and one with a Muslim majority.
Voice 1
And so, the dividing of India, or Partition¹³, happened. On the fourteenth of August 1947, the Muslim State of Pakistan was born. And the next day, what is now India became an independent nation with a Hindu majority.
General opinion today is that Britain did the partition very badly. The dividing line cut across two large areas of North India: Punjab and Bengal. The result was that Pakistan had two parts - east and west. They were separated¹⁴ by 1,600 kilometres of Indian land. It meant that people of different religions found themselves on the wrong side of the lines. They had to leave their homes and travel to the right side of the lines depending on their religion.
Voice 2
We now return to Harkishan Das Baydi. He was one of the people who moved. He was a Hindu. And he lived in the town of Lahore, in North West India. After Partition, Lahore became part of Pakistan. Baydi and his family left the town in a great hurry. And the new local authorities¹⁵ gave his house to a Muslim man. When he had settled¹⁶ in the new India, Baydi did something strange. He wrote to the person who now lived in his old house! The man’s name was Chaudri Latif. Here is part of the letter:
Voice 3
“To the occupier, house number 32, Pandoo Street, Krishan Nagar, Lahore...
I was a teacher at a high school in Lahore. My students included Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. In my eyes, there was no difference between them...
The law broke down badly in Lahore. So I took my children out of the city. I did not take anything with me. I thought that the disorder¹⁷ would end and we would come back to Lahore.”
Voice 1
Baydi and his family travelled east to India. And so did hundreds of thousands of other Muslims and Sikhs. About the same number of Muslims travelled into Pakistan. Baydi and his family were some of the lucky ones. They arrived safely at their new home. But terrible fighting broke out between the different groups on the road. Estimates¹⁸ say that almost one million people died during the whole process of Partition. Baydi wrote again to Chaudri Latif:
Voice 3
“I am afraid to think what Hindus and Muslims have done to their fellow Indians... It was a sickness of mind that made them so blind. But the worst part of it is that it happened in the name of religion. No religion permits¹⁹ such killing²⁰.”
Voice 2
It was a very difficult time for both India and Pakistan. But the two men continued to write. Their unusual friendship continued in a time of hate and lack of trust. Chaudri Latif sent Baydi some important documents that he had left behind. Baydi wrote:
Voice 3
“I feel proud to write that they have given my house to such a good person. I am not just praising you - my heart is my witness²¹. Only God knows how strong our friendship will be in the future.”
Voice 1
The two men died without ever meeting each other. But their families still speak about their friendship. For them, it represents²² a positive side to Partition. It demonstrates²³ how suffering can create strong links of love - links that rise above any outside differences. Today, more and more families are remembering their own stories of love and courage from those dark days.
Voice 2
Ashur Rahman is a friend of Chaudri Latif’s family. He lost many members of his family during Partition. And he is still trying to make sense of all that happened. But he, too, believes in the power of human stories. He believes that they can help to heal²⁴ his troubled country. He says:
Voice 4
“Deep inside we are still wishing that when we turn the stone over, there will be flowers, not blood. And we are in the process of discovering that - the brighter side to Partition.”
 

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 religious   

adj.宗教性的，虔诚的，宗教上的；n.修道士，出家人

参考例句：

• She is very religious person who goes to church every Sunday.她十分虔诚，每个星期天都上教堂。
• It is hard for me to reject religious beliefs.要我抛弃自己的宗教信仰是困难的。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 territory   

n.领土，领地，版图，地区，活动范围

参考例句：

• Resources in plenty can be found in this territory.这一地区能找到大量自然资源。
• Our country has a vast territory and abundant resources.我国土地辽阔，资源丰富。

6 colonies   

n.殖民地( colony的名词复数 )；（侨民等）聚居区；（动植物的）群体；（来自同一地方，职业或兴趣相同的）聚居人群

参考例句：

• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But throughout the colonies, people relied primarily on small farms and self-sufficiency. 但就整个殖民地来说，人们主要依靠小型农场，过着自给自足的生活。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

7 poverty   

n.贫穷， 贫困， 贫乏， 缺少

参考例句：

• We must continue to war against poverty and disease.我们一定要继续同贫穷和疾病作斗争。
• He showed his poverty in his knowledge of agriculture.他表现出缺乏对农业知识的了解。

8 unemployment   

n.失业，失业状态

参考例句：

• The government will look into how to reduce unemployment.政府将研究如何降低失业率。
• He gave a talk on the theme of teenage unemployment.他就青少年失业的主题作了一次报告。

9 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

10 represented   

v.表现( represent的过去式和过去分词 )；代表；体现；作为…的代表

参考例句：

• The number 107 is represented in hexadecimal as 6B. 107这个数用十六进制表示为6B。
• Women are under-represented at senior levels in business. 商界高层的女性代表不足。

11 concentrate   

vt.集中；聚集；浓缩；vi.集中；全神贯注

参考例句：

• You should concentrate on the road when you're driving.开车时注意力应集中在路上。
• Concentrate your mind on study,Don't look around.专心学习，别东张西望的。

12 political   

adj.政治上的，政党的，政略性的，政治的

参考例句：

• He was forced to leave his homeland for political reasons.因为政治原因他被迫离开自己的祖国。
• In ideas those two political parties are worlds apart.那两个政党在思想上有巨大分歧。

13 partition   

n.分开，隔板，隔开；vt.分割，隔开

参考例句：

• She tapped on the glass partition and the car stopped.她轻轻敲击玻璃隔板，汽车便停了下来。
• There is a plywood partition between the two rooms.两个房子中间有一个夹板墙。

14 separated   

adj.分开的v.分开(separate的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Her parents are separated but not divorced. 她父母分居但没离婚。
• No child should ever be separated from his mother by force. 绝不能强行使任何一个孩子与母亲分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 authorities   

n.当局，权力，权威；权威( authority的名词复数 )；权力；学术权威；[复数]当权者

参考例句：

• They interceded with the authorities on behalf of the detainees. 他们为被拘留者向当局求情。
• At his instigation we conceal the fact from the authorities. 我们受他的怂恿向当局隐瞒了事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 settled   

a.固定的；稳定的

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled without acrimony. 没有唇枪舌剑，这场纠纷就解决了。
• a settled way of life 安定的生活方式

17 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

18 estimates   

估计

参考例句：

• Unofficial estimates put the figure at over two million. 非官方的估计数字为200万以上。
• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 permits   

许可( permit的名词复数 )； 许可证； 执照

参考例句：

• The building permits are granted by the City Building Department. 建筑许可证由城建局签发。
• This task permits (of) no delay. 这项任务不允许有任何耽搁。

20 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

21 witness   

n.证人，目击者，证据，证明，证词；vt.目击，作证，证明，表明，经历；vi.作证人

参考例句：

• She was a witness of the incident.她是事件的目击者。
• A witness was examined by him in a court of law.他在法庭上质问一个证人。

22 Represents   

v.表现( represent的第三人称单数 )；代表；体现；作为…的代表

参考例句：

• This represents a volte-face in government thinking. 这代表着政府观点的彻底转变。
• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history. 俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 demonstrates   

举行示威游行（或集会）( demonstrate的第三人称单数 )； 示范。展示； 显示； 论证

参考例句：

• I hope this message demonstrates my feelings to the students. 我希望这个祝词能表达出我对学生们的感情。
• I hope this demonstrates to you how I feel. 我希望这能向你表明我的感受。

24 heal   

v.使愈合，治愈，使康复；平息(争吵等)；消除，解决(分支等)

参考例句：

• Time helped heal the old wounds.时间有助于治愈旧创伤。
• This wound will soon heal if yon keep it clean.如果你保持伤口清洁，它很快就会痊愈。