The Refugees
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My Grandma Recounted
Unable to face the unfathomable violence in East Pakistan, people were running for their lives. Millions of wretched souls would trek several miles each day to get to the nearest Indian border to take shelter in Refugee camps. My Grandma and Grandpa were among them too. In an interview with me, my Grandma recently recounted [5]– “ … we saw a beeline of people rushing to go over to the other side. Poor people, wretched people, hungry people, dying people, tortured and mutilated people. We were lucky. We had money. We traveled by automobiles. However, upon reaching the border we joined the same crowd – termed as refugees.”
Unable to face the unfathomable violence in East Pakistan, people were running for their lives. Millions of wretched souls would trek several miles each day to get to the nearest Indian border to take shelter in Refugee camps. My Grandma and Grandpa were among them too. In an interview with me, my Grandma recently recounted [5]– “ … we saw a beeline of people rushing to go over to the other side. Poor people, wretched people, hungry people, dying people, tortured and mutilated people. We were lucky. We had money. We traveled by automobiles. However, upon reaching the border we joined the same crowd – termed as refugees.”
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They Cry for more
TIME magazine reported on October 7, 1971, “As conditions within East Pakistan have worsened, so have those of the refugees in India. The stench from poor sanitation facilities hangs heavy in the air. Rajinder Kumar, 32, formerly a clerk in Dacca, says he is ‘always hungry’ on his daily grain ration of 300 grams (about 1.5 cups). His three children each get half that much, ‘They cry for more’ he says, ‘but there isn’t any more’” [10]. Malnutrition reached desperate proportions among the young children. Dr. John Seamon, a British doctor, who visited 1000 or so refugee camps estimates that nearly 150,000 children between the ages of one and eight had died and 500,000 more were suffering from malnutrition.
TIME magazine reported on October 7, 1971, “As conditions within East Pakistan have worsened, so have those of the refugees in India. The stench from poor sanitation facilities hangs heavy in the air. Rajinder Kumar, 32, formerly a clerk in Dacca, says he is ‘always hungry’ on his daily grain ration of 300 grams (about 1.5 cups). His three children each get half that much, ‘They cry for more’ he says, ‘but there isn’t any more’” [10]. Malnutrition reached desperate proportions among the young children. Dr. John Seamon, a British doctor, who visited 1000 or so refugee camps estimates that nearly 150,000 children between the ages of one and eight had died and 500,000 more were suffering from malnutrition.
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Despair and Hopelessness
US Senator Edward Kennedy visited the Refugee Camps in West Bengal province of India in 1971. He later submitted a report to the senate judiciary committee. Here is what he noted, “The story was the same in camp after camp…The refugees came from all kinds of backgrounds. Most were Hindus. …many of these people were still in visible stages of shock, sitting listlessly by the roadside or wandering aimlessly. They told stories of atrocities, of slaughter, of looting and burning, of harassment and abuse by Pakistani soldiers and their collaborators. Monsoon rain was drenching the area… To those of us who went out that day to visit the refugee camps, the rain meant no more than a change of clothes. But to the refugees it meant still another night without rest, food, or shelter.”[12]
US Senator Edward Kennedy visited the Refugee Camps in West Bengal province of India in 1971. He later submitted a report to the senate judiciary committee. Here is what he noted, “The story was the same in camp after camp…The refugees came from all kinds of backgrounds. Most were Hindus. …many of these people were still in visible stages of shock, sitting listlessly by the roadside or wandering aimlessly. They told stories of atrocities, of slaughter, of looting and burning, of harassment and abuse by Pakistani soldiers and their collaborators. Monsoon rain was drenching the area… To those of us who went out that day to visit the refugee camps, the rain meant no more than a change of clothes. But to the refugees it meant still another night without rest, food, or shelter.”[12]
1. Majumdar, Sikha R. "Escape From Bangladesh." Personal interview. 03 Jan.2014.
2. "The World: East Pakistan: Even the Skies Weep." TIME 25 Oct. 1971: n. pag. Web.
3. United States. Crisis in South Asia. By Edward M. Kennedy. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971. Print.
2. "The World: East Pakistan: Even the Skies Weep." TIME 25 Oct. 1971: n. pag. Web.
3. United States. Crisis in South Asia. By Edward M. Kennedy. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971. Print.