Question

Identify the novels that deal with the trauma of Partition:

• A. Shauna Singh Baldwin's What the Body Remembers
• B. Amitav Ghosh's The Shadow Lines
• C. Anita Desai's Cry, the Peacock
• D. Kamala Markandaya's Nectar in a Sieve

Hint:

Remember: Partition novels often focus on displacement, riots, and memory. Key works — Khushwant Singh's Train to Pakistan, Shauna Singh Baldwin's What the Body Remembers, and Ghosh's The Shadow Lines.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A, B

Step 1: Context of Partition literature
The Partition of India in 1947 inspired a wide range of novels that depict themes of displacement, trauma, violence, and memory. Works by writers such as Khushwant Singh (Train to Pakistan), Bapsi Sidhwa (Ice-Candy Man), and others form part of this tradition.

Step 2: Evaluate options
(A) What the Body Remembers — Shauna Singh Baldwin's novel focuses directly on the Partition, especially Sikh and Hindu women's experiences during displacement. ✔
(B) The Shadow Lines — Amitav Ghosh's novel deals with memory, trauma, and borders, including Partition and communal riots. ✔
(C) Cry, the Peacock — Anita Desai's novel, but it is about psychological breakdown and marital discord, not Partition. ✘
(D) Nectar in a Sieve — Kamala Markandaya's work about rural poverty, resilience, and colonial/postcolonial struggles, not Partition. ✘
\[ \boxed{\text{Novels about Partition trauma: (A) and (B)}} \]