India Ukre Giya: Loss and Change in Light of and in the Shadows of War

What is it about?

The Thar Desert is located at the confluence of Sindh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. Its folklore illustrates a strong connection between Tharparkar (in the Pakistani province of Sindh) and Gujarat (in India). Even after Partition in 1947, people and goods continued to move back and forth between India and Pakistan. However, after the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971, Tharparkar became increasingly disconnected from Gujarat. By the late 1980s, fencing the border resulted in the two areas becoming disconnected. In light of and in the shadows of the 1965 and 1971 wars, the expressions “India ukre giya” (i.e., permanently crossing the border to India) and “harass” (i.e., fear) became common. This article explores these two expressions in relation to “loss” and emotional pain among the people of Tharparkar (i.e., Tharis).

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