The Fire That Burned and Consumed it All ~ 17 March 2021

15 AUGUST 1947: A day where on one hand, 1 heart and 2 dominions broke away from chains of slavery & colonisation and woke up to a new life and sunrise as independent entities, while on the other hand, humanity was dying with a brutal divorce between them on lines of religion and a perceived new sense of belonging taking precedence over all on both sides of the newly established (but NOT formally announced) border. Chaos, bloodshed and fire could be seen everywhere, and post the August 17 Partition, people hanging off trains to get to the RIGHT side of the border was a sight synonymous with the batwaara of people, property and propriety.

To each and every member of the Kyun Utthe Dil Chhod Aaye cast and crew today, I would like to salute and give you a standing ovation for portraying the tragedy so realistically and with sensitivity towards both sides. It is just the beginning, but as I was watching the episode, I could literally FEEL the pain as if I was suddenly transported to the 1940s and living this trauma of losing everything in one instant, and having to hide and move for the sake of existence along with the show's characters, and right now, well, I am speechless and screaming in agony at the same time.

Here is my humble dedication to the episode today:

Raw. Intense. Heartbreaking. Meaningful. Eyeopening. Numb.

The horrific tragedy has just begun and my heart stopped for a few seconds.

Every emotion today, every performance today was flawless and phenomenal.

The worry and selflessness for family and friends, humanity above everything else.

While the fire was consuming the city every minute outside, simultaneously, the fear in the hearts of each and every soul was increasing every second.

Picked apart, thrown aside, rioters never cared who lived, who died.

Nothing mattered more than survival of one's life and those who made them feel alive.

With the ashes, the city and people died. With the ashes, the brotherhood cried.

Raavi turned red with the untold tale of sacrifice of those who had once grown up together dreaming of the freedom to live, but the only freedom they got was salvation.

It was a brutal massacre on both sides, whose fire still continues to burn and torment us and push us in the abyss of hatred and thorns laid as a result of the traumatic experiences. Survivors somehow managed to find the courage to move ahead and helped to build the cities from the ruins, and create the core foundation of their respective countries, the wounds also slowly healed, but the scars haunt and remind us of what we have lost, and what we thought we gained, because things from this point ahead will never be the same again

I have a lot of things to say about today's episode.... Just need time...

Thanks for this post. 🔥

"The wounds healed, but the scars haunt and remind us of what we have lost and what we thought we gained, but things will never be the same again"💔

I literally had goosebumps while watching the episode. It was so intense, so raw, it had everything. From Dr. Baig to Zayeda begum, Lalaji ,Rajarani, Mogar bua, Sharfu miyaan, Mrs, Raizada, VashmAy, Radha everyone was so good, I could feel their emotions. The makers did a brilliant job. The direction, acting everything was top notch. We were transported back to 15th August 1947 Lahore. Still not over it. I am still feeling disturbed thinking about the actual people of that time who faced this brutality😭

I could not watch the episode without feeling the pain and wanting to stop it. I kept trying to take my eyes away from the horror, to stop the episode, to turn it to something else, but I couldn't. It...it wasn't even the main characters, it was this massacre, the riot, the fire. All started by a few people who could not see someone else's happiness. At the root of it, that's what it was. Farooq and Abrar could not see someone's happiness and they decided to destroy it.

What an episode!!! I had goosebumps throughout. I’ve grown up on stories of partition, from my grandparents and books. I never thought watching anything could make me feel like I was living it!!
My Nani had a framed photo of Guru Nanak that she brought with her from across the border during partition. We offered to change the frame since it had worn out, but she didn’t ever let us. She said it was the only thing from ‘home’ she still had.
I know how they cherished anything that they brought with them. Every time I see that photo, I have moist eyes.

Today when I see Lalajis family flee with nothing, I remembered all the stories my grandparents told me. To see it on screen is so sad.

Pta nhi vo dangai aisi kon si aag lga k gye the jo ab tak jal rhi h.....

You have said it all. 😭 😭 😭

I have been continuously crying as I got to watch it just now. At least we know VashRitDha will survive but the victims of the tragic incident didn't know what was their fate, would they survive or not.

And it's not just about the leads. When Sharfu Mia died or when Iqbal-Zayeda Baig risked their own lives to save the Sahanis, Abdul putting out the fire in the kitchen - every single thing screamed how they became outsider in their own land within a blink of an eye. 😭 😭 😭

Amrit : The Girl lost everything in one day. The trauma she went through is unimaginable. She saw her parents killed infront of her eyes. Then, gets kidnapped by farooq, separated from randheer and there she has to fight for her life and respect.

And there after years, she is narrating us her story. What a strong character. She literally died there itself, but will live. Hope she finds randheer back and has some reason to live. ❤️

Vashma : This girl sacrificed her everything for udhay and amrit. Has a lot of courage to stand up against anyone for his uday. She found her love again at the time when her friend lost everything. Hope this love is not lost in midst of this hatred.

Radha : This girl not thought of herself even at once. She tried to save all her family members. This wins my heart. If she wouldn't have reached there, the situation would have been different. Hope brij realises his mistake or she looks upto hersellf more than just brij' wife and make her own identity and live with complete freedom. She deserves that much of love and freedom.

Udhay : Even after having faced ignorance from vashma, seen hatred from vashma, couldn't move on leaving her there. Just couldn't left her there. He even not care to bothered about whose child it is, He took child's and vashma's responsibility and gave them priority more than his life. True love . Hope he lives with vashma and get to know about the truth soon.

Randheer : Having separated from his parents, he had the hope to find them back after getting amrit along with him. Not knowing his fate that he may loose her amrit. Hope he finds amrit back and saves him from the farooq. Besides this, another relevation awaits him, the pic given by her mother.

Lalaji & Rajrani : They brought us to that era. They literally made us felt grievance of those who choose to die in their hometown, rather than leaving from there. True dedication to motherland. Hope amrit recovers from this trauma and accepts that this was her maa bauji's decision to die there, being lived there for years, hoping for independence.

Dr. Baig : He proved humanity has no religion. He proved that Lala-Baig frinedship is not weak, that would be ruined by this bloody hatred of religion.

Zahida : Although, she has done injustice to vashma as her mother. But today she proved, she has love for humanity, save that family with whom they have shared times of happiness and sorrow together.

Thanks to superb acting of all the characters by Zaan, Gracy, Anchal, Shagun, Pranali, Avtar Gill sir, and other actors. They brought us to that era.👏👏

My Grandmother & aunt were in Agra & had to return to Lahore. When the train they were supposed to take reached Lahore there were no survivors, only blood & bodies I was told & the family went into mourning. But luckily they had good friends & neighbours who helped disguise them as Hindus so they could travel safely & took a later train. My grandmother never spoke much of that journey

She told us after she got back to Lahore the Old city was In flames. Their area was spared as it was a gated family enclave & as a result they were able to shelter some Hindu friends & families.
After 60 years my father still remembered a friend of his from before that time, Mohan & used to wonder if he was safe.

Can we imagine enduring the pain & suffering unleashed in those terrifying days?
Did our politicians not understand human nature? While most people are basically good, there are more than enough evil & greedy people who see conflict as opportunity for personal revenge, personal gain & know how to let out the demons that live even within the average man