The theme of communal harmony in Ismat Chugtai's 'Roots"

        Ismat chugtai's 'Roots' was originally written in Urdu as 'Judein'. The story provides the harrowing experience of the 1947 partition of India which, in the wake of the much dreamt of Swaraj or independence, had divided the country into the two countries of a Hindu majorityIndia, bordered on either side by a Muslim majority West Pakistan, which forms today's Pakistan, and East Pakistan, which later asserted its independence as Bangladesh in 1971. The two regions which were worst hit by this division were Punjab and Bengal which were divided from right within the middle of the territories. Though it is true that India had assumed the character of a nation only after the phenomenon of British colonization. The worst nightmare of the British policy of divide and rule had finally managed to take a shape and India, which was to assume its status as a secular .

Ismat Chugtai is one of the most popular writers of progressive Urduliterature. She has been labelled as "the grand dame of Urdufiction[. . . ] the indomitable spirit of the Urdu afsana" who is famous for exhibiting an early streak of feminism . UttarPradeshon 15th August 1915, she broke the convention of little or no literacy amongst Muslim women by securing a doubleBachelor's degree, in Arts and in Education, thus becoming the first Muslim woman to do so. The present story 'Roots' also depicts the manner of the reception of Partition by an elderly woman, Amma who feels desolate, anxious and unsettled when the unprecedented news suddenly plunges her into absolute turmoil.

Ismat Chugtai 'Roots' is based on a juxtaposition that the author strikes between a pre-partitioned and post-partitioned India. The author begins with a happy account, emphasizing on the harmonious relationship shared by a Hindu and a Muslim family in Marwar, situated in Rajasthan. Epitomised by the representative personalities and families of Roopchandji and Amma, the author depicts how in a pre-partitioned India, the Hindus and the Muslims belonged to the one community of humanity, engendering love, friendship, brotherhood and mutual respect-an equation that would be passed down the genera-tions. and long-standing his As daughters-in-law the author friend mentions,  Roopchandji sons were of her sisters-in-law.

    They, similar or extended otherseparate the as clothing such, same for to from three the could language,habits.children.

of family his prompt service to either fallen sick for gobbling up allthe "pulao-jarda"which was too much to digest at her age or had just fake  order to bring him to her home . It is the immense love and trust of Amma's family members which had made Roopchandji the most versatile and omniscient doctor -- someone who could be a gynaecologiet assisting in childbirth, a general physician treating"stomach problems" or even a dermatologist examining "a pimple", according to the demand of the patient and the situation . Even when he was not treating anything, as happened when the narrator's Abba gets paralysed, Roopchandji would be supervising the proceedings out of concernandalsobecause his presence itself was assurance enough forAmma's family. The depth of understanding between the two families becomes far more evident when instead of the customarymonetary compensation, Roopchandji would enjoy a hearty meal of "rotis thick with pulses, and dahi vadas", along with his entire family, at Amma's house as a way of collecting his fees.

Roopchandji's services, in fact, often exceeded the purview of his occupation. The author depicts how Roopchandji almost replaced Abba after his demise by assuming the responsibilities of the latter's family so that "nothing was done without consult-desertion This is evident to unite when once a lonely, disillusioned in a bond of and love helpless and humanity.Amma, desertedby her own family members, finds company with darkness Roopchandji's of the wife  who if not could during master the day, enough to defy courage the politicalin the slogansand the so-called national sentiments. The gesture of the latter'sbringing food to Amma, stealthily through the backdoor,  illustrates the feeling of compassion and concern andthesense of responsibility that was still intact beneath the larger disturbing social issue of the Hindu-Muslim conflict . Eventually, it is this deep affection and empathy that propelledRoopchandji to overcome all barriers to be true to himself. Unable to withstand the uprooting of Amma's family which, in turn, was also wrenching his family off their sense of existence, he decided to proceed from merely cursing "his wife, children, the government and the silent street that stretched before him-also the bricks and stones, the knives and daggers" or, in short, the situation to perform some real action to bring about a change in the prevailing circumstances. He finally triumphed over the sense of subordination to the popular public sentiment and upheld his individuality to pursue Amma's family members to the Loni junction, prevent them from leaving India by making them aware of their rights as Indians in a secular nation and bring them back to reinfuse life into an emaciated, hallucinating and immensely terrified Amma. Thus, the return of Amma's family to their own home at Marwar stabilised the existence or, in other words, secured the roots of not only Amma but also that of Roopchandji and his family.

       Ismat Chugtai's 'Roots', thus, ends on a didactic note. Instead of just showcasing a negative, although truthful, picture of the violence, complication and crisis , she uses her writing as a medium to suggest a solution to the society. Instead of upholding a pessimistic viewpoint and seeking refuge in an alternative world of delusion, despair and romantic nostalgia, she communicates about the need to maintain communal harmony and infuses courage in the mindsofher readers to undertake some real initiative to improve the situation. She believes in the supreme power of love and brotherhood that alone should be able to redress the crisis. therefore, encourages to inculcate, propagate and popularise the same amongst the fellow countrymen in order to put an end to all such hollow divisions and insubstantial rivalries in the present and for ever.