Zainab Singh

Zainab, sometimes spelled as Zainub, was the wife of Boota Singh, a Sikh ex-soldier of British Army during World War II.^[1] The couple is very well known in India and Pakistan for their tragic love story started during the partition of India in 1947. She was rescued by Boota Singh during the communal riots. They fell in love and got married. After few years, she was forcefully deported from Indian Punjab and sent to Pakistan. Boota came to Pakistan looking for her and brought before a judge where, under pressure from her family, she backed off and the heart pierced Boota committed suicide by jumping before an upcoming train along with their daughter near Shahdara station in Pakistan but their daughter survived.

The story influenced many films and books on both sides of the border. In 1999, Manoj Punj directed a Punjabi feature film, Shaheed-E-Mohabbat Boota Singh, entirely based on their life.^[1] Ishrat Rahmani wrote a novel, Muhabbat, on the story. It also influenced the 2007 Hollywood film Partition.

Zainab died few months ago.

Personal life

Zainab was born to a strict Muslim family of Rajasthan in British India. During the migration to the newly born Pakistan, their group was attacked by the vengeful locals near Jalandhar and she was taken apart. Boota Singh rescued her and everywhere they gone she stayed with him and later, felling in love, got married.

Later, she was deported from Indian Punjab and sent to her parents in the village of Noorpur near Barki in Pakistani Punjab where she was remarried to one of her cousin.

In popular culture

In 1999, Manoj Punj directed a Punjabi feature film, Shaheed-E-Mohabbat Boota Singh, entirely based on their life.^[1] The movie was an international hit and won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Punjabi at the 46th National Film Awards^[2] and was screened at many national and international film festivals including the 1999 Vancouver International Film Festival and International Film Festival of India. Ishrat Rahmani wrote a novel, Muhabbat, on the story. Larry Collins also mentioned the story in the book, Freedom at Midnight. The story also influenced the 2007 Hollywood film Partition written by Patrica Finn and Vic Sarin, starring Jimi Mistry and Kristin Kreuk in lead roles.

References