CAPF AC 2022 Q114: Art & Culture – Literature & Languages
- (a) Amrita Pritam
- (b) Urvashi Butalia
- (c) Saadat Hasan Manto
- (d) Manju Kapur
Answer: (b) Urvashi Butalia
Explanation
The Other Side of Silence
How to think: this is a book of oral history on the Partition of 1947.
Its author, Urvashi Butalia, collected the memories of ordinary people, above all women, children and Dalits.
It was published in 1998.
| Writer | Known for |
|---|---|
| Urvashi Butalia | The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India; co-founder of the feminist press Kali for Women |
| Amrita Pritam | Pinjar; the poem Ajj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu |
| Saadat Hasan Manto | Short stories Toba Tek Singh, Thanda Gosht, Khol Do |
| Manju Kapur | Novel Difficult Daughters |
Other Partition books: Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh, Tamas by Bhisham Sahni and Ice-Candy-Man by Bapsi Sidhwa.
Answer: (b) Urvashi Butalia.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Amrita Pritam wrote Pinjar, a Partition novel in Punjabi.
- (b) CORRECT. Urvashi Butalia wrote The Other Side of Silence (1998).
- (c) Incorrect. Manto wrote Partition short stories such as Toba Tek Singh.
- (d) Incorrect. Manju Kapur wrote Difficult Daughters.
Key point
Partition writing: Urvashi Butalia (The Other Side of Silence), Khushwant Singh (Train to Pakistan), Bhisham Sahni (Tamas), Amrita Pritam (Pinjar), Manto (Toba Tek Singh), Bapsi Sidhwa (Ice-Candy-Man). NCERT quotes Butalia in its Partition chapter.
Remember
The Other Side of Silence: Urvashi Butalia, 1998.
Common mistakes
- Marking Manto or Amrita Pritam, the best-known Partition writers.
- Thinking the book is a novel; it is oral history.
- Mixing up Urvashi Butalia with Ritu Menon, who wrote Borders and Boundaries.
Exam tip
Educated guess: the title speaks of silence being broken, which fits a book of recorded testimonies, not fiction. Among the options only Butalia is a historian-publisher.
Sources
- NCERT Class XII History — Themes in Indian History Part III, Chapter 14: Understanding Partition (oral testimonies)
- Urvashi Butalia, The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India (Penguin, 1998)