Train to Pakistan

by

Khushwant Singh

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Train to Pakistan makes teaching easy.

Boy Leader Character Analysis

Described in the text as only a “lad” and as somewhat “effeminate” in his youthful appearance, he is an aggressive teenage soldier who encourages the Sikhs of Mano Majra to murder Muslims. At one point in the text, he entices a crowd with a speech in which he questions the manhood of the male villagers and says that they should kill “two Musulmans” for every Sikh and Hindu that the Muslims kill.

Boy Leader Quotes in Train to Pakistan

The Train to Pakistan quotes below are all either spoken by Boy Leader or refer to Boy Leader . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Partition of India and Religious Warfare Theme Icon
).
4. Karma Quotes

“Well, if the village is not dead, then it should be. It should be drowned in a palmful of water. It consists of eunuchs,” said the visitor fiercely with a flourish of his hand … The leader had an aggressive bossy manner. He was a boy in his teens with a little beard which was glued to his chin with brilliantine. He was small in size, slight of build and altogether somewhat effeminate ….] He looked as if his mother had dressed him up as an American cowboy … It was obvious to the villagers that he was an educated city-dweller. Such men always assumed a superior air when talking to peasants. They had no regard for age or status.

Related Characters: Boy Leader (speaker), Meet Singh, Banta Singh
Page Number: 147-148
Explanation and Analysis:

“For each Hindu or Sikh they kill, kill two Mussulmans. For each woman they abduct or rape, abduct two. For each home they loot, loot two. For each trainload of dead they send over, send two across. For each road convoy that is attacked, attack two. That will stop the killing on the other side. It will teach them that we also play this game of killing and looting” … “I was going to say,” said Meet Singh haltingly, “I was going to say,” he repeated, “what have the Muslims here done to us for us to kill them in revenge for what Muslims in Pakistan are doing? Only people who have committed crimes should be punished.” The lad glared angrily at Meet Singh. “What had the Sikhs and Hindus in Pakistan done that they were butchered? Weren’t they innocent?”

Related Characters: Meet Singh (speaker), Boy Leader (speaker), Banta Singh
Page Number: 149
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Train to Pakistan LitChart as a printable PDF.
Train to Pakistan PDF

Boy Leader Quotes in Train to Pakistan

The Train to Pakistan quotes below are all either spoken by Boy Leader or refer to Boy Leader . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Partition of India and Religious Warfare Theme Icon
).
4. Karma Quotes

“Well, if the village is not dead, then it should be. It should be drowned in a palmful of water. It consists of eunuchs,” said the visitor fiercely with a flourish of his hand … The leader had an aggressive bossy manner. He was a boy in his teens with a little beard which was glued to his chin with brilliantine. He was small in size, slight of build and altogether somewhat effeminate ….] He looked as if his mother had dressed him up as an American cowboy … It was obvious to the villagers that he was an educated city-dweller. Such men always assumed a superior air when talking to peasants. They had no regard for age or status.

Related Characters: Boy Leader (speaker), Meet Singh, Banta Singh
Page Number: 147-148
Explanation and Analysis:

“For each Hindu or Sikh they kill, kill two Mussulmans. For each woman they abduct or rape, abduct two. For each home they loot, loot two. For each trainload of dead they send over, send two across. For each road convoy that is attacked, attack two. That will stop the killing on the other side. It will teach them that we also play this game of killing and looting” … “I was going to say,” said Meet Singh haltingly, “I was going to say,” he repeated, “what have the Muslims here done to us for us to kill them in revenge for what Muslims in Pakistan are doing? Only people who have committed crimes should be punished.” The lad glared angrily at Meet Singh. “What had the Sikhs and Hindus in Pakistan done that they were butchered? Weren’t they innocent?”

Related Characters: Meet Singh (speaker), Boy Leader (speaker), Banta Singh
Page Number: 149
Explanation and Analysis: