The Train To Pakistan presents four male characters out of which three are typical stereotype that exist even today. Out of these, Iqbal, the young man wearing the Sam Browne Belt, Malli the leader of the gang and Jaggut Singh are typical characters. Iqbal and the young man wearing the Sam Browne belt are in fact two sides of the same coin. While Iqbal is the archetypal young man out to change the world through his ideas and Philosophy of social equity, the young man wearing the Sam Browne belt is the typical angry young man who wants to bring a change to the world through violence, bloodshed and revenge. Both, however fail in their tasks, perhaps because of the impractically extreme views they hold about the world. Juggut Singh however stands far apart from both Iqbal and the young man wearing the Sam Browne belt for the very fact that he is the least likely candidate for social fame and glory. A practical minded and down to earth person, he ends up sacrificing himself to save the people travelling on the train to Pakistan. He succeeds in his mission to save the world while the other two fail miserably.
A close look at Iqbal and the young man wearing the Sam Browne belt, reveals them to be most fashionably dressed, with a sound education and a rather distinctive personality. They end up looking rather proud, vain and artificial in nature and they are filled with feeling of contempt for the people they intend to lead to glory. Iqbal, the social worker is out to teach the locals about their rights and motivate them to fight against the injustices to the society meted out by the rich. Yet, he fails to mingle with the villagers of Mano Majra. He carries his own food, his tin of sardines and won't drink the offered milk which has been stirred by a grime stained finger because in spite of everything, he is disgusted by the lack of hygiene and sophistication. It is rather as if he has set himself out on a mission to educate and emancipate the locals from their rather crude standards of life. This seems rather familiar when compared to what happened when the British attempted to civilize people of the countries they colonialized. A typical westernized nerd, he has set himself out to educate the natives. One of the candidates of Hukum Chand decides to free, he fails to prevent the crowd from gathering at the railway bridge for the massacre of those travelling on the train. Hukum Chand had great hopes from Iqbal, believing that his superior education would help him convince the crowd to spare the people travelling on the train. Iqbal turns out to be the least likely candidate for heroism because ultimately he goes with his mind and decides that self preservation weighed heavier than the glory of heroism.
The young man wearing the Sam Browne belt instigates the village youth to take up arms so that they can massacre the people travelling on the train to Pakistan. Like Iqbal he too fails in his mission because of the intervention of Juggut Singh. His extreme aggression, vindictiveness, and dependence on violence end up in a loss of face and dignity for him too. People like him and Iqbal turn out to be less successful in their missions because of their extreme views. They are impractical in nature and often thwarted by uneducated people like Juggut Singh. People like Juggut Singh turn our to be the least likely candidates for heroism especially because they are not dressed like heroes, or even look like heroes. Through Juggut Singh, Khushwant Singh is trying to advocate authenticity over artificiality and superficiality. He is celebrating the authenticity of people who are led by the heart rather than the mind, or, perhaps even those who depend too much on their minds.
A third interesting character is Malli. He is the leader of the gang that murders Lala Ram Lal. He used to be friends with Juggut Singh till they fall out with each other. After the break down in their relationship, they become sworn enemies. Ultimately it all ends up with Malli throwing bangles into Juggut Singh's house to make fun of him. Ultimately, Malli ends up behaving like a devious criminal, the caretaker of the property of the migrating Muslims whose real intention is to acquire it. Malli is later on inducted into the gang of attackers who plan to massacre the people on the train to Pakistan by the young man wearing the Sam Browne belt-a fitting duty for a petty criminal. In the end Malli devolves into a young man looking for some kind of validation of his importance in the society especially when juxtaposed before Juggat Singh who literally beats him to death every time they come into contact with each other.
Iqbal and the Man wearing the Sam Browne belt can at best be viewed as stereotypes. While Iqbal might be viewed as the typical young man in love with his ideas and philosophy with which he would like to change the world, the young man wearing the Sam Browne belt is the typical angry young man who would like to change the world by force, violence and bloodshed. Both of these men are stereotypes of the young fashionably dressed, dandified youth who have a superior air about them. Iqbal has narcissistic feelings, he is in love with himself, and for him self-preservation is more important than saving the world. The same can be said of the young man who swaggers around mollifying the rather innocent villagers with his rhetoric even as he taps his pistol. He is intoxicated by the influence and power he holds on his men.
Juggat Singh, however is larger than life. He is the village bad character, the good criminal who is led by his heart, the garrulous and boastful man but with a heart of gold. His garrulousness and boastfulness about women is merely what he has imbibed from the society, deemed. probably as being an appropriate instance of masculinity and prowess. He beats Malli whenever he has the chance to do so. He will never kill anyone who lives in his village. He is larger than life in terms of his physical build. Moreover Juggut Singh becomes the unlikely hero of the novel towards the end when he sacrifices his own life while cutting down the rope that had been strung across the path of the train. His brave action results in the prevention of a massacre that would have led to the deaths of thousands.
While the women in the novel, Train to Pakistan are portrayed as mere objects, passive and subservient in their roles, they are, nevertheless, important influencers of events. They play a rather subtle role in the novel in a society that is dominated by the male psyche. The women in the novel are described as sensual, desirable objects of desire, to be bragged about by the men who have been in contact with them. Sundari, about whom not much has been written is the unlucky victim of a mob frenzy, helpless and unlucky, she becomes an object of revenge, desecrated of all that is human. She becomes little more than spoilt goods, broken bangles that have lost their symbolism of the auspiciousness in matrimony. Khushwant Singh probably did not want to dwell too much on her because he was probably already done with passing on his message.
The women in the novel, Train to Pakistan are unlike the young men, more subservient, objects of desire or even targets of frustration. Hasseena, the dancing girl and the underage prostitute who a regular guest at the Dak Bungalow is an object of desire for Hukum Chand, the Magistrate and Deputy Commissioner of Mano Majra. Their relationship is a rather complex one especially as Hukum Chand probably sees her as a mother figure and a daughter he has never had. Going beyond the obviously carnal relationship, there seems to be another more platonic relationship. Although Hasseena has been objectified, she, however does play an important role in the novel. While she might not have an actual active role in the novel, she does however influence Hukum Chand's decision regarding the release of Iqbal and Juggut Singh from jail. His concern for the welfare of the passengers travelling on the train to Pakistan is because Hasseena is travelling on it. Some of the women in the novel though passive players in the plot do bring out the best in their men.
Nooran, another rather passive character in the novel also influences Juggut Singh's actions towards the end of the novel. It is because of her that Juggut Singh decides to prevent the massacre of the Muslims travelling on board the train. Like Hasseena, Nooran too brings out the best in Juggut Singh. It is because her that Juggut Singh has turned away from serious crime. He has broken up from Malli's Gang and leads a more 'domestic' life.
Both Nooran and Hasseena are also larger than life especially because they are symbols of hope for humanity. Nooran is carrying Juggut Singh's child who will be born in safety. Their child will be a symbol of hope in a world of chaos and disruption a possibility of the two communities coming together in the future. Hasseena too is a symbol of hope a celebration of life and survival amidst the tumult of hatred and irrationality.
Sundari, unfortunately, also becomes larger than life, not as survivor but as a victim of mob violence, a grim reminder of what an irrational and hate-filled mob can do to innocent people.
