<p>"There was bloodshed everywhere... every other person on the train was mourning the loss of a loved one," says 94-year-old Kailash Rani, recalling the day she and her family were forced to flee their home in Pakistan's Rawalpindi during Partition.</p>.<p>"Some of our close relatives accompanying us were killed in cold blood by some youths," Rain said here on Sunday.</p>.<p>The independence of India from British colonial rule in 1947 coincided with Partition that triggered widespread communal violence and resulted in an insurmountable refugee crisis.</p>.<p>Rani said her husband, Suraj Prakash, a businessman, faced communal violence and mindless hate before the family decided to leave Rawalpindi for somewhere safe.</p>.<p>"We were well settled and our family was very prosperous living in a posh colony there. Suddenly, riots erupted and we were forced to leave," the nonagenarian said.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/india75" target="_blank">Independence Day 2022 coverage on DH</a></strong></p>.<p>She said the situation was so bad at that time that they could not take any valuables with them.</p>.<p>"We buried all our gold ornaments in the corner of our house hoping to collect them after a few years once the situation would return to normal.</p>.<p>"Unfortunately, we have not been able to visit our ancestral house in 75 years. We don't even know if our house in Rawalpindi still exists," she said.</p>.<p>Rani said she and her family managed to reach the railway station and boarded a train headed to India.</p>.<p>"There was chaos, fear and looting on the train. The train was overloaded with refugees. Thank God we reached Ambala safely," she said.</p>.<p>Like millions of others who were displaced during Partition, Rani and her family members had to rebuild their lives from scratch.</p>.<p>Initially, they lived in tents along with other families at Baldev Nagar Camp in Ambala city.</p>.<p>"Later, we were shifted to mud houses. Finally, small plots of land were given to refugee families who had come from various parts of Pakistan," Rani said.</p>.<p>Her husband got the job of 'patwari' in the revenue department in Ambala and retired as a 'tehsildar'. He passed away around a decade back, she said.</p>.<p>Her six sons and three daughters are well settled, she said.</p>.<p>It is said time heals all wounds, but for Rani time stopped three-quarters of a century ago.</p>.<p>"I cannot forget the days of Partition. Those memories are etched in my mind," Rani said. </p>
<p>"There was bloodshed everywhere... every other person on the train was mourning the loss of a loved one," says 94-year-old Kailash Rani, recalling the day she and her family were forced to flee their home in Pakistan's Rawalpindi during Partition.</p>.<p>"Some of our close relatives accompanying us were killed in cold blood by some youths," Rain said here on Sunday.</p>.<p>The independence of India from British colonial rule in 1947 coincided with Partition that triggered widespread communal violence and resulted in an insurmountable refugee crisis.</p>.<p>Rani said her husband, Suraj Prakash, a businessman, faced communal violence and mindless hate before the family decided to leave Rawalpindi for somewhere safe.</p>.<p>"We were well settled and our family was very prosperous living in a posh colony there. Suddenly, riots erupted and we were forced to leave," the nonagenarian said.</p>.<p><strong><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tag/india75" target="_blank">Independence Day 2022 coverage on DH</a></strong></p>.<p>She said the situation was so bad at that time that they could not take any valuables with them.</p>.<p>"We buried all our gold ornaments in the corner of our house hoping to collect them after a few years once the situation would return to normal.</p>.<p>"Unfortunately, we have not been able to visit our ancestral house in 75 years. We don't even know if our house in Rawalpindi still exists," she said.</p>.<p>Rani said she and her family managed to reach the railway station and boarded a train headed to India.</p>.<p>"There was chaos, fear and looting on the train. The train was overloaded with refugees. Thank God we reached Ambala safely," she said.</p>.<p>Like millions of others who were displaced during Partition, Rani and her family members had to rebuild their lives from scratch.</p>.<p>Initially, they lived in tents along with other families at Baldev Nagar Camp in Ambala city.</p>.<p>"Later, we were shifted to mud houses. Finally, small plots of land were given to refugee families who had come from various parts of Pakistan," Rani said.</p>.<p>Her husband got the job of 'patwari' in the revenue department in Ambala and retired as a 'tehsildar'. He passed away around a decade back, she said.</p>.<p>Her six sons and three daughters are well settled, she said.</p>.<p>It is said time heals all wounds, but for Rani time stopped three-quarters of a century ago.</p>.<p>"I cannot forget the days of Partition. Those memories are etched in my mind," Rani said. </p>