While the memory of partition of India and Pakistan remains in the minds of those who witnessed it, it has trickled down to the younger generations mostly in the form of informally told narratives. It’s representation in art, films and literature usually sheds light on victim experiences on either side of the border. The varied experiences of individual men and women, of the upper, middle and lower classes has rarely come out in these narratives. To expand the lens through which the Partition is remembered and will be preserved, the Partition Museum Project steps in to bring all these differing experiences together under one single roof.
The Partition museum opened its doors in Amritsar last year, and has received more than 25,000 visitors so far, demonstrating the continuing emotive resonance of the moment. For the first time, 30 items from the museum will be on display in Delhi from March 29.
The displays are categorised into four sections. While the first includes artefacts of people, the second has photographs from the migration showing how families had to use every means imaginable — from walking to bullock carts to trains to flee their homes.
The third section deals with letters written by refugees at the time of the Partition — most of them to the government, desperately seeking help or looking for missing relatives. The final section comprises an art installation symbolising the journey of refugees.
“The Partition Museum has been set up with an aim to acknowledge the experiences of millions of people who lost their homes and loved ones in the largest migration in human history. The exhibition will, therefore, consist of pieces which signify personal history.
The display items were selected by the Partition Museum team and the London School of Economics’ (LSE) South Asia Center to underscore the challenges faced by these millions,” says Kishwar Desai, Chairman, Partition Museum Project. Most of displays are personal in nature and have been donated by families. There is an original refugee registration card from 1949.
There is also a letter written by a father to a son that he has been separated from; it touchingly notes that they may not meet again.
Is the idea of a Partition Museum to revisit old wounds? “It tells a story of hope. Our last gallery was called the Gallery of Hope, and highlights how families rebuilt their lives despite everything they experienced, saw and lost. The Munjal family of the Hero group, despite losing a lot during the riots of Partition, went on to start from a small cycle business that became the Hero group. It pays a homage to this resilience of the human spirit,” says Desai.
The exhibition is part of “India at 70: LSE India Summit”, a three-day event organised by the LSE as part of the India-UK Year of Culture 2017, announced by Narendra Modi and former UK Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015.
Partition Museum Exhibition will be held between March 29 and 31, at the Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, Delhi.