Chapter 1: The Legacy of Partition
This chapter reflects upon the lasting legacy and implications of the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. It provides an overview of the physical, psychological, and economic separation of India and Pakistan resulting in large-scale displacement of people, suffering of many, and a legacy of hatred and violence. The author recounts the traumatic experiences of her family, with their displacement from what is now part of Pakistan to India, as well as her own struggles in blending into an unfamiliar culture. This chapter also addresses the difficulty of determining the location of “home”, especially in the era of globalization and the continuing conflict between India and Pakistan.
The symbol of the current physical and psychological divide between India and Pakistan is emphasized by the fact that the two countries were unable to reach a mutually accepted border until just recently. As the book documents, the consequence of this prolonged border dispute has been devastating for the populations of both countries as the lack of a clear delineation led to an increase in tensions and the ever-present risk of violence.
The partition of 1947 resulted in the mass migrations of people between countries. Millions of Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims moved from one side of the newly made border to another. The author documents the cruelties and suffering associated with such migrations, which included disrupted lives, deepening existing separatist tensions, and untold physical and psychological damage.
Chapter 2: Landscapes of Displacement
This chapter focuses on the human experience of displacement as a result of the partitioning of India and Pakistan. The author examines the human costs of displacement in terms of loss of home, displacement of family and community, and loss of cultural, religious, and language identity. Through her research and interviews with survivors who were uprooted by the 1947 partition, the author paints a vivid picture of a disguised and intransigent tragedy in which forces beyond people’s control shaped their destinies.
The author also highlights the displacement of people due to the increasing militarization of the India-Pakistan border, which has caused numerous shootings, clashes, and bombing campaigns from both sides in areas such as Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) that had not been divided during the 1947 partition. As both countries have continued to treat the border as an area of control, any civilians living near it have been displaced from their homes either to the other side of the border or different parts of India or Pakistan.
The chapter provides a real-world example of the displacement suffered by the people of the J &K region. For instance, the author documents the displacement of the villagers of Moorei on the India-Pakistan border, and their struggles as they were denied any form of legal aid and unable to return to their homes. This example serves to illustrate the realities of displacement that have been historically and systematically imposed on such populations and are ongoing throughout the subcontinent.
Chapter 3: Diaspora & Identity
This chapter studies the experiences of those people who were forced to migrate, the culture gaps they had to bridge, and the identity crisis experienced by those unable to take roots in their land of immigration. The chapter also considers the lasting issues of transnational identity and belonging among these diaspora communities.
The author provides a number of examples throughout this chapter to illustrate these points. These include the struggles of first- and second-generation Indian immigrants in the United States as they strive to cling onto their Indian heritage while negotiating life in a predominantly white American society. A similar example is given for Pakistani diaspora living in Britain and recounting stories of life in the subcontinent, making sense of their alienating experience in an unfamiliar culture.
The author notes the relevance of Partition to diaspora communities today, even generations after the dividing line was drawn on the subcontinent. For many, it still shapes family ties, customs, and individual identity. But it is also important to recognize that the diaspora often comes to represent a double-edged sword—of belonging and of alienation—for which people struggle and from which location they derive comfort and solidarity.
The chapter points to an increasingly complex and diverse world wherein individuals must continuously negotiate their sense of identity and belonging. This chapter looks at the act of knitting connections across epochs of memory and history as an act of healing for those displaced by Partition and their diaspora descendants.
