Several profound tales of culture, people, and lives get lost over time. The India-Pakistan partition of 1947 is one such event whose depths we have barely touched and stories of which may have dissipated over time. As a largely significant time for our country, the partition brought about change in the lives of millions –– families were separated, borders were drawn, cultures took new forms, and for many, only memories remained.
Giving these very memories a platform and an opportunity to reach the world as stories is The 1947 Partition Archive, a non-profit organisation that ‘preserves and shares eyewitness accounts of the 1947 Partition of India/Pakistan’. Committed to preserving this particular time in history, the archive allows us to see independence and partition from more perspectives than just one. It shows us that for different individuals, the partition ranged from joyous to tragic, celebratory to mourn-worthy, and special to forgettable.
The platform allows one to share their stories by way of signing themselves, or a friend or family member up, and requesting to be interviewed by one of their volunteers.
What the 1947 Partition Archive is doing is special for a couple of reasons. For one thing, they give us a rather rounded approach to the historic event. It is not a one-sided or biased view of the partition and the real-life stories of those affected by it give the event the depth that it’s due. Additionally, no part of the archive thrusts their opinion or judgement upon us and this allows for the freedom to take from it what we wish to. It treats 1947 as a human event and not just another event described in our history books, and that is rare.
The organisation gives us much to ponder over, but more so, it gives us the means to explore and interpret the long-standing narrative of the India-Pakistan partition through the eyes of those who lived through it. Raw stories and real memories come to life at the 1947 Partition Archive.
Find The 1947 Partition Archive here.
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