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95 reviews for:
Remnants of a Separation: A History of the Partition through Material Memory
Aanchal Malhotra
4.51 AVERAGE
95 reviews for:
Remnants of a Separation: A History of the Partition through Material Memory
Aanchal Malhotra
4.51 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, War
Moderate: Rape
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
I'm at a loss for words. Stumped on one hand by Aanchal's exquisite finesse of story-telling and on the other by the unspeakable anguishes suffered by the characters in her writings , displaced on their own motherland; an entire subcontinent brutally ravaged into parts and pieces because of bastardly warmongers. However inanimate the precious treasures which traversed the borders may have been, they have each carried the soul of their owners, passed down to remind the bygone golden days. These are immortal remnants of mortal brotherhood, sisterhood untouched by religion, or creed which may have the ability to entirely extinguish the burning flames of hatred based on borders and religions on the very soil. I hope this book will make it happen. There's an ache in my heart to know an entire civilization was ripped apart. I was truly touched by "This Bird of Gold, My Land: The Hopeful Heart of Nazmuddin Khan. His love for his motherland is truly pure for he has a pure heart. I have only respects to each one of them for weathering this cruelty yet continuing to be merciful to everyone they meet. This is a heartachingly beautiful literary masterpiece. Thank you, Aanchal Malhotra.
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This book was very educational and taught me a lot about the Partition, which I had never even heard of before! It was a very interesting, personal history of how major world events affect individual people (hmm, wonder why I might be thinking about this now) and some of the stories were truly harrowing (the Mirpur story in particular has stuck with me). However, I wasn't necessarily a fan of the author's style of inserting herself into the stories and it felt like this book wasn't sure whether it wanted to be a personal memoir or collection of other people's stories. It also felt as though the other only spoke to wealthy or upper-caste people, without even a discussion of survival rates between castes or an acknowledgement of the experience of lower-caste people during Partition. The time period and stories were very interesting, though, and I'm definitely curious to know more about Partition and my own familial history (even though I am not South Asian).
"Memory dilutes, but the object remains unaltered."
The history of the partition of India and Pakistan means just a chapter for the younger generation while some have memories of it to write a book about it. Aanchal Malhotra recorded memories of these people through the objects they carried with them during that exodus to bring us closer to understand the amount of devastation caused in their lives.
The memories of slaughter, the pain and screams have been sealed in these objects because when they are taken out, they fill the space of their cosy surrounding with a chill and make them shudder. These objects not only tell the tale of their survival, but that horrifying sight they were a witness to.
This book is also a reminder of how far these families have come from that traumatic event and that's how when the memories are filling the pages with the bloodied shadows, we can also feel the light entering from a corner.
The history of the partition of India and Pakistan means just a chapter for the younger generation while some have memories of it to write a book about it. Aanchal Malhotra recorded memories of these people through the objects they carried with them during that exodus to bring us closer to understand the amount of devastation caused in their lives.
The memories of slaughter, the pain and screams have been sealed in these objects because when they are taken out, they fill the space of their cosy surrounding with a chill and make them shudder. These objects not only tell the tale of their survival, but that horrifying sight they were a witness to.
This book is also a reminder of how far these families have come from that traumatic event and that's how when the memories are filling the pages with the bloodied shadows, we can also feel the light entering from a corner.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I'm from South India, and here, while we all know and discuss the partition - I don't think it is ingrained as a cultural memory for many of us.
This book helped me understand a lot of things - how the partition ripped people apart - their lives, their livelihoods, families, land. Overnight, many people became refugees reduced to utter penury. Almost 72 years after independence, the generation which has seen the partition is slowly dying, with their children and grandchildren now growing up without those memories.
The author's accounts have helped me understand how the effects of inter-generational trauma continue to affect people, how people cope; sometimes by forgetting and sometimes through silence. In addition, it provides a context to things that we probably just read as events (like say, the Mirpur Massacre, the Lahore Riots, the Japanese Bombings of Calcutta). Stories from both sides of the border were incredibly fascinating to read side-by-side.
Another fascinating aspect was the concept of "material memory". Sure, things serve as anchors for memories. Simple, right? But, these things also take us back, give us an insight into precise moments of time, of private and collective memories, significances. The stories in this book surround everyday objects - shawls, a churning pot, plates and photos. Some are mementos, some are medals, some are weapons. But the object collects memories and histories as time passes - and that is something I found very fascinating.
The notes for this book are a fascinating collection of archives, news reports and books that I think would help anyone who is interested in histories of the partition.
I did have a gripe or two - I wish the book could go into people from lower socio-economic/caste strata, but the constraint of space is always there.
If you are looking for an academic history of the partition, this is probably not the book for you. But if you want to know the people whose lives were shattered by what seems like a border, this is where you should start.
This book helped me understand a lot of things - how the partition ripped people apart - their lives, their livelihoods, families, land. Overnight, many people became refugees reduced to utter penury. Almost 72 years after independence, the generation which has seen the partition is slowly dying, with their children and grandchildren now growing up without those memories.
The author's accounts have helped me understand how the effects of inter-generational trauma continue to affect people, how people cope; sometimes by forgetting and sometimes through silence. In addition, it provides a context to things that we probably just read as events (like say, the Mirpur Massacre, the Lahore Riots, the Japanese Bombings of Calcutta). Stories from both sides of the border were incredibly fascinating to read side-by-side.
Another fascinating aspect was the concept of "material memory". Sure, things serve as anchors for memories. Simple, right? But, these things also take us back, give us an insight into precise moments of time, of private and collective memories, significances. The stories in this book surround everyday objects - shawls, a churning pot, plates and photos. Some are mementos, some are medals, some are weapons. But the object collects memories and histories as time passes - and that is something I found very fascinating.
The notes for this book are a fascinating collection of archives, news reports and books that I think would help anyone who is interested in histories of the partition.
I did have a gripe or two - I wish the book could go into people from lower socio-economic/caste strata, but the constraint of space is always there.
If you are looking for an academic history of the partition, this is probably not the book for you. But if you want to know the people whose lives were shattered by what seems like a border, this is where you should start.
A poignant recollection of Partition, that half-healed wound, through the personal histories of the people - and objects - that lived through it. There is much to learn from the past, the loss and feeling of unbelonging that comes through here intensely - yet not always painfully - resonant still. This is of particular importance in our times, of malice towards refugees who are but victims of larger political machinations.
Few can do justice to these themes like Aanchal Malhotra - she is a sensitive, evocative storyteller who beautifully captures the mood of the past, as well as the present. Her prose transports the reader to specific times and places in all their sensory wonder. I've underlined several passages that will linger in my minder. It could've used some editing in parts, as stories tend to overlap and sound repetitive, but that is truly a minor issue.
What is here, is a powerful, moving series of accounts that people from my generation in India - and across the border - would do well to read, and imbibe. A book like no other.
Few can do justice to these themes like Aanchal Malhotra - she is a sensitive, evocative storyteller who beautifully captures the mood of the past, as well as the present. Her prose transports the reader to specific times and places in all their sensory wonder. I've underlined several passages that will linger in my minder. It could've used some editing in parts, as stories tend to overlap and sound repetitive, but that is truly a minor issue.
What is here, is a powerful, moving series of accounts that people from my generation in India - and across the border - would do well to read, and imbibe. A book like no other.
".. a story from the days of Partition was so much more than just about the Partition itself. Its was a story about soil and rain, fields and clouds, families and their traditions and customs, it was about love and relationships, about children and the sound of their crying, it was about landscape and language, music, art, literature and poetry."
Remnants of a Separation is one of those books that leave you speechless. 21 chapters, 400 pages tell us those details about partition that any textbooks failed to do. These stories, each told via the medium of an object connecting the Pre-Independent India and the post, after the division tell us about the immense courage, love, loss and hope of the people affected by it. Independence of course did us all good but it's aftermath and what it costs us, uprooting and dividing families, friends is just brutal.
Each story, tells us an overlapping account of the emotions, but each story is unique in it's own way. I have so much to say about this beautiful book but anything I say will never be able to match the experience of reading this.
I'm so glad I finally read this, it's one of my favourite reads this year and will always live with me. It feels so personal and somewhere in these stories, I think I can imagine my own grandparents story during that time.
5/5 and highly recommended!
Remnants of a Separation is one of those books that leave you speechless. 21 chapters, 400 pages tell us those details about partition that any textbooks failed to do. These stories, each told via the medium of an object connecting the Pre-Independent India and the post, after the division tell us about the immense courage, love, loss and hope of the people affected by it. Independence of course did us all good but it's aftermath and what it costs us, uprooting and dividing families, friends is just brutal.
Each story, tells us an overlapping account of the emotions, but each story is unique in it's own way. I have so much to say about this beautiful book but anything I say will never be able to match the experience of reading this.
I'm so glad I finally read this, it's one of my favourite reads this year and will always live with me. It feels so personal and somewhere in these stories, I think I can imagine my own grandparents story during that time.
5/5 and highly recommended!
Loved the unique concept of the book and the intriguing human narratives which taught me so much about the horrors of Partition as well as the resilience of the people who survived. However, Aanchal Malhotra's writing style didn't work for me (reading the book started feeling like a chore after sometime). I wish she hadn't interrupted the interviews with her own thoughts/feelings/musings and that she had covered a wider group of people which was inclusive (I was beginning to get tired of reading only about people who grew up in havelis/palaces).
It also felt like the author had written some passages in each chapter to evoke certain emotions from the reader which came across as forced and artificial to me. Despite being an emotional person, none of those passages made me even remotely tear up.
It also felt like the author had written some passages in each chapter to evoke certain emotions from the reader which came across as forced and artificial to me. Despite being an emotional person, none of those passages made me even remotely tear up.