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The Cultural Frontline: Beyond the Borders of Partition

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12/08/2017 GMT

Beyond the Borders of Partition

BBC World Service - The Cultural Frontline, Beyond the Borders of Partition

Independence day, 70 years on. The birth of two new nations, India and Pakistan.

This week on the Cultural Frontline, guided by some of the Indian subcontinent’s finest contemporary artists we explore Partition, not as a historical event, but as an open wound.

Award winning authors, Pakistani novelist Kamila Shamsie and Indian writer Urvashi Butalia, both from families of Partition refugees, discuss how the legacy of independence continues to shape the cultural identity of both of their homelands.

Exploring the fallout of Partition across the generations, Indian graphic novelist Vishwajyoti Ghosh.  His new anthology ‘This Side, That Side: Restorying Partition’ brings together comic artists, writers, and illustrators from across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. 

Two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy takes us on a tour of her latest immersive exhibition ‘HOME1947'. Around 14 million people are thought to have been displaced with the birth of India and Pakistan. Chinoy’s exhibition brings a powerfully personal perspective to their collective story.

Author and activist Arundhati Roy discusses her new novel, ‘The Ministry of Utmost Happiness’ with BBC presenter Samira Ahmed. Arundhati explains how the characters in her new book reflect the enduring divisions of gender, caste and religion embedded within the fabric of her home country of India.

And finally, British Punjabi, DJ Swami, explores the spaces in between traditional Punjabi sounds and contemporary dance music with his latest composition, Partitions. 

Presenter: Tina Daheley

Photo: Wagah border post, Pakistan. Credit: Arif Ali / Stringer

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