The Enduring Partition and the Insider-Outsider Debate

The Partition evokes not just emotions, memories of friendship, bonding but also loss of faith on humanity, despair, betrayal and losses amidst a range of coping mechanisms for those who left their home and hearth willingly or unwillingly. It is an unsettling experience for many, as a longing for a homeland that was lost, was always present in their thoughts and reminiscences. Several books have been written on the theme of Partition, recounting personal memories, recording the oral history of those who survived. Partition has inspired films on friendship, betrayal and of love and compassion. While films like ‘Garam Hawa’, ‘Train to Pakistan’ ‘Pinjar’ and ‘Midnight’s Children’ focussed on Partition on the western border; ‘Meghe Dhaka Tara’, ‘Komal Gandhar’, ‘Subarnarekha’, ‘Chinnamul’ depicted the Partition in the eastern border of India. Several novels and literature depicted the trials and tribulations of the divided people. Individual experiences of Partition were also diverse.