1947 marked the end of British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent and paved the way for the partition of India and the formation of Pakistan. Twenty-four years later, the region witnessed the partition of Pakistan following Bangladesh’s war of liberation.
These epochal events of 1947 and 1971 are not just occasions confined to a particular time and space but part of a broader process that continues to shape interactions in the contemporary context.
As we commemorate the 75th year of what some scholars also term Southasian independence, it becomes imperative to pause and reflect on our collective trajectories – of the past, in the present, to the future.
Beyond Partitions: Shared histories, Ways forward
Date: Sunday, 27 November 2022
Time: 10 am ET, 3 pm GMT, 8 pm PKT, 8:30 pm IST/SLST, 8:45 pm NPT, 9 pm BST
The meeting will be broadcast live on Facebook at this link.
This is the fourteenth in a series of discussions titled ‘Imagine! Neighbours in Peace’ organised by the Southasia Peace Action Network, or Sapan. The event features a conversation with three writers discussing their compelling narratives on this issue.
Ananya Jahanara Kabir, professor of English literature at King’s College London, winner of Infosys prize in Humanities (2018) and Humboldt research award (2019), and author of Territory of Desire: Representing the Valley of Kashmir (2009) and Partition’s Post-Amnesias: 1947, 1971 and Modern South Asia (2013).
Anam Zakaria, Toronto-based oral historian and author of 1971: A People’s History from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India (2019), Between the Great Divide: A Journey into Pakistan-Administered Kashmir (2018) and The Footprint of Partition: Narratives of Four Generations of Pakistanis and Indians (2015)
Aanchal Malhotra, Delhi-based writer and oral historian, co-founder of the Museum of Material Memory, and author of Remnants of a Separation (2017) and In the Language of Remembering (2022) on the generational impact of the 1947 partition.
The discussion will be moderated by Priyanka Singh, assistant editor Sapan News Network and data analytics consultant/researcher from Delhi currently based in Cambridge.
Rafiq Kathwari, award-winning Kashmiri poet based in New York, will present the Sapan founding charter at the event, hosted by Sapan founder-curator Beena Sarwar, journalist, filmmaker from Karachi based in Boston.
About Sapan: Launched in March 2021, the Southasia Peace Action Network, or Sapan, is an intergenerational coalition of individuals and organisations working together for a more peaceful and just Southasia.
Note on Southasia’ as one word: Following the lead of Himal Southasian, we use ‘Southasia’ as one word, “seeking to restore some of the historical unity of our common living space, without wishing any violence on the existing nation states”. Also, writing Sapan like this rather than in all caps makes it a word which means ‘dream’.
Since launching in March 2021, Sapan events have brought together activists and experts on a range of issues. We have also initiated campaigns to ease visa-restrictions in Southasia and collaborate for road safety in the region. Our Founding Charter reiterates our commitment to a Southasian vision and underscores the need for regional cooperation.
Follow Sapan on social media: @southasiapeace on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and Youtube
Update 26 Nov. 2022: We are grateful to poet Rafiq Kathwari for stepping in to present the Sapan Founding Charter, as Kanak Mani Dixit is unable to join.
Southasia Peace Action Network 
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