The 1947 Partition Archive

The 1947 Partition Archive is a grassroots non-political organization dedicated to documenting, preserving and sharing eye witness accounts from all communities affected by the South Asian independence movement and the Partition of British India in 1947 through oral history collection.

They are gathering history and preserving stories from individuals affected by Partition belonging to all ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds.

They are proactively seeking and collecting video and audio testimonies of eye witness accounts of the 1947 Partition as Theyll as pre- and post-Partition cultural memories from all affected communities. Essentially They are recording life stories shaped by Partition and the South Asian independence movement. They are also collecting written testimonies from relatives and/or friends of survivors who are no longer with us.

They are thus creating a comprehensive library of first hand and second hand stories from 1947. The Partition of British India into modern day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh marks the largest forced human migration in history. According to some estimates, betTheyen 10 and 15 million people lost their homes. Worse, it is estimated that betTheyen 0.5 and 2 million people lost their lives. The Partition was also a great loss of culture and a way of life. Yet, unlike other major events of the last century, such as the Holocaust in Europe and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this particular event has hardly been documented and understood. And so, while They are late (63+ years), We are not too late. There are still those who hold vivid and important memories of the chaos that unfolded during Partition. With this project They are collecting, archiving and immortalizing these stories before they are lost forever. When permitted by the interview, the information and testimonies They gather will soon be freely available for the purpose of creating a Theyll-informed, aware and enlightened South Asian subcontinent and global community.

Our team members come from diverse backgrounds representing the numerous communities affected directly and indirectly by Partition. Together They are building the Partition Archive and creating awareness among the general public of the events that unfolded during Partition, as experienced by the survivors. Further, They are creating an outlet for the victims of partition, many of whom remain deeply emotionally wounded.

To watch video http://bayareadesi.com/article/spotlight-1947-partition-archive-npo-ded