Museum inaugurated for 2nd time

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 17

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh inaugurated the Partition Museum here today, over nine months after the then Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal had opened the memorial.

Amarinder also unveiled a plaque to commemorate Partition Remembrance Day. It was on August 17, 1947, that the Radcliffe Award, named after Sir Cyril Radcliffe — “the man who divided India” — was made public.

The CM recalled the work done by his mother, Rajmata Mohinder Kaur, who died recently, to help refugee girls return home during Partition. The occasion witnessed a poetry recital by eminent poet-filmmaker Gulzar, who launched his newly translated book, “Footprints on Zero Line: Writings on the Partition”.

Housed in the century-old Town Hall’s refurbished building near the Golden Temple, the museum draws inspiration from the stories of Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto, whose family residence in Gali Vakilan here was among the houses destroyed during the communal violence of 1947.

Kishwar Desai, noted author and the museum’s chief trustee, said, “We remember the spirit, courage and resilience of those millions of refugees who were uprooted overnight, and yet dedicated themselves to rebuilding the newly independent India.”

In 2015, Desai, Dipali Khanna, Bindu Manchanda and Mallika Ahluwalia, the museum’s chief executive, came together to form The Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust (TAACHT). A panel discussion featuring publisher Urvashi Butalia, journalist Nirupama Dutt, writers Rakshanda Jalil and Khushwant Singh, poetry by Surjit Patar were also held today.