This book throws new light on post-colonial evaluations of the Partition
and its effect on eastern India. Until very recently, a striking state
of 'near silence' has existed concerning the violence encountered by
those who fled across the Bengal border. Bengal Partition Stories
addresses this silence through the retelling of stories inspired by the
division of Bengal, the mass exodus that followed and their
repercussions on the cultural, social and economic character of the
region, modern India as a whole and the newly-formed nation of
Bangladesh. Despite numerous critical enquiries into the history,
politics and social dynamics that contributed to the partition of
Bengal, there remains a distinct lack of in-depth exploration into the
personal experiences of those directly affected. Through oral histories,
interviews and fictional retellings of the event and its aftermath,
Bengal Partition Stories seeks to fill this gap by unearthing and
articulating the collective memories of a people traumatised by the
brutal division of their homeland. Through oral histories, interviews
and fictional retellings of the event and its aftermath, Bengal
Partition Stories seeks to fill this gap by unearthing and articulating
the collective memories of a people traumatised by the brutal rupture of
their homeland.
