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Journalism of Courage
No human story is a replica of another,and if suffering keeps repeating itself,so will the stories, said Vishwajyoti Ghosh,as he introduced his anthology of short graphic stories on the Partition,titled This Side That Side: Restorying Partition (Yoda Press),at the Chandigarh Literature Festival at The Taj. The author,artist and researcher,who has curated the book,says the attempt has been to move beyond physical boundaries and looking at the Partition from several sides. With empathy and sensitivity,he introduced the audience to the several survivors of the Partition.
Pulsating with pathos and positivity,the book brings out,through words and visuals,a humane story and the lost dreams of promised lands. Ghosh added that this book is not a tell-all take on the Partition,but an attempt to look at stories from the point of view of future generations.
The anthology comprises stories of courage and the human spirit,misery and human bondage. The anthology doesnt carry the burden of one author as it is the work of 46 authors,from India,Pakistan and Bangladesh, added Ghosh. Apart from the tearing apart of India in 1947,the book also sheds light on the creation of Bangladesh,the flow of refugees,bitter migrations from India to Pakistan,alienation of minority communities and questions
of identity.
The narratives,explained Ghosh,is essentially about the survivors of the Partition. Apart from writers,several well-known painters and illustrators from South Asia have collaborated on the project. Sometimes,the authors worked closely with artists,in other cases,the imagery was an independent endeavour, said Ghosh. The anthology includes Tabish Khairs An Old Fable,Khademul Islam and Sarabjit Sens The Exit Plan,and Mahmood Farooqui and Fariha Rehmans A Letter From India. Working on the book was an experimental journey for Ghosh,and the attempt was to look at internal partitions and doubly partitioned people,such as those living in Bangladesh. There are talks of the book being translated into Punjabi,Hindi and Bengali.
We have attempted to not restore the Partition,but restory it.
We are taking the stories ahead, explained Ghosh.
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