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Soul of My Country exhibition of painting of 73 yr old artist Uma Bardhan organized at Open Palm Court Gallery at India Habitat Centre New Delhi

An Endeavour to Find Out the Secret Significance of Form and Appearance, A Discovering One's Deeper Self "Soul Of My Country"

New Delhi, 15 January 2017, 'Soul of My Country' an exhibition of painting by 73 yr old artist Uma Bardhan is being organized at the Open Palm Court Gallery at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The paintings for “Soul of my Country” exhibition series are of three types, decorative, figurative and narrative. In decorative paintings one can see birds, animals & human-beings. The figurative mainly includes God & Goddesses and a complete series on tandava dance forms of Lord Shiva. Furthermore there is narrative kind of paintings depicting life of rickshaw pullers, Rajputs etc. The paintings express the soul through life, but life is only a means of the spiritual self-expression, There is a vivid and vital representation, but it is more of an inner psychical than of the outward physical life. Featuring about 50 works, the exhibition will be on display till 17th January 2017.

Artist Uma Bardhan likes to travel a lot and goes to the interior places/villages/tribal area and showcases their lifestyle in her work. She has travelled widely in India from the Desert in Jaisalmer to the Ganges in Gomukh, Rishikesh Varanasi & Sunderbans etc. Her paintings showcased in the exhibition reflect diversity & versatility found in the rich culture & heritage of India.

She has travelled to various places in the interior West Bengal & spent time observing their culture, lifestyle & daily activities & finally showcase these characters especially women doing their daily chores. For e.g: women doing weaving, daily chores etc. Her realistic paintings speak volumes of her Artistic ability to establish a connect between her work and the viewer.

Talking about the exhibition, Uma Bardhan said, 'The spirit and motive of the show “Soul of my Country” is an endeavour to find out the secret significance of form and appearance, a discovering one's deeper self, the giving a soul-form to the vision and remoulding of the material and natural shape to express the psychic truth of it with the greatest possible purity and the power to outline the greatest possible concentrated rhythmic unity of significance in all parts of an indivisible artistic whole.'

All the paintings might look distinct at first glance, however the common thread among all the paintings are weaves around India & Indian women. The Soul of my country, India lives in its villages, where you can experience and share life in its fullest meaning. India and her core values & culture ingrained across the canvas, with soothing colors, melt with each other with dynamism so vigorous that it consumes the viewers. In another, the water color on silk are almost comforting, draws you in, she added.

For inspiration, Ms Bardhan draws from her travels — ideas and connections buried in the subconscious that manifest on the canvas. As a result of her extensive travel she has incorporate images that have spiritual significance in her painting. It’s believed that the paintings carry spiritual healing energy that can help people searching for balance and harmony in their lives.

This is what viewers will find, walking through Soul of my country— a solo painting exhibition of Ms Bardhan’s works, which are an amalgamation of paintings of different media & style which she learnt throughout her 4 decades of career in Art, which explore beautiful Landscape of India, her people & her culture. All of which is geared to create an illusion of devotion, love and peace.

About the Uma Bardhan:

· Born in 1945, in Kolkata, Uma specialises in figurative paintings, landscapes in water color on silk, oil on canvas and water mixable oil on canvas.

· Ms Bardhan’s realistic works at her studio in Gurgaon catches the attention of art lover. What is more fascinating about her is enthusiasm to learn different mediums of pantings and making them unique by adding a stroke of her artistic expression. At 73 there is no stopping for her.

· “God is the supreme creator of this universe and I as an artist take extreme pleasure in reflecting his creation in their actual form" says Artist Uma Bardhan. A look through her works reveals her versatility.

· Be it figurative or landscape painting, abstract art or depiction of diversity, Ms Bardhan’s work are indeed a visual treat!.

· Ms Bardhan is one of the very few artists who use a rare medium “Water Color on Silk”. A painstaking process where a special silk cloth is mounted on board before being used as a painting medium.

· Ms Bardhan was trained under Sree Maniklal Banerjee (Ex Professor of Govt. College of Arts & Craft, Calcutta ) & eminent artists like Late Sree Makhan Dutta Gupta in oil color.

Artist Uma Bardhan with her painting

EdgeMakers - Transforming our Education System to create Innovators and Entrepreneurs

New Delhi, 25 October 2016: Striving to provide young students the skills & tools they need to become the Innovators and Entrepreneurs of tomorrow, EdgeMakers, a San Francisco headquartered company, organized a panel discussion in the Capital recently. The event brought together the Principals of leading schools and eminent political leaders, who discussed path-breaking ideas to promote creativity, out of the box thinking, research and innovation in the Indian education system. The event was held in the city’s popular convention centre India Habitat Centre on Saturday, 22nd October 2016.

The group of Panelists included School Principals, a corporate leader and a Member of Parliament who shared their views on ‘Transforming our Education System to create cutting edge Innovators and Entrepreneurs. They analyzed the challenges in the education system and suggested sustainable changes to reform the same. It was also agreed that it is the collective responsibility of school leaders, teachers and parents to constantly innovate so that every child can be provided education as per his or her unique learning need. Parents should encourage their kids to acquire different skills along with core academics. It was also emphasized that students should be exposed to real world start-ups and entrepreneurs so that they can get inspired to create impact in society even while they are in school.

Mr. Ramit Bhatnagar, CEO- India, EdgeMakers, said: “Prime Minister Modi launched the Start Up India Stand Up India initiative to make India the entrepreneurship hub of the world. To achieve this goal it is important to shape the mindset of students at a young age. The EdgeMakers learning system empowers students with the critical skills& tools they need to become the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. We are grateful to schools and parents who have supported our vision by adopting the EdgeMakers learning system. With this panel discussion, we gained insights on the challenges in our education system and how different stakeholders can contribute to make the system relevant in a rapidly changing world.”

EdgeMakers is a San Francisco headquartered company backed by Venture Capitalists. EdgeMakers has developed the world’s first comprehensive learning system for Innovation and the related discipline of Entrepreneurship that is implemented at leading schools across the world. The EdgeMakers learning system empowers young students with the tools, skills and knowledge they need to become Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Leaders. The EdgeMakers learning system has been implemented in schools across 4 countries (United States of America, Brazil, Colombia and India).

The Founder of EdgeMakers, John Kao, was a Professor at Harvard Business School. He is a bestselling author of Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity and Innovation Nation: How America is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why it Matters, and What We Can Do to Get it Back.

Ramit Bhatnagar is the Country Head - India. He was previously a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company.

EdgeMakers - Empowering Young Students to become Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow

New Delhi, 16 October 2016 EdgeMakers is the world’s first comprehensive learning system that helps young students become agents of change in society. With a view to introduce this unique learning system, based on the art and science of Innovation and the related discipline of Entrepreneurship, to teachers and students, Edge Makers is all set to host a Panel Discussion. The event will be held on Saturday, October 22 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

EdgeMakers is a San Francisco headquartered company funded by Venture Capitalists, with an aim to bring a fresh perspective to the education system. EdgeMakers’ instructor-led and blended courses teach school and college students to become idea generators and address global challenges with sustainable solutions. The organization empowers young students with the tools, skills and knowledge they need to become Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Leaders.

EdgeMakers offers an interdisciplinary, practice-based and purpose driven, challenge- and project-based learning system currently delivered to students in schools and colleges in the United States of America, Brazil, Colombia and India. The Edge Makers learning system includes modules on Creativity & Innovation, Storytelling & Change Making, Design Thinking, Character & Collaboration and Entrepreneurship. In India, Edge Makers classes are delivered in leading schools across Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Udaipur.

Mr.Ramit Bhatnagar, CEO Edge Makers India said, “This is our first initiative where we are inviting Principals of leading schools, Parents and Students to discuss the changes required in the education system to make India the global hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. We plan to host such discussions across the country to spread awareness amongst stakeholders on the importance of building entrepreneurial capability in students at a young age.

Delegates from leading schools across North India are invited and will exchange their views on ‘Transforming our Education System to create cutting-edge Innovators and Entrepreneurs ‘. The Panelists are Mr. Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, Member of Parliament LokSabha, Mr. Ashok Pandey, Principal Ahlcon International School & Chairman National Progressive Schools’ Conference, Ms. Revathi Srinivasan, Principal.Smt. Sulochanadevi Singhania School- Mumbai and Ms. Roopa Purushottaman, Managing Director, Everstone Capital

About EdgeMakers

EdgeMakers is a San Francisco headquartered company backed by Venture Capitalists. EdgeMakers has developed the world’s first comprehensive learning system for Innovation and the related discipline of Entrepreneurship that is implemented at leading schools across the world. The EdgeMakers learning system empowers young students with the tools, skills and knowledge they need to become Innovators, Entrepreneurs and Leaders. The EdgeMakers learning system has been implemented in schools across 4 countries (United States of America, Brazil, Colombia and India).
The Founder of EdgeMakers, John Kao, was a Professor at Harvard Business School. He is a bestselling author of Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity and Innovation Nation: How America is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why it Matters, and What We Can Do to Get it Back.
Ramit Bhatnagar is the Country Head - India. He was previously a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company.

Website: www.edgemakers.com

RAMIT BHATNAGAR

Ramit is the Country Head – India at EdgeMakers, a San Francisco headquartered company backed by Venture Capitalists. EdgeMakers has developed the world’s first comprehensive learning system for Innovation and the related discipline of Entrepreneurship that is implemented at leading schools across India, United States of America, Brazil and Colombia.

Having previously worked as a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company, he has extensive hands-on experience in management and business leadership. Ramit completed his Bacherlor of Commerce (Honors) from the Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi University.
Ramit is the Founder of the India operations of EdgeMakers. He has built the business in India from ground up- building the team, redesigning the product for Indian students, getting leading schools to adopt the EdgeMakers learning system.

Ramit is 27 years old and is a strong believer in the oppurtunity India presents for young entreprenurs. He is passionate about developing the entreprenurial ecosystem in India and is an active member of various angel investment forums such as Lets Venture. Ramit was selected as a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum. He was the Curator of the New Delhi Hub of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community (a global community of young leaders under the age of 30). He has supported many social impact projects including a fashion charity show organised by students of American Embassy School that was hosted at the Dutch Ambassador’s residence.
Ramit is also an active member of CII Young Indians.

In addition, Ramit mentors students at schools in Delhi & Mumbai on their start-up ideas- helping them structure their business plan and connecting them to relevant industry experts.
Ramit is very passionate about Sports and has been a National Level Table Tennis player. He still plays Table Tennis on weekends and mentors young players.

"Nayikas of Vidyapati" LalitArpan Festival 2016

India 15 September 2016: LalitArpan Festival has crossed several milestones and is now in its 15th year which is presented by Padmashri Shovana Narayan, Dr Jyotsna Suri and Dr Bindeshwar Pathak in collaboration with IHC.

Nayikas of Vidyapati

Padmashri Kathak Guru Shovana Narayan.

For its 15th Year, 6 classical dance styles will be featured with performances by eight Padma Awardees. They include Shovana Narayan, Madhavi Mudgal, Bharati Shivaji, Guru Singhajit Singh and Charu Sija Mathur, Guru Jayarama Rao and Vanashri Rao, Prathibha Prahlad, Geeta Chandran and Ranjana Gauhar.

Important Facts:

Date & Time: - 22nd and 23rd September from 7pm onwards

Venue: - Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre.

"Nayikas of Vidyapati" LalitArpan Festival 2016

India 9 September 2016: LalitArpan Festival has crossed several milestones and is now in its 15th year which is presented by Padmashri Shovana Narayan, Dr Jyotsna Suri and Dr Bindeshwar Pathak in collaboration with IHC.

This year LalitArpan is dedicated to the “Nayikas of Vidyapati”. The influence on eastern Indian languages of this Maithil poet from the 14th-15th century (1352-1448) was so great that it earned him the reputation of being analogous to "Dante of Italy" and "Chaucer of England". He is also known as "Abhinava Jayadeva" for similar to Jayadeva of a century earlier, Vidyapati's love-songs re-create and reveal the world of Radha and Krishna, through motifs that are sensuous and sensual, descriptive and dramatic.

For its 15th Year, 6 classical dance styles will be featured with performances by eight Padma Awardees. They include Shovana Narayan, Madhavi Mudgal, Bharati Shivaji, Guru Singhajit Singh and Charu Sija Mathur, Guru Jayarama Rao and Vanashri Rao, Prathibha Prahlad, Geeta Chandran and Ranjana Gauhar.

Important Facts:

Date & Time: - 22nd and 23rd September from 7pm onwards

Venue: - Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre.

DELHI HOSTS EVENT TO COMMEMORATE VICTIMS OF 1947 PARTITION JUST BEFORE INDIA’S 70TH INDEPENDENCE DAY

Survivors of Partition recount their stories at 1947 Partition Archive’s event, “Voices of Partition” at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

New Delhi, August 14, 2016: Just a day before the eve of India’s 70th Independence Day, a people-powered non-profit organization run by concerned global citizens from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, nationalities and professions, The 1947 Partition Archive hosted an event, “Voices of Partition” to bring together the victims and witnesses of the 1947 Partition. The event was hosted at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

DELHI HOSTS EVENT TO COMMEMORATE VICTIMS OF 1947 PARTITION JUST BEFORE INDIA’S 70TH INDEPENDENCE DAY

It was a rare opportunity to hear the tragic experiences and stories from witnesses and survivors of the 1947 Partition, the world’s largest mass refugee crisis, which led to nearly 2 million communal deaths, and displacement of up to 25 million people or 1% of the world’s entire population at the time.

Founder of 1947 Partition Archive, Dr. Guneeta Singh Bhalla says, “Our aim through “Voices of Partition” is to bring together the victims and survivors of the Partition and to provide them a platform to tell their stories. It is important for the victims of the 1947 Partition to talk about what might be the most traumatic phase of their lives. Preserving these memories and sharing them is necessary so that society can learn a lesson from what has been the largest mass refugee crisis the world has ever seen.”

The Partition survivors that shared their stories included Sat Parkash Goel, who migrated from Rawalpindi to Haridwar and athlete Keerti Kunzru, who came from Lyallpur (now Faisalabad) among others. Author and publisher, Dr. Urvashi Butalia was also a distinguished moderator at the event. Having written books on the Partition, Butalia feels very strongly about the cause. A special movie screening of the witnesses and survivors was also showcased. The audience also had various Partition survivors who shared their memories of living through 1947. The powerful talks initiated various conversations and lifted the intergenerational silence that has crept around these personal experiences that lie at the core of India's Independence and Partition.

Recounting her tragic story at the event, from the days of the Partition, athlete Keerti Kunzru said, “"I can still hear that sound. Those memories scarred me for life. For two months after coming to India, my father never slept on a mattress. He believed he will go back and only at his home in Lyallpur will he have a peaceful night of sleep."

Partition survivor Sat Prakash Goel told the audience of his experience as well. “If a young boy from Danny's High School can go to Harvard, with education and perseverance anyone can do anything", he said.

He further added, "My father, a station master in Pakistan, chose to stay there, but the sudden attacks abruptly brought him to reality".

“Voices of Partition” event was focused on the narratives recounted by witnesses and story collectors from diverse backgrounds. The stories take you back to a time of unique and fascinating cultural practices which are largely lost today.

About the 1947 Partition Archive

The 1947 Partition Archive is a citizen-powered organization dedicated to preserving the people's history of Partition and bringing knowledge of Partition into widespread public consciousness through creative and scholarly expression. The archive achieves this by providing a platform for our fellow citizens to collect, archive and sharing eyewitness accounts from all ethnic, religious and economic communities affected by the Partition of British India in 1947.

HCL Concerts Presents “#TrueToOurRoots”

Upcoming concerts will feature the Queens of Violin, Dr. M Lalitha and M Nandini; Carnatic flutist Ravichandra Kulur and the Bauls from Bengal

New Delhi, 6 July, 2016: HCL, a leading global conglomerate, announced the launch of “HCL Concerts - #TrueToOurRoots” campaign, a celebration of India’s famous classical performing arts, in an endevour to stay connected to the culture, heritage and traditions that have defined this country for centuries. The concerts are organized for music lovers who can witness a performance by famous Queens of Violin, M Lalitha and M Nandini accompanied by Mahima Upadhyay (Pakhawaj) and Sangita Agnihotri (Tabla), in a unique all women's ensemble. Besides this, Carnatic flautist Ravichandra Kulur will mesmerize the audience with his flute in collaboration with the traditional Bangla music by the Baul artists from Bengal, at another edition of the concerts.

HCL Concerts attempts to reconnect audience with their traditions and culture that have somewhere dwindled and lets them enjoy unique classical music performances, rare fusions of old music and spellbinding jugalbandis. In an era where people are increasingly feeling disconnected from their roots, cultures or values, HCL Concerts presents them with an opportunity to re-establish this connect through an appreciation of the Indian classical performing arts.

The details of the various HCL Concerts are as follows:

Date and Venue	Artists and Performance details
8^th July 2016 Epicentre, Gurgaon	· Queens of Violin, Dr. M Lalitha and M Nandini Accompanists: Mahima Upadhyay (Pakhawaj) and Sangita Agnihotri (Tabla) 'Queens of Violin' popularly known as the 'Violin LN Sisters', these outstanding musicians will enthral the audiences with their spellbinding music. With a career extending over three decades Lalitha and Nandini are regarded as highly imaginative virtuoso Violinists with immaculate bowing along with dexterous fingering techniques.
22^nd July India Habitat Centre, New Delhi	· Baul & Bansuri Carnatic flautist Ravichandra Kulur with the Bauls of Bengal Ravi is one of the most sought after flutists from India. From April 2005 to November 2012 Ravi toured with legendary Pandit Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar for more than 200 concerts, performing in great venues like Queen Elizabeth Hall, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Sydney Opera House and music festivals like WOMAD. Ravi will collaborate with the Bauls which are a group of mystic minstrels from West Bengal and Bangladesh. The music of the Bauls, Baul Sangeet is a particular type of folk song. Its lyrics carry influences of the Hindu Bhakti movements and the Suphi, a form of Sufi song exemplified by the songs of Kabir. Their music represents a long heritage of preaching mysticism through songs in Bengal, as in the Shahebdhoni or Bolahadi sects.

The first concert under the same campaign was organized in June 2016, which saw a rare fusion of classical, sufi and folk music by Pandit Salil Bhatt (creator of SatvikVeena and the son of the legend Pandit Vishwamohan Bhatt) in collaboration with the Manganiars of Rajasthan.

About HCL Concerts:

The conservation and promotion of India’s art and cultural heritage is very close to HCL’s heart. To this end, HCL has been organizing HCL Concerts for over 17 years, dedicated to identifying, evolving and promoting talent rooted in the glorious heritage of Indian classical performing arts. Concerts under the umbrella of HCL Concerts are organized in Delhi NCR and Chennai across various venues every month throughout the year. These concerts are free to attend and are enriched by the presence of luminaries in the field of Indian classical performing arts.

Over the years, HCL Concerts has evolved into a unique platform for the exceptionally talented veterans as well as upcoming artists – be it dancers, vocalists or instrumentalists. Over 350+ artists have graced this platform and have contributed towards reinvigorating the Indian classical performing arts. While there have been spellbinding performances by legends such as Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, HCL Concerts has also provided a platform for the rare genres of performing arts like Dhrupad, RudraVeena and GaudiyaNritya to name a few.

Artist Sunayana Malhotra presents AHAM @ Visual arts gallery, India habitat centre

Delhi, 28 June, 2016: Sunayana Malhotra Presents AHAM

Delhi based artist paints spontaneously on canvas and expresses her innermost feelings in her art. In her latest artworks AHAM, the works are women centric and through her canvases, she tries to express the various stages in a woman’s life.

Date – 2nd – 7th July 2016

Time - 11 am – 7 pm

Venue - Visual Arts Gallery

India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

About Artwork

The artist showcases the relationship of nature with its varied moods. She is fascinated by lotuses which are prominent in her recent works. Her artwork is the female form that naturally reflects her thoughts. The female form is not glorified or portrayed to please any male voyeuristic attitude or as the media portrays it but it is of a real woman whose body tells of her journey from puberty.

To motherhood to her breast feeding days to finally menopause even though she camouflages herself a woman looks at her own self with disgust at the changes she undergoes and also uses it as a medium to seduce in work you will always see alone woman standing. The woman also balances the world she creates as in her lover, spouse, children and the world that exists outside.”

Empowering Women to Beat Diabetes

May 01, 13.07 PM IST || Pocket News Alert

New Delhi 1 May 2016 : As part of its Delhi pilot project, women2women initiative organised an awareness and empowerment program to educate and train about 100 women physicians and dietitians on prevention and management of Diabetes at India Habitat Center.

The highlight of the project is to control the rising epidemic of diabetes in India through this community-based approach where women physicians will be trained by coalition of women endocrinologists and diabetologist and will be provided with the necessary tools to implement the programme in their respective areas and communities.

Women2women project is headed by its central coordinator Dr Usha Sriram from Chennai and its Delhi coordinators are Dr Meena Chabbra and Dr Shalini Jaggi.

Eminent Diabetologist and member of women2women initiative Dr Meena Chabbra says, "Our focus is primarily women because they are prone to have diabetes at various stages of their life, especially during pregnancy as gestational diabetic mothers give birth to babies who because of intra uterine environment are prone to develop Type 2 diabetes. Also, healthcare of women in India has usually been neglected. So, we aim to inform them well and educate them about the complications that can arise due to diabetes. And most importantly, if woman in the house is healthy and informed, she can take care of her family more efficiently."

According to a survey, on an average one in Ten pregnant women in Delhi were found to have GDM and the studies reveal that women with GDM are at a higher risk of developing diabetes later in life. Also, medical researchers believe that the disease earlier considered an ailment of the rich, is on the rise in India. Nearly 70 million people - half of them women in a population of 1.21 billion have diabetes, and the number is predicted to rise to 101 million by 2030. Surprisingly nearly 60% of diabetics have never been screened or diagnosed due to lack of awareness. Therefore, alarmed by these figures, the first phase of the programme is designed to reach 2,500 women physicians across the country and 50 lakh women in the community. "We would train these 100 physicians through practical demonstrations, audio-video aids, educational material and awareness talks by eminent doctors," informs Dr Chabbra.

These trained women would further roll this plan out to senior school girls, colleges, residential welfare associations and corporate, etc. "This preventive and empowerment program is a necessity because it's important to educate women at early age so that they don't face any problems related to obesity, PCOS, gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes, etc. We aim to educate them about benefits of adopting healthy food and healthy lifestyle and also, how junk foods and sedentary lifestyle can make them a diabetic in future," adds Dr Chabbra.

HISTORY TALK, “VOICES OF PARTITION” HOSTED BY 1947 PARTITION ARCHIVE RECEIVED OVERWHELMING RESPONSE

April 25, 17.47 PM IST || Pocket News Alert

New Delhi, April 25, 2016: Partition stories were once again being recounted by the witnesses of the 1947 partition during “Voices of Partition”, an event hosted by 1947 Partition Archive at the India Habitat Centre on Sunday, April 24, 2016. The event which got booked within 10 minutes of its registrations got overwhelming response and managed to initiate a conversation about preserving oral histories about the Partition.

HISTORY TALK, “VOICES OF PARTITION” HOSTED BY 1947 PARTITION ARCHIVE RECEIVED OVERWHELMING RESPONSE

During the event, a panel discussion was organized, where Mr. Tarlochan Singh (Former Member of Parliament), Mrs. Ajit Cour (Renowned Author) and Dr. Yunus Jafferey narrated their unique and fascinating stories of their experiences and cultural practices. The panel was moderated by Urvashi Butalia, the renowned author and publisher and a historian, with a deep interest in oral histories and Partition. Mr. Sromon Sircar, a Citizen Historian and Butalia talked about their experiences collecting oral histories.

Mr. Prakhar Joshi, the India office coordinator of 1947 Partition Archive, underlined the urgency of recording these memories. “Ours is a race against time. The survivors of Partition might not be with us for a very long time. We feel every story is important and sheds light on a new dimension. Each story takes us to a unique and fascinating time before the Partition. Preserving these powerful memories and sharing them with the global community is imperative so that the world can harness the lessons that a divide like this teaches us.”

Former MP and Partition witness, Tarlochan Singh shared his story about his escape from the mob. He said, “After 1947, first time I’m in a gathering of people where they want to talk about our memories.”

“How could a country be cut like a cake?” asked Mrs. Ajit Cour, winner of the Sahitya Academy award. She was about thirteen at the time of Partition. “We left Lahore in May because riots had started and it was no longer safe. We stood on our terrace every evening and saw buildings going up in flames. We thought it was going to be temporary and we will be back home soon. We came to Shimla.”

Dr. Urvashi Butalia, author of “The Other Side of Silence”, shared her experiences about working on oral histories. “When I was researching for my book, years ago, I met a lot of women who had experienced sexual abuse during the Partition, and who begged that their story should not be known.” The world at large would never have learnt about these atrocities had those voices gone unrecorded.

Dr. Yunus Jafferey, born in 1930, shared his story with a spellbound audience. Dr. Jaffery’s ancestors travelled from Padarshah, now in Afghanistan, back then in Persia. His family crossed borders with Shahjahan, stopped at Lahore and finally settled in Shahjahanabad, Hindustan which is present day Old Delhi, India. He has seen how dramatically Delhi has changed because of the Partition and the moving populations.

Sromon Sircar, a Citizen Historian with the Archive, also shared his opinion, and the way recording stories has shaped his opinion about India and its evolution in last seven decades.

About 1947 Partition Archive

The 1947 Partition Archive is a citizen-powered organization dedicated to preserving the people's history of Partition and bringing knowledge of Partition into widespread public consciousness through creative and scholarly expression. The archive achieves this by providing a platform for our fellow citizens to collect, archive and share eye witness accounts from all ethnic, religious and economic communities affected by the Partition of British India in 1947.

1947 PARTITION ARCHIVE’S EVENT IN INDIA GOT BOOKED IN THE FIRST 10 MINUTES

~The event, “Voices of Partition”, is hosted to commemorate the victims of Partition~

April 21 2016, 18.06 PM IST || Pocket News Alert

1947 PARTITION ARCHIVE’S EVENT IN INDIA GOT BOOKED IN THE FIRST 10 MINUTES

New Delhi, April 21, 2016: In an attempt to bring together the 1947 Partition witnesses of South Asia, 1947 Partition Archive is hosting an event, “Voices of Partition. The event will take place on Sunday, April 24, 2016 at Gulmohar Auditiorium, India Habitat Centre from 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM. Within ten minutes of opening of registrations, the event was houseful. Roughly, 4500 people have shown interest on the Facebook page and around 700 people are on waitlist.

At the event, special screening of survivors will be showcased, followed by witnesses sharing their experiences and stories with a live audience. Former Member of Parliament, Tarlochan Singh and author, Ajit Cour are among some of the survivors of the Partition who will be speaking on a panel at the event. The celebrated author, Urvashi Butalia will moderate the panel. Having written books on the Partition, Butalia feels very strongly about the cause.

Founder of 1947 Partition Archive, Dr. Guneeta Singh Bhalla says, “The response to the event has been overwhelming. Our aim through “Voices of Partition” is to bring together the witnesses and survivors of the Partition and to provide them a platform to recount their rare stories to the audience.”

“Voices of Partition” will focus on the narratives recounted by witnesses and story collectors from both sides of the border. The stories will take you back to a time of unique and fascinating cultural practices which are largely lost today.

For more details on the event, visit the Facebook page or Eventbrite page.

About the 1947 Partition Archive

The 1947 Partition Archive is a citizen-powered organization dedicated to preserving the people's history of Partition and bringing knowledge of Partition into widespread public consciousness through creative and scholarly expression. The archive achieves this by providing a platform for our fellow citizens to collect, archive and share eye witness accounts from all ethnic, religious and economic communities affected by the Partition of British India in 1947.