Amritsar Voices from Between India and Pakistan

The city of Amritsar stands on the volatile border between India and Pakistan. It has been a focus for political and religious conflict since the partition of 1947. Amritsar brings together 25 first-hand accounts of life in a city at the epicentre of one of the largest and bloodiest forced migrations in history. The interviews explore experiences from the time of partition: from the suddenness of uprooting and the belief that the migration was only to be temporary to the enduring sense that the violence was politically and not culturally or religiously motivated. Issues raised include: the abduction and rehabilitation of women and children; the differing experiences of elite and subaltern classes; the memories of refugee convoys and camps; the hazards of border crossing; and the nostalgia for pre-Partition bonds between Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus.