Dates: 14 August, 2022
Venue: Google Meet Platform
On the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, NSS-LSR hosted an online reading session of the famous book “The Other Side of Silence” by Urvashi Butalia. This session gave insights into the personal experiences of the unheard and suppressed voices of the people during India’s partition.
The session commenced with a warm introduction about the author Urvashi Butalia by our Cultural Secretary of NSS Reva Garg. The session incorporated reading of the excerpts from the book which was presented and discussion was held about our perspectives as well as author’s perspectives regarding the partition. The first discourse talked about how people on the margins of history; children, women, ordinary people, the lower castes and the untouchables have been affected by the division. To understand how and why certain events become shouted in silence the author traces facets about her own partition affected family history before investigating the stories of other people and their experiences of this violent disruption. Moreover, focus was also reflected on what does community, caste and gender have to do with the violence that accompanied partition. The unspeakable horrors the survivors go on. Students expressed their views and observations for the same. The book presents the sensitive and moving account of author’s quest to hear the painful experience behind the silence. It was felt that it’s really difficult to talk about the partition stories and the sacrifices made.
The session helped to revisit and dwell on the experiences of those who have suffered during the partition which resulted into forced migration. It was very enriching for the audience and they made pertinent observations about the misery and agony of partition. Concluding views were presented related to the partition horrors by Dr. Jonaki Ghosh and Dr. Tripti Bassi, convener and co-convener of NSS respectively at the end of the session. The session led by NSS-LSR proved to be a fantastic learning opportunity for all.
