Details: Join us in a thought provoking weekend of remembering shared histories from the Indian subcontinent at the spacious secret loft above Vik's Chaat in West Berkeley.  This will be a weekend that combines uplifting dance performances, musical performances, art making for adults and children, dance classes for adults and children, storytelling by community elders and an educational exhibit in the backdrop, curated by The 1947 Partition Archive.  Please stay tuned for more details - coming soon.

Details: Come join us for a memorable Saturday morning at The 1947 Partition Archive's Berkeley HQ as we listen to the captivating stories shared by Dr. Gurnam Brar and Mr. Ali Shan. This in-person event will transport you back in time to the era of the 1940s and Partition, allowing you to hear firsthand accounts of this historic time period. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with our collective past and gain a deeper understanding of this significant moment in our history. To know where we are going, we must know where we have come from. Click for tickets.

MR. ALI SHAN

Mr. Ali Shan's life story is remarkable and full of unbelievable twists and turns, which began at a very early age. He was orphaned at the age of 8 during the 1947 Partition. His village was attacked by a mob and he was one of the only survivors of that incident. This is a story of his lifelong quest for healing, his courage to forgive the attackers and the resilience with which he has conducted his entire life. He has come a long ways from that fateful day, and traveled halfway across the world to where he is today. His global journey began when he was still very young.

DR. GURNAM BRAR

Dr. Gurnam Brar is a retired nuclear physicist from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His unlikely journey into the world of physics began on a farm in rural Punjab, India. Born in 1930, Dr. Brar is witnesses to a time before electricity arrived in Punjab, and much of the village ways operated the same way they had for perhaps 2,000 years as he notes in his book, East of Indus, a captivating biographical account. He recalls how he was made to memorize the last 40 generations of his ancestors' names and occupations, a common practice that enabled oral transmission of genealogical information, once upon a time. In 1947, Dr. Brar was witness to the upheaval in his region and lost his closest childhood friend with whom he had been inseparable. He was a Muslim man who was forced to migrate due to riots. His whereabouts remain a mystery to this day.

FREE ENTRY

Pre-registration is required. The event is free.

Details: Sam Dalrymple discusses his upcoming book, Shattered Lands, and his work on Project Dastaan. Click for tickets.

Join us for an inspirational evening.

5:45 PM - MONDAY, MAY 5

SAM DALRYMPLE is an award-winning filmmaker and historian. A Scot raised in Delhi, he graduated from Oxford University as a Persian and Sanskrit scholar. In 2018, he co-founded Project Dastaan, a peace-building initiative that reconnects refugees displaced by the 1947 Partition. His work has been published in The New York Times, Spectator and featured in TIME, the New Yorker and Economist. He is a columnist for Architectural Digest and in 2025, Travel & Leisure named him 'Champion of the Travel Narrative'. His debut book Shattered Lands was a bestseller on the first day of pre-orders.

FILM SCREENING

We will be screening animated short productions created by Project Dastaan.

DINNER - OPTIONAL POTLUCK

In observation of Cinco De Mayo and a unique aspect of South Asian American pioneer history from 19th century California, we will be serving a Punjabi-Mexican inspired meal: fusion tacos. Guests are welcome to bring a dish to share.

FREE ENTRY

Pre-registration is required. The event is free. Donations are optional.

Details: Join us for a pop exhibit, live storytelling, book signing and music to celebrate the arrival of our first book of stories. Click for free tickets.

Pop-Up Museum. Book Signing. Storytelling. Music. Panel Discussion. Food.

The 1947 Partition Archive brings to you the 10,000 Memories launch weekend, in collaboration with our outreach partners, the Institute of South Asia Studies at University of California at Berkeley. Explore untold stories of World War II, Partition and Independence in South Asia.

BOOK ARRIVAL COMMEMORATION!

Join us for a book signing (limited number available), a POP-UP exhibition, soulful live music and live storytelling. Go back in time to the 1940s with us on October 12 and 13! Travel across South Asia, from Afghanistan to Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Myanmar, exploring the mid 20th century through a thought provoking exhibit based on our now released book, 10,000 Memories. We will be exploring untold South Asian histories through the exhibit and through a conversation with the editors as well as co-producers.

A panel of witnesses will shine light on their own experiences of living through Partition and World War II, through live storytelling.

FREE EVENT

This is a free event. Pre-registration is required!

Details: A panel discussion and student event commemorating the upcoming release of 10,000 Memories, the book at SOAS, University of London.

Details: A lecture followed by a question-answer session on 10,000 Memories, the book.

Details: A series of talks, featuring guests speakers Gurinder Chadha, OBE, John MacDonnell, MP, Dr. Andrew Whitehead and Dr. Guneeta Singh Bhalla, commemorating the launch of 10,000 Memories and impacts of Partition as felt in Britain.

Details: An audio-visual community presentation on 10,000 Memories.

Details: An audio-visual community presentation on 10,000 Memories.

Details: Art exhibit on Partition, featuring talks by Meena Matai, Guneeta Singh Bhalla, Neha Aziz, Amritjit Singh.

Details: Launch of 10,000 Memories + community festival held at our home location in Berkeley, CA.

Details: An audio-visual community presentation on 10,000 Memories.

Details: Witness live-storytelling and an audio-visual community presentation on 10,000 Memories.

Details: Launch of 10,000 Memories by Dr. Karan Singh, featuring music by Sonam Kalra.

Details: An audio-visual community presentation on 10,000 Memories.

Exhibit: Art in the Metro (My Heart Belongs in Delhi, Women During Partition)The Partition of India in 1947 resulted in the largest mass-migration of people in the world till date. In recent years, testimonies of these migrations from those who witnessed the event have begun to emerge, resulting in a better understand of the Partition. Among these, the narratives of women- young and old- are imperative as they alert us on the impact the Partition had on familial life, on homes and ways of living.

Women during Partition explores first-hand accounts with women who witnessed the Partition. Those who refused to leave until months after the Partition, and those who had to leave at just a moment’s notice. Through their stories, through the very nature of archival image, we learn about the circumstances of their migrations. We learn of family, education, the plight of refugees, and the most importantly, the notion of hope.

Click for India tickets
Click for USA tickets
Click for global tickets

Details: August 2019 marks 72 years since India gained independence from British rule. An unusual and intriguing set of events in 1947 came to define modern India and it's neighbors, Pakistan and (since 1971) Bangladesh. Numerous kingdoms merged with the erstwhile British territories in the region known collectively as 'British India.' Today's 'India' retained its British name and the 'Indian' identity has since been widely adopted. We explore this transformation of our identity from 1947 through today via live storytelling by those who witnessed pre-Partition and pre-Independence times, and also a panel of experts who will discuss what we have come to learn from oral history, from feminist writings and from the the evolution of the business world in India, 1947 through now. A Q&A session will follow the discussion.
Experts Panel:
Dr. Urvashi Butalia - Author and Publisher, founder of Zubaan
Dr. Guneeta Singh Bhalla - Oral Historian and Physicist, founder of The 1947 Partition Archive
Dr. Anurag Batra - Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld, and founder exchange4media
Partition Witness Panel:
Tulsi Das Chugh was 16 years old in 1947
Indra Trehon was 14 years old in 1947
Mahesh Chandra was 20 years old in 1947

Join #ChasingMemories, the 19.47 km run, this summer.  This is a family event and all skill levels, fitness levels and ages are welcome. It's a great way to support the documentation of stories while getting in shape.  This run is organized in collaboration with Delhi NCR's own Coach Ravinder.

To register: click here.
To learn more: click here.
This is a benefit run for The 1947 Partition Archive.

Location: Main Foyer, India Habitat Center
Exhibit:  My Heart Belongs in Delhi Based on previously unpublished research conducted by Dr. Erin Riggs, former Digital Archivist with The 1947 Partition Archive using a combination of archeology and oral history to trace the transformation of Delhi as a city due to the 1947 Partition.

Details: Come hear rare stories from witnesses of the 1947 Partition, recognized as the world's largest mass refugee crisis. Nearly 2 million died in the communal violence that accompanied Partition, and up to 25 million were uprooted through the 1950's, or 1% of the world's population at the time.
Speaking:
MC: Raghav Sagar (The 1947 Partition Archive)
Moderator: Prof. Nonica Datta (Center for Historical Studies, J. Nehru University)
Partition Witnesses:
Krishan Kalra
Promod Mehra
Yogesh Munjal
Story Collector:
Ritika Popli

Exhibit: CSVMT and The 1947 Partition Archive bring 'Remembering Partition: Memory Through the Ages,' an exhibition.  Seven decades have passed since the partition of 1947 and still, despite its defining influence on our lives today, the public memories and histories linger only latently. 'Remembering Partition: Memory Through the Ages' is an exhibition curated by the 1947 Partition Archive debuting excerpts from its collection of witness oral histories recalling life before, after and during Partition. This multimedia exhibit highlights the social and cultural effects of the Partition by chronologically referring to various age groups.
Each and every panel of this exhibit presents a unique first hand experience and displays how the pivotal event that determined the subcontinent's contemporary history continues to influence society till today. These narratives are from around the globe, with a special focus on showcasing diversity of experiences across class, caste, gender, as well as geographical location.
It is an exhibit that marries the notions of history, memoir, longing, belonging and inter-generational storytelling. CSVMT in collaboration with 1947 Partition Archive invite you to attend the exhibition..

Exhibit: Untold Stories

Seven decades have passed since the Partition of 1947 and still remnants of it continue to linger only latently in public memories and histories. The forthcoming exhibition by The 1947 Partition Archive will unravel the memories of people who witnessed the days of the Divide. This multimedia exhibit will highlight the socio-cultural ethnography and memory of the Partition by bringing forth those voices that have otherwise been unheard: the story of a woman still living in a refugee camp, separated from her daughter due to the man-made border, how a city-wide BA exam was put on hold due to a referendum in Sylhet, how two brothers converted to Islam to remain on their land while their sister made her way across to India, and how two brothers travelled from Travancore State to the North-West Frontier Province in search of work and were stranded there due to the Divide.

Each and every panel of this exhibit presents a unique first-hand experience and displays how the pivotal event that determined the subcontinent’s contemporary history continues influences society till today. These narratives are from all around the globe, with a special focus on subversive narratives through the lens of class, caste, and gender. The choice of regional locations is diverse and also brings to light narratives of Partition that are often never considered as part of popular imaginary.

Untold Stories invites, for the very first time, public audiences to engage with exemplary oral histories collected by The 1947 Partition Archive over the last 8 years. It is an exhibition that marries the notions of history, memoir, longing and belonging.

Exhibit: Seven decades have passed since the Partition of 1947 and still remnants of it continue to linger only latently in public memories and histories. The forthcoming exhibition by The 1947 Partition Archive will unravel the memories of people who witnessed the days of the Divide. This multimedia exhibit will highlight the socio-cultural ethnography and memory of the Partition by bringing forth those voices that have otherwise been unheard: the story of a woman still living in a refugee camp, separated from her daughter due to the man-made border, how a city-wide BA exam was put on hold due to a referendum in Sylhet, how two brothers converted to Islam to remain on their land while their sister made her way across to India, and how two brothers travelled from Travancore State to the North-West Frontier Province in search of work and were stranded there due to the Divide.
Each and every panel of this exhibit presents a unique first-hand experience and displays how the pivotal event that determined the subcontinent’s contemporary history continues influences society till today. These narratives are from all around the globe, with a special focus on subversive narratives through the lens of class, caste, and gender. The choice of regional locations is diverse and also brings to light narratives of Partition that are often never considered as part of popular imaginary.
Untold Stories invites, for the very first time, public audiences to engage with exemplary oral histories collected by The 1947 Partition Archive over the last 8 years. It is an exhibition that marries the notions of history, memoir, longing and belonging.

Exhibit: Women during Partition

The Partition of India in 1947 resulted in the largest mass-migration of people in the world till date. In recent years, testimonies of these migrations from those who witnessed the event have begun to emerge, resulting in a better understand of the Partition. Among these, the narratives of women- young and old- are imperative as they alert us on the impact the Partition had on familial life, on homes and ways of living.

Women during Partition explores first-hand accounts with women who witnessed the Partition. Those who refused to leave until months after the Partition, and those who had to leave at just a moment’s notice. Through their stories, through the very nature of archival image, we learn about the circumstances of their migrations. We learn of family, education, the plight of refugees, and the most importantly, the notion of hope.

Exhibit: The 1947 Partition Archive is excited to announce an exclusive partnership with Bikaner House in showcasing oral histories through an exhibition curated by artist and author, Aanchal Malhotra, coordinated by Ritika Popli with design by Shilpa Narain and architecture by Siddharth Wadhwa. The educational public exhibition will also include a series of events including Voices of Partition, film screenings, photography and visual arts exhibitions, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Partition. Lest we forget.  For more information visit our Facebook page.

click to download full schedule of events

Join us for an evening of ghazals by Penaz Masani, sung to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Partition this year. This is a benefit event.

Click to Reserve Tickets.

3:30pm-6:30pm
Doors @ 2:30pm
Reserve your tickets here

5:00pm-7:00pm
Reserve your tickets here

Join us on Wednesday, Feb 22 & April 12 at a workshop that attempts to answer this increasingly important question: How do we memorialize Partition in a manner that is ethical but also educational? The second day of the workshop will be held on April 12 at the Arts Faculty, Room 56, University of Delhi. Registration will be on site.

Download poster
Download complete schedule

Doors @ 6:00pm
Tickets coming soon

Doors @ 1:30pm
Begins @ 2:00pm

Panelists:
Partition witnesses:
Dr. Surendra Gambhir
Mr. Victor Gill
Dr. Om Gandhi
Researchers:
Dr. Amber Abbas of St. Joseph's College
Dr. Shreeyash Palshikar of Albright College
MC:
Dr. Kavita Daiya of George Washington University

Thank you to volunteers for making Voices of Partition in Bryn Mawr possible: Bilal Ezzeddine, Dr. Reena Banka, Sahil Banka, Salma Khan, and Suruchi Keenheel.

Panelists:
Partition witnesses:
Dr. Kamal Verma and Zafar Farooqi
Researchers:
Dr. Amber Abbas of St. Joseph's College, Dr. Benjamin Hokpins of the GW Elliot School, and Dr. Guneeta Singh Bhalla founder and director of The 1947 Partition Archive.
MC:
Dr. Kavita Daiya of George Washington University

Doors @ 6:00pm
Begins @ 6:30pm
Panelists:
Partition witnesses:
Jaya Metha, Iftekhar Hai, and Mohanbir Singh Rekhi
Story Collector:
Story Scholar Sobia Saleem
MC:
Dr. Priya Satia of Stanford University

Thank you to California Humanities for sponsoring Voices of Partition in Milpitas.
>Register now

Doors @ 12:30pm
Begins @ 1:00pm
>Register now
Panelists:
Partition witnesses:
Ahi Bhushan Halder and Dilip Kumar Chatterjee
Story collector:
Story Scholar Deborshi Chakraborty
Researcher:
Professor Rimi Nandy of Adamas University
MC:
Citizen Historian Sarita Bose

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make Voices of Partition in Kolkata possible: Aditi Das, Ankita Bhattacharya, Arnab Ghosh, Bihongi Biswas, Bijetri Dutta Majumder, Deborshi Chakraborty, Dipayan Roy, Hansha Jaiswal, Moumita Banik, Pranoy Pal, Panchanon Poddar, Professor Rimi Nandy, Rumki Chakraborty, Sarita Bose (moderator), Somdutta De, Souvik Ghosh, Shreoshi Mitra, Sumallya Mukhopadhyay, Tamasa Ghosh, Udayan Das, and Utsa Bhattacharjee.

Doors @ 3:30pm
Begins @ 4:00pm
>Register now
Panelists:
Partition witnesses:
Abida Amin Khawaja, Dr. Pervaiz Vandal, Shoaib Sultan Khan, and Tahira Husain
Story collector:
Story Scholar Fakhra Hassan
Guest speaker:
Founder of Lahore University of Management Sciences, Syed Babar Ali

Thank you to volunteers who helped make Voices of Partition in Lahore possible: Aasma Farhad, Ahmad Dar, Fakhra Hassan, Hamza Kamran, Khurram Abbas, Muhammad Hanif, Muna Baig, Rukhsana Parveen and Umair Mushtaq.

Doors @ 6:30pm
Begins @ 7:00pm
>Register now
Facebook event page
Thank you to volunteers who hepled make Voices of Partition in Delhi possible: Gaurav Khandelwal, Naman Kapuria, Mishika Nayyar, Mukul Pankajmani, Palak Sahni, Ria Dantewadia, Ritika Popli, Shruti Gakhar, Srishtee Sethi, and Sumedha Grover.

6-8:30pm

Speaking: Dr. Amber Abbas (St. Joseph's Unviersity), Dr. Debanji Bhattarcharyya (Drexel University), Dr. Shreeyash Palshikar (Albright University), Dr. Samira Mehta (Albright University), and The 1947 Partition Archive Founder and Director Dr. Guneeta Singh Bhalla.

Thursday, November 19 from 6-7:30pm

@ 6:30pm
Watch the video

Voices of Partition at KQED's Indian Summer Preview in Milpitas, CA. Panelists: Ali Shan and Ravindar Chopra.

Thank you to the volunteers who helped make this event possible: Bomi Kim, Catherine Supnet, Elaine Jones, Graham Gilmore, Trinh Duong, Saba Taquir, and Yvonne Eadon.

Panelists: Dr. Vishin Jotwani, Saiyed Irfan Ahmad, Fauzia Parviz, Major Jagjit Singh, and Iram Nawaz (Citizen Historian).
Thank you the volunteers who helped make this event possible: Bomi Kim, Catherine Supnet, Elaine Jones, Graham Gilmore, and Trinh Duong.
Watch here

Join us along with the University of Washington's South Asia Center in Seattle, as we explore the 1947 Partition via storytelling by witnesses sharing their stories, story collectors sharing their experiences and academics sharing new insights.
Time: 10 am
We would like to thank the South Asia Center at the UW for hosting the event. We thank our hosts Archana Verma and Jeff Siddiqui, as well as the volunteers who helped make this event possible: Aarti Khanna, Hira Haqar, Sabika Makhdoom, Trinh Duong, Catherine Supnet, Elaine Jones, Rai Nauman Mumtaz, and Ramish Patel.
Voices of Partition at the University of Washington in Seattle

February 18, 2016 @ 6:30pm

Thank you to the volunteers who helped make this event possible: Elaine Jones, Sucheta Korwar, and Yvonne Eadon.

Join us at the India Habitat Center in Delhi as we explore the 1947 Partition via storytelling by witnesses sharing their stories, story collectors sharing their experiences and academics sharing new insights.
Time: 6:30 pm

Join us at the Berkeley Skydeck as we explore the 1947 Partition through a special screening of survivor footage followed by witnesses sharing their stories.

Time: 6:30 pm

Panelists include: Mr. Ali Shan, Dr. Om Juneja, Mrs. Raj Jaggi, Dr. Zafar Afaq Ansari, Dr. Vishin Jotwani, Dr. Ismat Kamal, and Mr. Madan Lal Ghai.
Watch here

Watch the video:

Berkeley Skydeck, Berkeley, CA
Registration: Pre-registration required. Click here.
Time: 7:00 pm PST

Berkeley Skydeck, Berkeley, CA
Registration: Pre-registration required. Click here.
Time: 7:00 am PST

Baylands Park, Sunnyvale, CA Visit our Booth at Sevathon 2013.
Full Announcement: Sevathon 2013

Expo: Visit our Booth at India Now 2013.
Full Announcement: India Now 2013

Convention: Visit our Booth at NASABA 2013.
Full Announcement: NASABA 2013

Berkeley Skydeck, Berkeley, CA
Registration: Pre-registration required. Click here.
Time: 3:00 pm PST

Expo: Visit our Booth at OPEN.
Full Announcement: OPEN SV 2013

Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA
Expo: Visit our Booth at the TieCon Expo. Booth courtesy TIE Silicon Valley.
Full Announcement: TIECON 2013

Berkeley Skydeck, Berkeley, CA
Registration: Pre-registration required. Send email: [email protected]
Time: 8:30 am PST

Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Day 1: April 18 -- Partitions in Literature
Day 2: April 19 -- Geneology and Implementations of a Political Idea
Location: Board Room, Stanford Humanities Center
Audio Visual Presentation: 4:35pm by Archive staff Guneeta Singh Bhalla Full announcement: Stanford Partitions Conference

Berkeley Skydeck, University of California, Berkeley, CA

Schedule:

• - 11:30 am - Benefit Luncheon with Dr. Bapsi Sidhwa, author "Cracking India"
• - 2:00 pm - Understanding Partition with Dr. Roshni Rustomji (Sonoma State University) and Dr. Priya Satia (Stanford University)
• - 4:00 pm - Film Screening, "Earth" based on "Cracking India"
• - All Day - Benefit Art Auction

Full event announcement: Click Here

Berkeley Skydeck, Berkeley, CA
Time: 1pm to 4pm.

Downtown Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, CA
Time: 2pm to 5pm.

Downtown Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, CA
Time: 5:30pm to 8pm.

Website: http://www.indiacc.org/indus_heritage_day
Details:We are excited to present this first annual celebration of ancient Indus River heritage and culture. This event is held in equal partnership with The 1947 Partition Archive, India Community Center in Milpitas, CA and the Pakistani American Cultural Center in San Jose, CA. Join us in discovering our shared histories.

Downtown Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, CA
Time: 5:30pm to 8pm.
Details: This workshop is required for all aspiring interviewers. The workshop will also be available remotely to those who choose to login via Skype. Please send a message via our contact form. The workshop covers proper etiquette, techniques for asking open ended questions, properly formulating questions, camera work and equipment usage and more. Learn about conducting oral histories in a group setting and meet other interviewers. Join us!

Details: The exhibit explores the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan as well as the 1971 Partition of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Four interview videos from The 1947 Partition Archive collection will be showing alongside artworks and other oral history collections.

Details: The exhibit explores the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan as well as the 1971 Partition of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Four interview videos from The 1947 Partition Archive collection will be showing alongside artworks and other oral history collections.

Details: Informational/awareness booth. Volunteers reach out to Partition survivors and the Sikh community in California's Central Valley. Visit our booth!

Downtown Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, CA
Time: 1pm to 4pm.
Details: This workshop is required for all aspiring interviewers. The workshop will also be available remotely to those who choose to login via Skype. Please send a message via our contact form. The workshop covers proper etiquette, techniques for asking open ended questions, properly formulating questions, camera work and equipment usage and more. Learn about conducting oral histories in a group setting and meet other interviewers. Join us!

Details: Informational/awareness booth. Volunteers reach out to Partition survivors and the Muslim community in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit our booth!

Run or walk to support the collection of Partition stories. Sevathon 2011 is an all day event with activities and running/walking opportunities for all ages. Register today and support "The 1947 Partition Archive." Learn more: http://www.indiacc.org/sevathon<> Contact usto volunteer for this event!

Baylands Park, Sunnyvale, CA The Pakistani American Cultural Center and the India Community Center in Silicon Valley, CA present the Basant Kite Flying Festival. Enjoy a day of family fun and kite flying competitions. Stop by our booth to learn more about what we do and to sign up for our upcoming events and opportunities. Visit http://www.pacc-ca.org/ to learn more

Fresno, CA Details:Informational booth. Interview sign-up opportunity for Partition survivors, migrants and witnesses in Fresno valley.

San Jose, CA

Details:A play on Partition produced by Naatak. The 1947 Partition Archive partnered with Naatak by facilitating a panel discussion with Partition survivors following each performance.