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Welcome to 1947!

This is a space dedicated to all peoples of Indian & Pakistani origin anywhere in the world, or anyone who has memories of how life changed for her/ him in that year of partition. We hope for this space to be used as expressively as you wish, reliving pain as well as joy. I have heard many a tearful tale about the horrors of the events directly before & after partition, and you are encouraged to share those stories here. But it is also my hope that people will come forth with the magical times they spent in one or the other country, before the madness of partition set in: the neighborhoods, the camaraderie, the smells, the sounds, the harmony, the foods, the streets & neighbors, the romances, the schools: all those everyday moments that make every day so magical.

So go on, Qasim, tell us now while you sit in your living room in Rawalpindi, about your daily jaunts to the neighborhood "gol-gappe wala" in your Delhi locality, about the fight you once picked with the boys over Sunita, about the dreary math teacher droning on on hot summer days.

Or Kamala in Mumbai can tell us of the comforts of her former home in Karachi, a place she has not revisited since they fled; her best friend & neighbor Shagufta, the long lazy afternoons they spent at each other's homes, gossiping & giggling! If only I could see how that street looks today!

And remember, you can write on behalf of grand-parents, parents, acquaintances, any one whose experiences you heard, & can now share in this space; so pull these memories out of the recesses of your mind, you never know what new connections it might give birth to.

It is also hoped that this dynamic zone of exchange will soon become a place where strangers will find ties that bind them across the chasm of the intervening decades; or that another reader from Karachi reading Kamala's story here will make her day by uploading pictures of that very street where she lived, and as it stands now. That's powerful!!

The core belief I am operating with is that we need not live with constraints imposed by the past: closed borders, closed hearts, closed minds. So what if travel between India & Pakistan is still a pain, with all the red-tape & paperwork & permits? So what if you'd like to take your parents or grand-parents to their roots, but are daunted by the unfamilarity of the place? Well, write your story here, evince your interest in that city or neighborhood or street; as this space gains sufficient traction, someone from the other side of the border might be more than willing to supply you with pictures of your old home now, who lives there, how the neighborhood survived a calamity, etc.

So share your stories here, & let's watch the rich tapestry we can weave from these tales unfold. So spread the word!

Tell your tale now: Here's how you can participate:

• Click on 'Edit this page' link on the top of the page, & you are ready to start telling your story. You will need to provide your name, email address, & the password for this wiki.

• Remember you can also upload pictures to this site.

• Email suggestions/ ideas to aarora99@gmail.com.

• While this wiki is started in English, with sufficient numbers of users, we hope to introduce a multilingual space that will allow people to participate in their native tongue. In the meantime, please use English, Hinglish, or any hybrid that allows you to be at your most expressive.

• We expect people to use this space responsibly. Please refrain from writing that is infammatory, or derogatory or offensive to a religion or community. Such material will be removed at the discretion of the editors.

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