Duja Des Ikko Bhes - With Laraib Asdaf of Purana Pakistan

In this episode, Priyam is in conversation with Laraib Asdaf, founder and curator of Purana Pakistan - a public digital archive dedicated to the side of Pakistan and its people that most today are oblivious to. Laraib speaks about the Muhajir Community in Karachi, and how Partition has shaped the city, which stands out among the other cities of Pakistan and to her also seems like a ‘Mini India’ in some sense. She takes us through her Nana’s traumatic Partition experience despite which he carried no hatred in his heart for as long as he lived and the closure he could finally get in the days before he passed. She also delves into her unlearning experiences as a student in Canada sharing classrooms with Indian and Bangladeshi students and professors which really transformed the way she perceived South Asian History and those from the other side of the border. The conversation is full of anecdotes and touches upon India-Pakistan cricket matches, stereotypical Bollywood portrayals of Pakistanis, and much more.