Remnants of Partition | Aanchal Malhotra

In this episode I have the pleasure to talk to Aanchal Malhotra, author  of ‘Remnants of Partition’, a book that brings sounds, sights and smells  to life, exploring memories of partition through conversations about  objects which were carried across the new frontiers. In re-telling these stories numerous complex tales are entwined amongst  one another creating a beautifully intricate tapestry of a time before,  during and after Partition. The way in which Aanchal retells the memories of those she talks to will strike almost every emotional chord you have. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ ★ Buy this podcast a coffee ★ As always here is a time stamped breakdown of the conversation: 00:00 - Introduction 05:54 - Aanchal's family history 14:12 - Partition & migration 16:00 - Partition & freedom 17:09 - How the book brings nuance to a generalised narrative of Partition 19:30 - Do you think the predisposition to look at Partition through the lens of violence is a colonial hangover? 25:55 - Aanchal's family & books 29:30 - What spurned you to write the book? 32:38 - Why are there two different titles of the book? Whilst you were  going through your research was there any surprises or hurdles?   39:13 - Discussing objects and rationalising what you would take with you in an emergency like Partition. 40:42 - People's assumptions behind picking the items they did when they crossed borders 41:32 - What for you was the one item(s) that stood out the most and why? (The Crocodile Head) 47:38 - Importance of the soil of your respective homeland 51:09 - Was there anything else you picked up in terms of similarities and differences between the people you spoke to? 57:31 - Did you have to learn as you went along or was there a technique or practice you used when engaging with your interviewees? 01:04:30 - How did the whole process from research to publishing impact yourself and what has the feedback been like? 01:07:40 - Why do you think pre-partition harmony mutated into the communal violence that is synonymous with Partition? 01:13:10 - Is there anything else you wanted to include or go over? 01:14:40 - Where you can get your copy of Remnants of Partition / Remnants of a Separation