The partition of India in 1947 led to a massacre and a massive relocation of people. No accurate figures are available as to how many people relocated and how many lost their life. Till 2017, there was no monument, museum or memorial to commemorate the victims of partition. . The Partition Museum in Town Hall, Amritsar, filled this vacuum. The exhibition, stretching over 17,000 square ft. and divided into four galleries, opened in August – October, 2017.
The CEO of the Museum, Mallika Ahluwalia told Khushboo Agrahari (The Education Post) “It is a reminder of the tough times people went through. No one exactly knows how many migrated and how many died; no one knows their story. This museum shall bring to light their sacrifices”.
On being asked how the idea of setting up a museum on such an odd and sensitive theme struck her, she explained that all the four founding members of the museum belong to families which had to move to India from Pakistan after partition and they realised that the stories of many like them were unheard and untold. . They decided to make the travails of the victims of partition heard and acknowledged.
It is a people’s museum, and displays belongings of the refugees, verbal description of what they went through, letters, photographs and various other items to tell the horrific story. The museum, a comprehensive archive of official documents and photos is useful for scholars and commoners both.
“ Thousands from the area around and from different parts of the country and the world visit the Museum, which narrates the story of the world’s biggest migration ”, says Mallika.
Whenever you are in Amritsar, please do visit this place.
