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Tales of two cities
Sialkot to Delhi
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The dawn of Independence in 1947 brought with it great hope for both India and Pakistan but the ensuing communal riots and the large-scale displacement of people also made this the darkest hour in the subcontinent’s history.
Tales of Two Cities is the story of Independence, the Partition and migration as told by
Kuldip Nayar and Asif
Noorani, whose families were uprooted and forced to start new lives in new states. Excerpts: |
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I
did not want to leave Sialkot. This was my home. I was born and
brought up here. Why could not I, a Hindu, live in the Islamic
state of Pakistan when there would be hundreds of thousands of
Muslims living in India? True, religion was the basis of
Partition. But then both the Congress and the Muslim League had
opposed the exchange of population. People could stay wherever
they were.
Sialkot withstood the initial surge of rioting in 1947,
but not for long
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Bombay
to Karachi
Asif
Noorani, distinguished Pakistani journalist and critic, was only five years old at the time of the Partition. He remembers the riots in Bombay. But his family weathered the storm and lived in Bombay for three more years before his father decided to migrate to Pakistan.
FOR someone born in 1942, Independence and Partition remain a somewhat hazy memory. However, I distinctly remember being taken by my father to see the illuminations on some buildings. |
Art of healthy living
Feng-shui, meaning wind and water, is a theory of balance and oneness of nature, common sense, superstition and good taste. It can help you improve any area of life painlessly and effectively. Its principles can be applied to increase the economic, physical, spiritual and emotional health of your family, says Raghbir S. Gill
FENG-SHUI,
pronounced as ‘fung-shway’, literally means wind and water. It
evolved as a mix of Buddhism, Taoism, Yin-yang theory of
balance and oneness of nature, common sense, superstition and good
taste.
The waistcoat returns
Earlier, waistcoats used to be part of the formal three-piece suit. Now, youngsters are sporting these to make a style statement,
writes Hector Choksi
SIXTY
years ago the Jawahar waistcoat, popularised by the first Prime
Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was the rage among fashionistas.
Now, waistcoats are in this season and are the hottest item in stores
from Big Bazaar in Mumbai to Pondy Bazaar in Chennai.
Where history comes alive
Syed Nooruzzaman visits Parliament Museum in New Delhi that tells the story of the birth of
an independent India
THERE
is no dearth of books on how India won its freedom with sacrifices by
people belonging to different sections of society.
Showcase of Indian cinema
The films in Panorama for IFFI-2008 are sure to please film buffs, writes
Derek Bose
WITH
every passing year, the Panorama pickings for the International Film
Festival of India (IFFI) are getting curiouser and curiouser.
Bollywood
bias, a hurdle for TV actors
Mouli Ganguly
DESPITE
delivering an impressive performance in Rituparno Ghosh’s Raincoat
in 2004, TV actress Mouli Ganguly says Bollywood doesn't take TV
actors seriously.
Sarkozy-Bruni romance on TV
FRENCH
President Nicolas Sarkozy’s whirlwind romance with wife Carla Bruni
is heading for a small screen adaptation. The television drama by
Endemol will be a mixed adaptation of two recent unauthorised
biographies that talk about French first couple’s lightning
courtship and marriage.
Master
prints of classics missing
Mona Parthsarathi
IN
what may come as a rude shock to the country’s film buffs, some of
the pioneering works of Dada Saheb Phalke awardees Mrinal Sen and
Tapan Sinha have been either destroyed or missing from the archives.
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