Partition at seventy: A family story

Partition left 2 million dead, 12 mn displaced, thousands of women raped, towns and villages torched

In the entrance hall of Bikaner House, the capital’s new cultural hub, is placed a large map of India in outline. Next to it are reels of black string and scissors; visitors are invited to plot their family’s migration during Partition. “Trace your family’s journey on the map,” reads the heading over a dense criss-crossing of strings to numerous cities from Muree to Calicut, and Quetta to Chittagong, in the undivided sub-continent. You can also join the exercise online at www.1947partitionarchive.org by recording the privations and horror your parents or grandparents endured during that blood-spattered chapter of