Partition Horror’s Remembrance Day

One-Day Seminar on “Memory, Migration, and Identity: Mapping the Cultural Imprints of Partition-Displaced Communities in J&K”

Jammu, 14/08/25: On the eve of Independence Day, the Department of History, University of Jammu, Jammu in collaboration with Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts (IGNCA), Regional Centre, Jammu, and Jammu & Kashmir Study Centre, hosted a solemn Partition Horror’s Remembrance Day and held a the one-day seminar on the theme Memory, Migration, and Identity: Mapping the Cultural Imprints of Partition-Displaced Communities in J&K at the Seminar Hall of the Department of Environmental Science, University of Jammu.

The inaugural session began with a solemn and symbolic ceremony, marked by the lighting of the ceremonial lamp. This significant ritual was performed by the chief guest, Professor Anju Bhasin, Dean Academic Affairs (DAA), University of Jammu. She was joined by Col. Ajay Raina (Keynote Speaker), Professor Suman Jamwal, Dean Social Sciences and the Head of the Department of History, and Ms. Shruti Awasthi, Regional Director of the Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts (IGNCA).

Following the lighting of the lamp, Prof. Suman Jamwal began by paying tribute to the remarkable resilience of the survivors of Partition, celebrating their strength and fortitude in the face of unimaginable adversity. She, then, gave a brief introduction about the theme of the programme, highlighting trauma experienced during the partition. She highlighted that some voices which underwent the partition have not been brought into the limelight. She further talked about assimilation and how the cultural imprint of partition is still visible in our daily lives. She opened the programme by extending a heartfelt welcome to all the dignitaries and the worthy speakers.

Col. Ajay Raina, the keynote speaker, shared anecdotes pertaining to partition and how it impacted the people residing in the border areas. He highlighted how the partition triggered the largest migration in human history and created widespread panic and terror among people and therefore, it becomes important to revisit the history of partition to honour the memory of those who were displaced. He also spoke on the need to fill the gaps pertaining to the lack of information as well as writings on this subject. He emphasised on the role of the young scholars in this direction.

In her presidential address, Professor Anju Bashin, commended the department of History, IGNCA and JKSC (Jammu) for organising this academic exercise. She also highlighted how Jammu region faced the brunt of the partition and shared the personal experiences of her family members who witnessed bloodshed during the partition. Her words were a heartfelt acknowledgment of the enduring human spirit that carried many through the days during and post-partition period in the history of Jammu and Kashmir..

The theme of the first session was Faith, Memory and Identity and the panelists of the first session namely, Sh. Guru Gosai Brij Bhushan, Sh. Rakesh Kumar Chhibbar and Dr. Harish Chander Dutt, emphasized on the personal trauma of the people who were displaced and how this shaped their struggle, survival and identity. The displaced population labelled as Refugees had to navigate a new social landscape, unfamiliar settings and create a new home for themselves.

The second session was devoted to the theme Women and Partition. The speakers of this session were Dr. Vinay Gupta, Smt. Durgi Devi and Smt. Swarna Kanta. They explained how women were the prime targets of the communal violence, how they endured abduction, physical atrocities and even committed suicides to save their and their family’s honour. The personal experiences shared by the speakers created an emotional environment among the audience.

The third session was devoted to the theme Displaced Voices- Community Interaction. The speakers for the session were Dr. D.N Raina, Dr. Deepak Kapoor and Dr. Madhulika Singh who spoke elaborately on the unsung heroes of Kotli, Poonch and other border areas of Jammu and Kashmir and the details of the migration during partition.

The fourth session was an Open Session, devoted to interaction between all the panelists and the participants. This session generated a lot of interest among the young audience reflecting the relevance of such seminars in the contemporary times.

The chief guest of the Valedictory Session was Sh. Ramesh Kumar, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu. He remembered the survivors of the partition and lauded their courage, resilience and patriotic spirit. He highlighted the initiatives and schemes of the Government aimed in this direction. He then facilitated the survivors and the members of their families affected by partition.

His address was followed by a summary presentation of the seminar by research scholar of Department of History, Sidharth Singh Jamwal.

The seminar concluded by a vote of thanks presented by Ms. Shruti Awasthi, Director, Regional Centre, Jammu and Kashmir, IGNCA, who thanked all the dignitaries, speakers, participants and members of the press for their presence. The proceedings of all the sessions were ably managed by Sh. Suman Kumar Verma, Dr. Anu Mankotia, Dr. Anju Bala and Dr. Bhawana Sharma from the Department of History , University of Jammu.