All the money Ram Pyari Anand, a widow living in Sialkot in pre-Independent India, possessed was saved in the Bank of Sialkot. When the 1947 partition created a separate Pakistan, which Sialkot became part of, the Hindu mother of four daughters fled the country with only a small bundle of possessions, including her bank passbook.
Today, 76 years after India and Pakistan came into being, that passbook is one of many exhibits at the recently opened Partition Museum in Delhi.
Inaugurated on the Ambedkar University campus in Kashmere Gate in May, and housed in a 17th-century heritage building, the museum and its accompanying Dara Shukoh Library Cultural Hub is a walk back into a tumultuous time in history.
The 1947 partition was the result of a border drawn in a rather ad hoc manner within a matter of merely five weeks. Its result? The largest mass migration in history.
The museum showcases the story of the partition of one country into two, as well as audio recordings of Delhi residents speaking about how India’s capital city changed owing to migration and resettlement.
For instance, a clip by Kuldip Nayar, a renowned journalist whose family migrated from Pakistan to Delhi, features an interview with Cyril Radcliffe. It was this British lawyer who demarcated the border, etching the so-called Radcliffe Line, which separated the two countries. “I had no alternative. If I had two to three years, I may have improved on what I did,” Radcliffe admits in the clip.
Visitors can listen to this and other recordings of people who witnessed the partition first-hand, through screens and headsets placed across the museum’s seven galleries. These start with the events leading up to the partition, and the aftermath of the event.
Artefacts include newspaper clippings, sculptures, art installations, documents and memorabilia such as letters, postcards, wedding cards and Urdu books, each telling the evocative stories of people uprooted overnight.
Tragic beginnings
The foyer of the museum is dominated by Kashmiri sculptor Veer Munshi’s papier-mache horse, which is loaded with human skeletons and bones, or “the weight of the Partition”, representing the tragic fate of tens of thousands of people forced to abandon their homes.
Death is a dominant theme in the first few sections. In the second gallery, for example, set against a backdrop of haunting music, is a train coach with wooden seats. This harks back to the time when people fleeing the riots and violence that rocked both countries took trains only for their relatives to witness carriages arriving full of dead bodies, belongings strewn across the compartments in mute testimony to the tragedy.
Another section displays hard-hitting photographs, of corpses left abandoned at railway stations and bodies lying on carts, as well as people, especially women and children, who suffered rape, robbery and starvation.
Refugee crisis
As people moved between the countries, it was estimated that the population of Delhi alone nearly doubled from 900,000 in 1947 to 1.74 million as per the 1951 census.
Several sections of the Partition Museum represent the refugee crisis, with one space fashioned to resemble a tent akin to that of a refugee camp, with exhibits such as ration cards and joint India-Pakistan passports.
Camps aside, many large monuments such as Humayun’s Tomb served as temporary accommodation, while squatter colonies also developed, with many living on railway platforms and empty plots.
The rise in population in Delhi laid the foundation of Punjabi Bagh by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who told residents to not call themselves refugees, but “Punjabis of Punjabi Bagh”. Many other popular areas in the capital, including Lajpat Nagar and Faridabad, too, originally sprang up as refugee colonies.
The exhibits here are basic, but all the more heart-rending for it – from a lock used to secure the trunk carrying one family’s meagre belongings, to entire wooden bed posts carried across the border by another; and from a vintage Singer sewing machine to a piece of cloth with embroidery work in Sindhi, the language spoken by the predominantly Hindu community of the same name, who lived in Sindh (now in Pakistan) before the partition.
Silver lining of hope
The human spirit of the refugees, once they had settled, is also highlighted in the museum. One section is devoted to how the refugees brought with them traces of their own culture, food and language, and their effect on the literature, music and films of India. The partition famously led to an outpouring of literature and poetry related to the cataclysmic event.
There are also feel-good stories, such as that of Savita Batra who migrated from Pakistan with the beloved sitar she had watched her father play. Batra wanted to learn how to play the instrument and began her search for Rikhi Ram, whose name was inscribed on the sitar. As luck would have it, Ram had set up a shop in Delhi’s Connaught Place and recognised his craftsmanship immediately. The sitar went on to become a family heirloom, which has now been donated by the Batra family to the Partition Museum.
Elsewhere, we learn of Priyanka Mehta, who visited Lahore post-partition and was handed over an electric meter that belonged to her family, by the Iftikars, the new owners living in her ancestral home.
From stories of the courageous people who rebuilt their lives from scratch to those who came to helm successful business, many of which still exist, the museum has plenty of feel-good narratives.
The partition was a tragedy that affected not just one generation, but rather left its imprint on the lives of many. However, above all, the museum records stories of hope and courage that celebrate the triumph of the human spirit, which can rebuild and move on even after the greatest of misfortunes.
As a song playing on loop in one of the galleries notes: Tu Hindu Banega, na Musalmaan Banega, Insaan ki Aulaad hai, Insaan Banega (You will become neither Hindu nor Muslim. You are the child of a human being, and humane is all you will become).
Federer's 11 Wimbledon finals
2003 Beat Mark Philippoussis
2004 Beat Andy Roddick
2005 Beat Andy Roddick
2006 Beat Rafael Nadal
2007 Beat Rafael Nadal
2008 Lost to Rafael Nadal
2009 Beat Andy Roddick
2012 Beat Andy Murray
2014 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2015 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2017 Beat Marin Cilic
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
The specs: 2019 Cadillac XT4
Price, base: Dh145,000
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged in-line four-cylinder engine
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 237hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
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Read more about the coronavirus
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
Remaining fixtures
- August 29 – UAE v Saudi Arabia, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
- September 5 – Iraq v UAE, Amman, Jordan (venue TBC)
The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
CONCRETE COWBOY
Directed by: Ricky Staub
Starring: Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome
3.5/5 stars
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
ATP RANKINGS (NOVEMBER 4)
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,585 pts ( 1)
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,945 (-1)
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,190
4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705
5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 ( 1)
7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1)
8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 ( 1)
9. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,540 ( 1)
10. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 2,530 ( 3)
11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,335 ( 3)
12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,290
13. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 2,180 (-2)
14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,125 ( 1)
15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,050 ( 13)
16. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,000
17. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,840 (-9)
18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1,775
19. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (-2)
20. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 1,747 ( 7)
Anna and the Apocalypse
Director: John McPhail
Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Mark Benton
Three stars
Mountain%20Boy
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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EXPATS
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RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
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About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
