“This Side That Side: Restorying Partition” is an anthology of 27 graphic narratives by 47 contributors across India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Many of the stories grew out of conversations – in several cases, across borders – between graphic artists and storytellers. These narratives are creative explorations of partition, not just about those who witnessed India-Pakistan division in 1947, but also the younger generations who continue to negotiate its legacy.
“It’s a very contemporary reading of partition,” said curator Vishwajyoti Ghosh, in an interview with the Dhaka Tribune. “On one level, we’ve learned the history of partition in school, heard stories in our childhood. But how do we deal with it on a day-to-day basis? That is the focus of this collection.”
Ghosh, also the author of the graphic novel “Delhi Calm,” began the project two years ago. After an open call for submissions, his publishers received more than 150 submissions.
He has held workshops throughout South Asia, including one in Dhaka in November 2011, where he mentored contributors to work within the framework of a graphic narrative.
“Because the form was so nascent, so it was important to show writers how we can use graphics novels in our own storytelling.”
Graphic novels started gaining popularity in India ten years ago, but they are still fairly new in Bangladesh.
“It doesn’t have to be funny. It doesn’t have to be about superheroes. It can be about your life and my life. These are the stories that make graphic stories very interesting, and vibrant. It’s part of our world we live in.”
The Delhi-based Ghosh has his own partition story. He is a Bangali whose grandfather was originally from Barisal. He said he enjoyed visiting his ancestral home on a previous visit to Bangladesh. “Barisal was like this mythical place to us growing up. I’ve heard so many stories, as you can imagine.”
Curator Vishwajyoti Ghosh and Bangladeshi contributors Syeda Farhana, Khademul Islam and Kaiser Haq will be speaking, and Sanjoy Chakraborty will do a performance art piece about South Asian identity.
