As we witness the current tragic Syrian refugee crisis, we are reminded of how significant physical space and man-made borders become in moments of crisis and how important it is to understand history with the perspectives of those most deeply affected by it: individuals who lived through it.<\/p>\n
The Partition of India in 1947, the largest mass migration in human history, was responsible for the loss of home, family and friends for millions, and shaped the future South Asian geopolitics for the next 60 years. Yet, not very much oral history is documented of people\u2019s personal experiences with this world-changing event.<\/p>\n
Thanks to the Seattle South Asian Film Festival, Seattleites have the chance to watch and meet the filmmaker of \u201cA Thin Wall,\u201d a documentary that captures a range of memories from both sides of the border.<\/p>\n
From the recollection of a then 26-year-old man imprisoned for non-violent political activism with the Muslim League, to a then 5-year-old girl\u2019s reminiscence of what life was like on \u201cthe other side\u201d in India, memories of the partition are deeply alive in the minds of the multiple generations shaped by it.<\/p>\n
The film is the work of Mara Ahmed (also writer and director of \u201cThe Muslims I Know\u201d) and Surbhi Dewan (co-producer), who trace their roots back to both sides of the border: Pakistan and India, respectively. Nearly a decade ago, Ahmed and Dewan met in Rochester, New York and started discussing the legacy of the partition, inspiring the idea to create a documentary together to show the impact more than 60 years later on both sides of the border. Just the fact that Ahmed and Dewan were able to come together to create this film over the next seven years was a testament to the freedom Pakistanis and Indians in the diaspora felt in discussing the partition, versus \u201cat home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was clear that our inability to dialogue is geography-specific,\u201d said Ahmed, of screening \u201cA Thin Wall\u201d in South Asian communities in the U.S. when she first launched the film in April. \u201cIt is politicized, localized, propagandized [in Pakistan and India]. In the U.S., where all nationalistic-created barriers are taken away, we begin to interact normally. The geopolitical and emotional walls begin to crumble.\u201d<\/p>\n
Millions living the greatest migration in human history crossed the borders with nothing in hand, leaving all or most of their possessions behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people would rather forget [this immensely painful chapter in history] than revisit it,\u201d Ahmed explained. \u201cThere is also a nationalistic element to it. It is easier to keep the hate and paranoia going in both India and Pakistan if there is no acknowledgement of what our side did to the other side, if there is no focus on individual stories, if there is no recognition of our common humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Audiences are reminded how complex and traumatic the memory of \u201chome\u201d can be, and also how universal it is as this year\u2019s festival theme, \u201c#ComingHome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is home and how do we define it?\u201d is a question that resonates with all of us.<\/p>\n