File Photo: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has asked the top brass of state government to explore the feasibility of setting a state-of-the-art partition museum in the holy city Amritsar.
The proposed museum would depict enormous mental agony and trauma faced by the countrymen in general and Punjabis in particular during country's partition in 1947.
A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister during a high-level meeting with the officers of state government and NGO- The Arts & Cultural Heritage Trust held in Chandigarh, an official release said in Chandigarh today.
Chairing the meeting, Mr Badal bemoaned that "partition of the country was one of the darkest chapter of the India's history as nearly 1.5 crore people were displaced and as many as five lakh of them lost their lives during the migration of populace between India and Pakistan".
He said that Punjab being a border and most prosperous state of the country faced the maximum brunt of partition, the wounds of which were still afresh in the memories of people who had witnessed that moment.
Such a memorial built in the holy city of Amritsar would cement the socio-cultural bonds between people from both India and Pakistan as both the countries have suffered a lot during this mass migration.
He asked the officers to work out modalities for expediting the process of setting up this museum which would display the heart-rendering stories of eye witnesses of partition of the country besides housing a library with rare books describing the events leading to partition and its aftermath.
"He assured the Mentor of Trust Lord Meghnad Desai and Chairman Kishwar Desai that state government would leave no stone unturned for ensuring that this museum comes up at holy city," the release quoting Mr Badal said.
The state government has set up several memorials to perpetuate the glorious and rich cultural heritage of the state and this initiative was also a part of this endeavor, Mr Badal said.
Earlier taking part in deliberations, Kishwar Desai said that they were actively engaged towards the establishment of a physical museum dedicated to the memory of the Partition in 1947--its victims, its survivors and its lasting legacy.
She said that partition was one of greatest and most painful upheavals of contemporary history as several millions migrated to a new homeland on the other side of a quickly demarcated border, leaving behind precious memories.
She further said that the present young generations in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have little or no idea of what their grandparents or ancestors went through, in order to give them the gift of freedom.
The partition museum would attempt to lift that veil of silence, she said.