My Family, Partition and Me India 1947 Episode 1
Former Strictly contestant and familiar face up on TV travelled to Pakistan to observe out what happened to her gramps'due south family as BBC launches 'Segmentation' series…
Tv PRESENTER and personality Anita Rani has an amazing story to tell most her own family and what happened to her grandfather'southward relatives during Partition.
While they perished in what became Pakistan near overnight, she told www.asianculturevulture.com that information technology was important people broke their silence and dealt head-on with the trauma and tragedy only not feel bitter almost what happened.
"There is definitely a nighttime legacy, just my granddad didn't carry any weight of hatred or whatsoever bitterness, in my family the legacy is not nearly bitterness simply goodness," Rani told www.asianculturevulture.com.
Anita Rani presents the programme and information technology covers her own remarkable family story as she travels to Pakistan for the first time (C) Wall to Wall – Photographer: Lorian Reed-Drake
A special BBC One documentary told in two parts will cover her family story, forth with three others and information technology volition open the broadcasters' '70 Years on: The Partition Story' series of programmes, this Wed (August nine).
Rani is both presenter and i of the main subjects of the new motion-picture show which volition see her and her mother cross into Pakistan to find what happened to her grandfather'south family.
Her maternal granddad escaped the carnage as he was with the British Ground forces at the fourth dimension and stationed in Pune but the balance of his family resided in Punjab, which was divide post-obit Partitioning.
Rani first learnt about this family history when she was the subject of 'Who practice you call up you are?' ('WDYTYA') plan which is made past the same production company as this documentary, Wall to Wall, and aired some two years ago.
"At that place was certainly unfinished business organization," she recounted. "I hadn't been able to get to Pakistan. "I knew my entire family had been slaughtered but non how."
She travelled back to Sahiwal – her ancestral village in what is at present Pakistani Punjab (the state was divided and its capital Lahore became part of Islamic republic of pakistan), and meets an elderly gentlemen who really explains the events as they happened.
"My mother didn't come up to all the places," Rani revealed when it was clear this part of the programme is very intense, and emotionally very difficult.
Earlier this twelvemonth at the Sheffield Dr. Fest, she spoke near her and the programme-makers' frustration about not getting a visa in fourth dimension to travel for the 'WDYTYA' programme, but this fourth dimension as with the Butt family unit (British Pakistani and wanting to become back the other manner from Ambala in India to Lahore), all got their visas and made special trips for the programme.
Every bit well Sameer Butt and his begetter, Asad Ali Syed, from Sheffield, the programme focuses on a British Bengali md who had to abscond his ancestral domicile in what became East Pakistan because of rising mob violence against Hindus in that location in 1947.
Asad Ali Syed and son Sameer Barrel
His British-born girl Binita Kane makes the trip back on her own to his village in modern mean solar day Bangladesh and uncovers further revelations.
As well as these iii British immigrant tales, the programme also looks at Arthur Wise, whose family unit had been in India for two generations and departed soon later Partition.
He was a colonial administrator who took his own private film to record the last days of the Raj. His granddaughter Mandy travels back to Kolkata to find out more than almost him and his function in trying to curb the tensions and the violence at the time. In Sheffield, it was revealed that Wise had talked to Mahatma Gandhi and was regarded every bit an honest broker.
Binita Kane
Rani said: "It's amazing footage, the family still had the film."
The British retreat from India is rarely discussed only the plan looks at men similar Wise who tried to arbitrate in the carnage and get the British to maintain law and gild.
Every bit it was, the mobs were left alone and British casualties in the ensuing violence amounted to less than 20 – when 20 1000000 people were displaced and around a million murdered in the largely religiously inspired mob attacks.
Rani said her original 'WDYTYA' had sparked a huge reaction off on social media and she was shocked by the levels of ignorance and lack of agreement about Partition more more often than not.
"It really upset me actually, British Asian kids did non know actually. This programme is not about me and then much, only the reaction to that. Fifty-fifty in my own family, we did non really talk virtually information technology.
"I promise as a event people are able to ask questions about their ain family and people are able to sit together and discuss what may or may not have happened. It is such a deep wound and nobody has really talked about it and hopefully this program volition go some fashion to changing that."
Mandy Drake's grandfather was a colonial administrator
She and BBC commissioning editor Fatima Salaria stressed in Sheffield that they had been able to tell the story they wanted and both made it clear that in the Uk, Hindu, Sikh and Muslim communities have enjoyed good relations. Merely both pointed out that the idea and spirit of a shared civilisation has been challenged again after 9/eleven and Rani had reiterated the closeness of these different communities.
"The point nearly Sectionalization is whether you are Sikh, Hindu or Muslim, or any, you are Punjabi and the civilization is identical. I went to Lahore and felt so at home. It was once 50 per cent Sikh and fifty per cent Muslim and everybody lived next," she said to acv more recently.
As well as this 2 part 60-minute programme – there is also filmmakers' Gurinder Chadha documentary looking at the historical factors, ('India'due south Sectionalization: The Forgotten Story') on BBC 2. It volition be released on August 22.
Two farther strands looking at the diving line between the 2 countries in 'World'due south Most Dangerous Border' and a 1-off one-60 minutes special talking to people who were effectually at the fourth dimension and accept witness testimony to share, volition also be broadcast on the BBC. The prpgramme dates for these accept not yet been released.
List
'My family, Segmentation and Me: India 1947' – Episode 1 0f 2 BBC 1, Midweek, August 9, 9pm; Episode 2 BBC Ane, Wednesday, Baronial 16.
All pictures courtesy of Wall to Wall, lensman Lorian Reed-Drake
Previously
http://asianculturevulture.com/portfolios/family-partition-india-1947-first-await-bbc-programme-uncovers-personal-partition-stories/
Source: http://asianculturevulture.com/portfolios/my-family-partition-and-me-india-1947-tv-personality-anita-rani-makes-impassioned-plea-to-listen/
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