Remnants of a broken past

From heirlooms to an antique camera, these treasured items offer a glimpse back in time to the Partition years.

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When I grew up in Bombay, there was a huge silence in my family around what happened during Partition, and how they rebuilt their lives in India. My grandmother shared some nostalgic memories of joint families, huge meals and Sindhi mansions with courtyards, but that was it. It was anathema to be seen as a refugee,

said the 68-year-old, who now lives in Bengaluru. A hospitality professional who has lived in Mumbai, Boston and New York, Mrs Madnani was so distanced from her identity, language and culture that "when people said I don't seem like a Sindhi, I would take it as a compliment", she admitted, adding that her family was perhaps so keen on fitting into India that they hid their historical roots.

But after her son was born in 1994, Mrs Madnani decided to resolve her "identity crisis".

"I asked a million questions of every Sindhi I could find," she said.

She learnt that Sindhis left their province in Pakistan only in June 1948, fleeing violent riots, and after being forced to give up their bungalows to people arriving from India.