Sriti o Chetona Museum

 

A PARTITION DIARY Suhasini Das (1915 - 2009) was a Bengali social worker and freedom fighter who participated in the Non-Cooperation and Quit Indian movement

  The Partition of Bengal edited by V.K. Saxena. Kanishka Publishers Distributors 1987.

Edited by Ian Talbot and Gurharpal Singh, Oxford Pakistan Paperbacks(OUP Pakistan), 1999. This book gives a comparative perspective on the two Muslim majority areas of India which were separated in 1947 and were the most affected by the turmoil that followed the divide. It presents insights into both the consequences of creating new boundaries, the millions of ordinary people who get caught up in the massacres and migrations. The judicious editings of Talbot and Singh has resulted in a collection of essays entirely free of the polemical and ideologically motivated writing so often associated with these sensitive topics. The book is of interest to South Asia specialists, scholars and students alike, and all those who are concerned with ethnic conflict, economic development and the demographic study of migration and refugees. This book makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the of the subcontinent.

Edited by Bashabi Fraser. Anthem Press 2006. This book throws new light on post-colonial evaluations of the Partition and its effect on eastern India. Until very recently, a striking state of ‘near silence’ has existed concerning the violence encountered by those who fled across the Bengal border. Bengal Partition Stories addresses this silence through the retelling of stories inspired by the division of Bengal, the mass exodus that followed and their repercussions on the cultural, social and economic character of the region, modern India as a whole and the newly-formed nation of Bangladesh. Despite numerous critical enquiries into the history, politics and social dynamics that contributed to the partition of Bengal, there remains a distinct lack of in-depth exploration into the personal experiences of those directly affected. Through oral histories, interviews and fictional retellings of the event and its aftermath, Bengal Partition Stories seeks to fill this gap by unearthing and art...

Coming out of Partition: Refugee Women of Bengal by Gargi Chakravartty. Bluejay Books 2005. This books sheds light on the conditions of the refugee women of Bengal.  

  From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India by Sekhar Bandyopadhyay. Orient Blackswan 2004. (First Edition Cover) From Plassey to Partition is an eminently readable account of the emergence of India as a nation. It covers about two hundred years of political and socio-economic turbulence. Of particular interest to the contemporary reader will be sections such as Early Nationalism: Discontent and Dissension , Many Voices of a Nation and Freedom with Partition . On the one hand, it converses with students of Indian history and on the other, it engages general and curious readers. Few books on this crucial period of history have captured the rhythms of India's polyphonic nationalism as From Plassey to Partition. (From Google Books)

  Devi Sugandha (Maa Sati) idol at Sugandha Shakti Peeth. 

Sugandha Shakti peeth is a temple dedicated to Goddess Sunanda. It is located in the village of Shikarpur, 10 miles north of Barisal, in Bangladesh. Sugandha Shakti Peeth is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. It is said that the nose of Maa Sati fell here. The idol of Maa Sati is called as ‘Sunanda’ and lord Shiva is worshipped as ‘Traimbak’. The Bhairav temple is in Ponabalia, located 5 miles south of Jhalkati rail station. Ponabalia is under the village Shamrail situated on the bank of the river Sunanda. The whole complex of the Sugandha shakti peeth is made of stone, with images and statues of gods engraved on them. The sculptures presents are mesmerizing. Shine of the marble the temple is constructed of and its reflection on the water of the river is surely one thing that people do not want to miss out here. The exact year of the establishment of Sugandha shakti peeth is unknown. But by the looks of it, surely this temple was constructed hundreds of years ago. পীঠ নির্ণয়ের তন্ত্র অনুসার...

  The Muktagachha Tin Shiva temple/mandir is a twin temple located outside the Rajbari of Muktagachha in Mymensingh. The temple was constructed in 1820 by Rani Bimola Devi, the mother of Maharaja Shashikantha Acharya Choudhary, the Zamindar of Muktagacha. On the other hand, Jora Kali Mondir was established in the year 1820 by the patronize of Shoshikanto Acharya (one of the great Zamindars of Muktagacha). Basically this two adjacent temple is a great example of mirror structure in Bengal. It has three arch shaped doorways at the front side.

Book: Notun Ihudi Writer: Salil Sen Publisher: Asian Printers (May, 1953) Review: An excellent Novel. Superb Story Telling by Sen. The Partition of Bengal created refugees by the millions. The untold sufferings of these refugees, their everyday battle had motivated the author to write "Notun Ihudi". The Plot:  Monmohan Bhattacharya, a Sanskrit teacher was released from his job in East Pakistan (today's Bangladesh) as after the partition Sanskrit got dropped from the curriculum as a subject.  After selling his house in EP, he came to Kolkata with his wife and three children. They were accompanied by another family from East Pakistan. Their struggle to settle down in West Bengal started from Sealdah station. Their misery, hardship and sufferings have been captured in this novel.  The novel presents a clear picture of the socio-economic conditions of then Bengal and how the partition had affected common man. 

প্রসূন বর্মন কর্তৃক সংকলিত ও সম্পাদিত। (গাংচিল, ২০১২।)  

দেশভাগ প্রতর্ক কতটা জুড়ে আছে বাংলা তথা ভারতীয় সিনেমায়? কতটা হয়েছে স্মৃতির চর্চা? এসব প্রশ্ন মাথায় রেখেই এই গবেষণা-গ্রন্থ, যা শুধু সমান্তরাল বা আর্ট ফিল্মের মধ্যেই নয়, অনুসন্ধান করা হয়েছে ভারতের মূল স্রোতের সিনেমাতেও। পার্টিশন মেমোরিকে বাণিজ্যিক সিনেমা কীভাবে গ্রহণ-বর্জন করেছে, রয়েছে তারও তত্ত্ব-তালাস। স্বাভাবিক কারণেই এসেছে বিশ্ব চলচ্চিত্রের দেশভাগ। এসেছে বাংলাদেশ ও পাকিস্তানের সিনেমাও। অতএব, দাবি করা যেতে পারে, বাংলা ভাষায় এটাই প্রথম পূর্ণাঙ্গ গ্রন্থ- যার বিষয় ‘দেশভাগ’। যার লক্ষ্য সিনেমাসূত্রে পার্টিশন মেমরি বা ট্রমার পুনরাবিষ্কার।  

  The title of this booklet is Bharatmatar Bastraharan (The Disrobing of Mother India). Written during the Second World War, it describes how the general populace suffered due to an acute shortage of clothing material and other essential commodities during the years of conflict. The cover shows a picture of “Mother India” as a poor, yet beautiful woman who is wearing rags since she no longer has enough clothes to cover her body. This chapbook was written by prolific author Nagendranath Das, whose works were frequently banned by the British government.

  আমি বীরাঙ্গনা বলছি (হার্ডকভার) নীলিমা ইব্রাহিম ভূমিকা ১৯৭২ সালে যুদ্ধজয়ের পর যখন পাকিস্তানি বন্দিরা ভারতের উদ্দেশ্যে এ ভূখণ্ড ত্যাগ করে, তখন আমি জানতে পারি প্রায় ত্রিশ-চল্লিশজন ধর্ষিত নারী এ বন্দিদের সঙ্গে দেশ ত্যাগ করেছেন। অবিলম্বে আমি ভারতীয় দূতাবাসের সামরিক অফিসার ব্রিগেডিয়ার অশোক ডোরা এবং বাংলাদেশ কর্তৃপক্ষের দায়িত্বে নিয়োজিত মরহুম নুরুল মোমেন খান যাঁকে আমরা মিহির নামে জানতাম তাঁদের শরনাপন্ন হই। উভয়েই একান্ত সহানুভূতির মনোভাব নিয়ে এসব মেয়েদের সাক্ষাৎকার নেবার সুযোগ আমাদের করে দেন। ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের শিক্ষিকা নওসাবা শরাফী, ড. শরীফা খাতুন ও আমি সেনানিবাসে যাই এবং মর্মান্তিক অভিজ্ঞতা লাভ করি।পরে নারী পুনর্বাসন কেন্দ্রের সঙ্গে যুক্ত থেকে নারকীয় বর্বরতার কাহিনী জানতে পারি। সেই থেকে বীরাঙ্গনাদের সম্পর্কে আমার আগ্রহ জন্মে। নানা সময়ে দিনপঞ্জিতে এঁদের কথা লিখে রেখেছিলাম। ইচ্ছা ছিল, জনসমাজের এঁদের পরিচয় তুলে ধরার। এ ক্ষুদ্র গ্রন্থ সে আগ্রহেরই প্রকাশ। এখানে একটি কথা অবশ্য উল্লেখ। চরিত্রগুলি ও তাঁদের মন-মানসিকতা, নিপীড়ন, নির্যাতন সবই বস্তুনিষ্ঠ। তবুও অনুরোধ অতি কৌতূহলী হয়ে ওদের খুঁজতে ...

On the 13th of June 1971, an article by Anthony Mascarenhas published in the UK’s Sunday Times exposed the brutal genocide of Bengalis (mostly Hindus) by the Pakistani regime. Mascarenhas’ family was forced to go into hiding. This article changed history.  Reference: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16207201

Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, the chief architect of West Bengal talks to refugees from East Pakistan who arrived after the 1950 Barisal Massacre, yet again wrongly named ‘riot’, it was merely part of the communal pogrom orchestrated by the Muslims fanatics to reduce the Hindu population in East Bengal/East Pakistan.

  “No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.” — Warsan Shire A rare photograph of Bengali Hindus fleeing Noakhali (1946) in the dead of night. The photograph was taken by renowned Indian photographer Sunil Janah, who worked as an assistant to American photographer Margaret Bourke-White. Sunil Janah had travelled to Noakhali around November. (Note: The 1946 Noakhali Pogrom was a preplanned ethnic cleansing program, it is wrongly termed as riot. Riots witness violence from both sides. Noakhali 1946 was a one sided attack on unsuspecting Hindus.)

The Puthia Temple Complex consists of a cluster of notable old Hindu temples in Puthia Upazila, Rajshahi District, Bangladesh. Located 23 km to the east of Rajshahi city, it has the largest number of historic temples in Bangladesh. The temples were built by Hindu Zamindars Rajas of the Puthia Raj family who were noted philanthropists of Rajshahi. The temples have been built in terracotta in a variety of styles combining the typical Jor-bangla architecture with other influences. The Rajbari or Palace of the Raja of Puthia and the Dol Mancha are part of the complex. The temples are laid out around a lake with a sprawling lawn. The Puthia Raj family was established by a holy man named Bhatsacharya, who lived in the 16th century. Raja Man Singh, governor of the Mughal emperor Akbar, confiscated the Jagir of the refractory pathan jagirdar of Rajshahi named Lashker Khan and bestowed the Zamindary on the saintly Bhatsacharya for his learning, but he declined. However, his son Pitambar was gra...

  MK Gandhi visits Noakhali after the onesided 'riot' claimed more than 5000 Hindu lives and rendered more than 50000 homeless. (Note: The 1946 Noakhali Pogrom was a preplanned ethnic cleansing program, it is wrongly termed as riot. Riots witness violence from both sides. Noakhali 1946 was a one sided attack on unsuspecting Hindus.)

  Located in Pandua(Choto Pendu), Hooghly, the Bais Darwaza Masjid (literally the '22 Door Mosque') is said to have been built in 1340 CE. In reality it as 24 doors ( 21 front and 3 on the side) and is over 70 metres long. The masjid is built from brick and boasts terracotta architecture on its walls. But the stone pillars located in the interiors of the masjid undoubtedly belonged to some Hindu Temple.  These pillars are located near the Minar, which has been kept under lock and key on orders of the Archaeological Survey of India.  Many parts of this masjid is in ruins but it is evident from the arches standing on columns have been removed from Hindu temples.  Pradyumne Shrinkhala Maha Shakti Peetha (1 of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas of the Indian subcontinent) was located in Pandua, and was a part of the Mahanad Kingdom. In 1295, Jalaluddin Khilji sent two Sufi warriors named Shah Safiuddin and Sharafuddin Bu Ali Qalandar with an army to seize and destroy Pandua. The...

Katra, The Mosque of Lies...    'Katra' literally means to cut (e.g Jebkatra, meaning pick pocket). The Katra Masjid was once a temple and dham where devotees could stay. Then it became a masjid and later the tomb of Nawab Murshid Quli Khan. Claimed to have been built in CE 1723-24 , it is one of the largest mosques in the Indian subcontinent(largest in Bengal) and is located in the eastern side of Murshidabad. Site plan of Katra. Murshid Quli Khan was born in a Hindu Brahmin family and then bought by a Mughal noble named Haji Shafi. It is heard that after coming to age, once Murshid learnt about his Hindu lineage, he sought acceptance of the Hindu society(without returning to Hinduism). But upon facing rejection from the Hindu society, he rampaged dozens of Hindu temples out of rage. But for some reason he could not, did not destroy the temple of Lord Shiva, which still stands in the masjid premises as a burning testimony that this was a site of Hindu temples or a Hindu reli...

The  Dargah of Shah Ata is a historical monument situated in the ancient city of Bangarh of Gangarampur, in Dakshin Dinajpur district, West Bengal. Well known as a historical Masjid or Dargah, this used to be a Hindu temple. Bangarh has been in existence since at least 200 BCE. It used to be   administrative centre of Kotivarsha Vishaya, which was a part of the wider administrative unit of Pundravardhana Bhukti. Mahasthangarh, one of the earliest urban archaeological sites discovered in eastern Bengal (currently Bangladesh), was its  capital during in the period of Chandra Empire, Varman Empire and Sena Empire till the Senas were defeated by Bakhtiar Khilji. The site of this monument is traditionally associated with Ban Raja or Bana (aka Banasura), a legendary king of Sonitpura (currently Tezpur, Assam). An excavation carried out by the University of Calcutta in 1938(1938-1941), found evidences from as early as 3rd century BCE till 14th century CE.  It consists of a ...

 

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.266253/page/n15/mode/2up  

The Dakshineswar Kali Temple was built in by Rani Rashmoni after she was visited in a dream by Goddess Kali who ordered her build a temple on the banks of the Ganga and establish her idol. The temple was completed between 1847 and 1855. Ramkumar Chattopadhyay was the first head priest in 1855 but after his death in 1856, the position was adorned by the famous and revered mystic Shri Ramakrishna Dev and his wife Sarada Devi. The plaque inscribed with the name of the founding mother of the Dakshineswari Kali Mandir. It reads: "Ranima Lokemata Rani Rasmani Founding Mother Dakshineswari Kali Mandir and Debuttor (temporality) Estate Established date: Punya Snan Yatra, 18th Jaistha, 1262 Bangabda." (June 1st, 1855 CE)   The Dakshineswari Kali vigraha inside Dakshineswari Kali mandir.  Dakshineswari Kali Mandir vintage view.

  Built in the Navratna style of Bengal Architecture, the three storeyed south-facing Dakshineswar Kali Temple has 9 spires distributed in the upper storeys and is based on an elevated platform. It stands on a 20 acre plot. Dakshineswar Kali Temple is a Hindu navaratna temple located at Dakshineswar. Situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, the presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, a form of Parashakti Adya Kali, otherwise known as Adishakti Kalika. The temple was built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, a philanthropist and a devotee of Kali. The temple is known for its association with Ramakrishna and Ma Sarada Devi, mystics of 19th Century Bengal.