I am not a museum person but the moment I got out of the cab and saw the partition museum, the voice inside me said you must go inside this museum.
I heard my inner voice and went ahead to explore what was inside the partition museum. While walking in the museum a lot was going on inside my head. The name made one thing clear that there will be stories around the partition inside. I was clear about one more thing that these stories will be heart-wrenching. The only thought that kept hitting my head, again and again, was what kind of stories I am going to witness.
We have grown up listening to stories of partition and being a Sindhi, I was horrified when my grandmother explained what they went through during the partition and how they survived after that.
I started anticipating such stories while walking towards the museum. A day before I had visited Jallianwala Bhag and heard a few unheard stories about that massacre. So I was expecting more of such stories.
Read on to know what I experienced and how I felt after I came out of the museum.
Premises
The premises of the museum is huge and is designed pretty well. Around the golden temple, no other spot has such huge premises except jallianwala bhag. So in a busy area, when you find such a spacious spot, you are bound to explore it. Apart from being well-designed, the premises of the partition museum has been used optimally. There is a town hall and different restaurants apart from a museum in the premises. And each restaurant & town hall has its dedicated place.
In short, you can explore and eat in the same premises. As a tourist, I prefer such spots more than the ones which are secluded from the whole city.
Ticket
The entry ticket to the museum will cost you Rs. 10/-. Not only in this museum but in the whole of Amritsar, the entry ticket will be the actual cost of maintenance. There are very few places in Amritsar where you will pay more than the actual cost of maintenance. I was surprised to know that the entry to the light and sound show at Jallianwala Bhag is free. If you are on a budget trip to Amritsar then also never skip a place thinking that entry fee would be high. By keeping the entry fee low they want to let tourists know more about the culture of Punjab.
After buying the ticket, I went in with a plethora of thoughts in my mind. As I entered, it started telling me the stories. I started reading them as they were told with the remains and belongings. While the remainings were hitting me hard, a piece of cloth in the middle of the room wrenched my heart. It was red cloth which was soaked with the blood of the people who crossed the border.
History of Sindhi Community
The museum had a unique way of telling the stories. It was full of interviews with people who survived the partition. The interviews were audio-visual. Screens and headphones were placed in every corner for the stories of survivors. And as I went deep into the museum, I started reading the Sindhi names. It surprised me and applied brakes on my feet. Each and every brick of that section told me a new story. Being a Sindhi, I never knew the stories of togetherness, stories of sharing music and culture and the stories of unforgettable suffering. I came across the Sindhi ancestors who helped the whole community in crossing the borders and helped in getting land to live in Gandhidham. I read each and every story in that section and those stories left a deep impact on my mind & heart.
Proud Sindhi
I went into the museum with a plethora of thoughts but came out as a proud Sindhi. The stories I heard from my father and grandmother were only 1% of what the museum shared with me. We were thrown away from our own land. Some of our ancestors sacrificed their lives for the dignity of the family and a bright future. My grandmother once told me, “We were asked to settle on the banks of the Sabarmati river and when we did that couple of my sisters drowned in the flow of river.”
Even after going through such difficulties, we rose to the occasion and how! We never begged and never asked for the reservation. We started from scratch and today, we are famous worldwide as a community of businessmen. Not only in business, but Sindhis have also made their name in almost all the fields.
While coming out, these thoughts had taken over my head. And a very proud Sindhi was walking out of the museum. At that moment, I took an oath of staying connected to my roots till the last breath of my life.
My relatives were in Amritsar and we planned so many times to visit there but nothing turned out fruitful. Seems like I am missing so many good places to visit.
The Partition Museum in Amritsar stands as a poignant and powerful tribute to one of the most significant events in India’s history. Located inside the historic Town Hall, the museum serves as a repository of personal stories, artifacts, and documents that depict the harrowing experiences of millions who lived through the partition of India in 1947. With immersive exhibits and multimedia displays, the museum offers visitors a chance to witness the human impact of this tumultuous period, fostering a deeper understanding of the profound impact it had on individuals and communities. The Partition Museum serves as a solemn reminder of the importance of preserving and acknowledging the shared history of India, promoting empathy, healing, and reconciliation.
After reading your post I feel everyone must visit partition museum to understand what people have gone through and realize and value the importance of freedom. Jaliyawala massacre was gruesome and tribute to that means a lot to me being an Indian.
I always plan to visit this museum whenever we visit Darbar Sahib, but somehow miss visiting it. I have made a mental note to not miss this time, as it has so much from our history. My grandparents moved to India post partition and I have heard so many stories from them. Would like to show this to my child in person.
I stayed in Amritsar for two years but couldn’t visit Partition Museum. It must be hosting the heart-wrenching stories of the people who lost their loved ones, their homes… Everything during partition.