Before I’m anything else, I am my mother’s tongue, I am part of history that is older than Partition, older than the differences that divide us as nations, before anything else, I am Sindhi born and bred.

I think it’s important to understand not just my own roots but of those who lived alongside my parents, their parents, Sindhi families who were born in Sindh but had to leave everything behind after the 1947 partition that split so many homes into two. @SaazAggarwal has beautifully revived the memories of her family in this book, she has compiled pieces of history that have been overlooked, her work has brought to life an exile that barely exists in Partition archives.

When India and Pakistan declared independence, Punjab was split in two but Sindh was not. Sindh remained part of Pakistan and many families who lived there all their lives had to flee because it was no longer safe to be a Hindu minority living in Sindh. Saaz describes the memories of her parents, her siblings and how their lives had been, living in Sindh. It’s heart breaking to think that so much of what I grew up with is something many families missed terribly after Partition. Her book is a bitter sweet reminder of how much was taken from our people after British colonisation.

This book is a reminder of how much we have in common, it’s a reminder of a past where we co-existed for years, and of stories we must never forget.

“..wondering why, when we celebrate independence day, we don’t also pay homage to the millions who suffered displacement and tragedy at Partition”

-Saaz Aggarwal, Sindh: Stories From A Vanished Homeland

@20andtired