THE CASE OF THE NO MAN'S LAND.
Some say I was in India. Some say I was in Pakistan. Truth be told, no one knows where I really am.
-Hannah Patrao, 20SJCCC320.
REPORT:
“Don’t use social media to impress people;
Use it to impact people.”- Dave Willis
In the 21st
century, man is not a social being, but rather a social media being. Distance
no longer seems to be an issue. Our connections have widened and the entire
world is available at our fingertips.
Instagram is one of
the rising stars of social media. There were several reasons why I picked this
photo and video sharing app as the mode of creative expression for this
project. With a couple of clicks, the app can help create aesthetic and
innovative projects which we can share with friends, family, and other
Instagram users. The massive reach quality is a tool that makes me wonder about
how it can be used for positive purposes. What appealed to me the most is how I
have the power to narrate stories to the world in the form of photos, stories,
videos, and reels.
In high school, I
found my hobby in editing videos, Photoshop, and creating digital posters. My
initial thought on seeing the assignment rubrics was that if I love making
edits and memes on my friends, why not use these skills in doing something
productive. The Instagram page I created consists of forty-two posts in total.
It contains one reel, one drawing, and forty posters made using Canva.
I believe that the
visual art on this page will help communicate my ideas and narrative in a better
manner to the audience. Like Aristotle once said, “The aim of art is not to
represent the outward appearance of things but their inward significance.” I
feel like the viewers would better engage with the creative elements of the
page. They are more likely to understand what I am trying to convey here on
this page rather than a dull and long essay done on Microsoft Word.
I remember studying
the Partition of India in the tenth grade. I studied it for the sole purpose of
obtaining marks. No text spoke about the misery that came with the Partition.
Back then, I never pondered over the plight of the people displaced. I barely
remember what I studied about the partition. How can one reimagine history if
one fails to remember the actual history itself? After spending so much time
working on my creative mode of expression, today I am more aware of what went
down during the Partition.
Textbooks, essays,
and textual matter often hinder the process of understanding an idea or a
concept. People may usually find the history of a place or person boring.
Creative expression helps grasp an individual’s attention and better educate
them about an idea or the crux of a moment in history. A scene from a film, a
line from a poem, the visuals from a poster, and the like are better retained
in the human brain rather than a piece of text. It facilitates better learning.
This is why creative expression is pivotal in historical reimagination.
The historical
context I chose is the 1960s. It is assumed that ten years have passed since the
death of Bishan Singh. Bishan’s brother Raghbir Singh writes a letter to Toba
Tek Singh. I wanted to highlight the effect of the deaths of the lives lost
during the Partition. I wanted to provide a glimpse into the lives of the surviving
members of Bishan’s family.
Raghbir spends his
time figuring out why Bishan was obsessed with their home town Toba Tek Singh.
I have portrayed Toba Tek Singh here as a place where Bishan and his brothers
grew up together. Raghbir recalls his fond childhood memories here. He says
that their family was happy living there.
Loss of a
close one is always hard to cope with. Raghbir is seen mourning the loss of
Bishan. He regrets failing to stay in touch with his younger brother. His
daughter Roop Kaur wishes that her father was alive to see her get married. All
she wanted his blessings before she left with her in-laws. There is nothing
that can compensate people for the lost lives of their beloved ones. I wanted
to highlight how the death of a dear one cracks and overwhelms the survivors.
Raghbir expresses
his anger at the people responsible for the Partition. He blames them for the
lives lost during the Partition. He finally understands why Bishan was obsessed
with Toba Tek Singh. They both had lost their identity in the chaos. Men are
caught up with the prestige that comes with power. They forget about the cost
at which such power is acquired.
After the
partition, the chaos seemed to have disappeared. The peace that Nehru and
Jinnah was looking for was finally achieved. I have used Raghbir to say that
the 1960s are not so different from the time of partition. Yes, there existed
two nations. But the peace, however, did not last long. The power-hungry
politicians continue fighting over a couple of seats. The Hindu-Muslim tension
and riots were still prevalent. Was that one border really worth the lives
lost? Did the making of two nations really bring what was promised?
What would have
happened if there was no partition? There wouldn't have been so much bloodshed.
People wouldn’t have been forced to leave their homes. Families would not have
been separated. However, no democracy is perfect. Our country would probably
have more riots and religious tension. Such a large nation would have been
ineffectively managed by those in power. Or maybe there could be a scenario
where both religions would peacefully coexist. Maybe Partition would have been
a good idea if it was executed in a well-thought-out manner. Instead of
dwelling on the past, we can focus our energy today on making our democracy a
better place. The progress may be slow but the journey of a thousand miles
begins with a step. Let us all take that step towards a better India.
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