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JAWAB DO! OFFICIAL Project Repository - A post-colonial creative framework exploring The Partition of India
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The JAWAB DO! experience explores The Partition of India.
It has a visual component and social/academic component.
Prints are available. Order here.
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What is "The Partition" anyway?
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The Partition of India, or conveniently known as "The Partition" or "Partition" was the event of "partitioning" colonial British ruled India into three territories in 1947. At the same time, the British completely transferred power to two new dominions: India, and Pakistan, a newly created state that did not exist before. The transfer of power marked the end of British rule in the subcontinent and almost 200 years of military rule. The three territories actually represented two countries: India and Pakistan. Pakistan consisted of West Pakistan and East Pakistan. West Pakistan lay on the west side of India, and East Pakistan lay on the east side. Eventually, East Pakistan gained independence from West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and became its own nation, present day Bangladesh, in 1971.
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Essentially India's "arms" were hacked off by the official India-Pakistan border drawn through Punjab and Bengal. The rest of the border divided India and Pakistan (West and East), allocating territory to Pakistan based on majority Muslim areas.
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There was massive violence during The Partition, with Punjab seeing the bulk of it. Religiously, the Muslims were one group, the Hindus + Sikhs, another. Both groups attacked each other. There were massacres, rape, child and female abduction, starvation, and sickness. There are differing POVs on who and how many died. One opinion by Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmed, who wrote The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed, states through his research that more Muslims died (especially coming from East Punjab), however more Hindus and Sikhs lost property.
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Just Imagine...
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Just imagine 12 million people forcefully displaced from their lands in modern history. 12 million. Not a small number right? And just imagine, wouldn't you think you would know something of it? I mean wouldn't it kind of be common knowledge, even a little bit?
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Honestly, I've heard more about the Irish Potato Famine - something that occurred in the mid 19th century - more than The Partition, an event that happened just after WW2 in 1947.
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Regardless if the German civilian expulsion (from Central and Eastern Europe) after WW2 or the African slave trade might compete to be considered the "largest forced migration in human history" (where both boast at least 12 million people displaced), the forced displacement of the people of Partition is right up there next to these two massive events. Yet Partition is invisible. When was the last time you properly heard of it? Exactly.
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Enter JAWAB DO!
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The JAWAB DO! Experience is a "secret" visual odyssey into The Partition of India. It is a thematic experience using "Keywords" and imagery to instantly immerse you into the tumultuous atmosphere of 1947. The "Key Words" themselves are contextual (in Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, some English) and each one provides an entry point into a world of its own. They are based on my research of Partition. The Key Words act as representations of overarching themes from Partition to help you "see" this time and prompt you to quickly make further meaning and discoveries of this all-but-invisible time period. The Key Words are listed in the Keywords tab below.
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JAWAB DO! (visual concept) - Decolonize The Partition - Learn Your Story - Tell Your Story
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JAWAB DO! (visual concept) is a secret document The Empire does not want you to see. It is shrouded in mystery. While appearing in English, in fact it is not. Rather, Latin characters are used to phonetically represent Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi. It is a document that presents an opportunity for The Children of South Asia and their friends to decipher. JAWAB DO! is an inspirational piece that uses thematic Keywords from 1947 to transport you back to that time period. See what happened for yourself and live to tell the tale. But it doesn't end there. You can't unsee what you now know. You will tell your story of The Partition and forever break the silence in The Empire...
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All current Key Words are featured in JAWAB DO!'s visual print concept as well, a companion to this public portal. Prints are available for order here. Are you a curator? Email info@studentasim.com to propose a venue to host JAWAB DO!
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Metadata
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Name: JAWAB DO! (ANSWER!) (Pronounced: "Jawab Doh")
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Artist: @studentAsim
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Theme: The Partition of India
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Release Date: 17-Aug-2020, 73 years after the Radcliffe Award. The official date when the boundaries of India and Pakistan were declared and an official division was sown forever in the subcontinent...
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Official site link: https://jawabdo1947.com
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@studentAsim Web: https://studentasim.com Instagram: https://instagram.com/studentasim
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/studentasim Facebook: https://facebook.com/studentasim
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Email: info@studentasim.com
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Visual prints: Available on Etsy
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5 Demands of JAWAB DO!
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JAWAB DO! (translated in Urdu/Hindi as Answer! or to make a statement) is a demand for answers at all levels about one of the largest forced migrations in human history: "The Partition". First, to yourself. Demand whether you know enough about The Partition. Does The Partition have to do with who you are? Who is responsible for telling your story? Who will teach you? Second, this piece questions "the other." JAWAB DO! (ANSWER!) How could groups massacre each other or have knowledge of it? What happened to the women and children that were kidnapped, raped, and disappeared? Too many times, inter-communal conversations lack needed depth to question "the other". JAWAB DO! demands to go deeper. Are the players involved willing to speak directly to "the other" about what happened The Partition? Third, the massacred demand answers. Who will speak for them? Will you? Fourth, The Partition is invisible to our children and as a catastrophic historic event to many. Many have no reference. JAWAB DO! demands to be seen. Last, have we learned from The Partition? What's the point of studying it? It's NOT enough to ask if we are we better people. Those days are long over. What's next? How do lessons from The Partition play an active role in our lives today and tomorrow in concrete ways?
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Background
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JAWAB DO! is an emotive artistic concept and social awareness campaign about discovering, learning and sharing more about The Partition of India. Too often, studies on The Partition are limited to some.This project attempts to break those chains. This is a people's project. It's meant to make The Partition social. Your stories and participation with this project will create engagement and push the boundaries of who The Partition is for.
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CALL TO ACTION: Tell Your Story on The Partition using #jawabdo1947
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1. Use #jawabdo1947
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2. Select a "Key Word" from the Keywords tab (below) OR use your own Key Word related to The Partition of India
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3. Write an experience related to the Key Word on Instagram OR Twitter using #jawabdo1947
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Contribute To This Project
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Have info to add that can be useful? This google sheet allows comments. Add your comments and they may be used to improve the info already presented.
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Share!
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Tell more people about this project! Share via this Google sheet's share button found on the top right. You can also share the web link: https://jawabdo1947.com which is automatically redirected to this sheet.
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Personal Statement
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JAWAB DO! is a translation of how I feel about The Partition after spending the last year and a half learning about this monumental event. It's all those emotions as a picture. This research was needed for my upcoming book. JAWAB DO! is about asking questions, it's about going deeper, it's about being seen, often for the very first time. Importantly, I felt there was a gap between everyday South Asians and knowledge of The Partition. Every forum I attended on The Partition was filled with a specific crowd of people that already knew about The Partition. There were hardly any younger people in there unless that was their area of study. This is a problem. How can The Partition be made social then? I've developed a framework using researched Keywords from 1947 that attempts to create as close a view as possible to understanding the context of emotions, realities, dangers, horrors, and so much more witnessed by that generation of people. And whereby I request you, the public, to help make meaning from these Key Word prompts. E.g. Azadi (freedom) will have two different meanings for two different people. I invite you to participate in this phenomenal study where we can start to see how common ideas are filled with nuances. Your participation will not only reveal interesting stories and viewpoints, but might prompt some to have courageous conversations, while others may go back and research The Partition for themselves, and to come back and share an opinion. Key words are just suggestions but I believe excellent start points for some interesting conversations. Moreover, for people completely new to the Partition concept, it's an excellent primer and will help them quickly get a sense for the landscape of the time. The point is to push the boundaries of the visibility of the Partition to more circles. My approach of using Keywords is not new. I have produced a previous project like this using languages as symbols to represent entry points symbolizing identity. This project, has proved for me to render some of the most fascinating conversations that I simply can't do justice to. More on this project: The Champion for Lifeā„¢ Therefore, I am confident with your participation using #jawabdo1947, this project will create fertile ground for details to emerge, and hence excavate critical knowledge that we all collectively have.
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JAWAB DO! Prints Now Available
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Description: All the key words listed in the Keywords tab are found in the print.
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Sizes: Standard: 10" x 10" Louder: 15" x 15" Even louder: 20" x 20" Loudest (custom orders): email: info@studentasim.com
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Order: Prints available here
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Call To Connect With Curators To Exhibit JAWAB DO!
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I would like to exhibit JAWAB DO! to create social awareness about The Partition. Do you have a prominent space to display this or are there any upcoming related shows? Let's talk. email:info@studentasim.com
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Disclaimer
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I also want to state that this work is social art and research meant to create awareness about The Partition and is an impression of my research. This research is also currently ongoing. Everyone will have their own version of their research and impressions. This research itself is overwhelming, and ongoing. You may support this project through the purchase of prints and using #jawabdo1947 on twitter and instagram.
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