In 'Broken Threads,' Mishal Husain weaves together the personal and political to create an insightful and moving account of her family's history. The book delves into the lives of her four grandparents, whose experiences were shaped by the Raj, World War, independence, and the partition of India and Pakistan. Using letters, diaries, memoirs, and audio tapes, Husain traces the journeys of her grandparents, including their struggles, escapes from violence, and the forging of new identities in the face of historical upheaval. The memoir provides a level-headed explanation of the partition and its impact on families and communities, making it a compelling read on both personal and historical levels.
The is the first instalment of a two-part discussion. On August 15 1947 Pakistan and India gained their independence and colonialism came to an end in the subcontinent. But it was not a time of celebration. A botched process of partition saw unprecedented sectarian violence, an estimated death of more than a million people and some 15 million more displaced from their homes. Mishal Husain’s family lived through the mayhem. In June 2024 Husain, the acclaimed journalist and BBC Radio 4 Today Programme host, came to Intelligence Squared to tell her family’s story and shed light on this remarkable period of history. Drawing from her new book Broken Threads: My Family From Empire to Independence, she told stories like that of her grandmother Mary, a devout Catholic of Anglo-Indian parentage who leaves a struggling family to train as a nurse in Britain. Or her grandfather Shahid who finds purpose and success in the British Army as a Sandhurst cadet. Husain confronted the acute sense of loss brought on by partition, the rupturing of cross-border relationships, and the scarring legacy of violence that still impacts the descendants of empire living in Britain today. Joining Husain onstage to discuss the book was the journalist, broadcaster and John L Weinberg visiting professor at the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Razia Iqbal.
This event is presented in partnership with 4th Estate.
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