Mishal Husain on Family, Empire and Why Partition Still Matters, Part One

Jun 19, 2024

Mishal Husain, an acclaimed journalist and author, shares her family's gripping tales from the chaotic partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. Joined by Razia Iqbal, a distinguished journalist, they explore personal stories of loss, displacement, and identity rooted in historical trauma. Husain discusses her grandparents’ journeys, emphasizing the emotional scars and enduring legacy of colonialism. They delve into the complexities of heritage, nostalgia, and how these events continue to shape identities for descendants in modern Britain.

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ANECDOTE

Wedding Shawl

Mishal Husain received a wedding shawl made from her grandmother's sari border.
This heirloom symbolized a tangible link to her family's past and the importance of fabric in South Asian women's lives.

ANECDOTE

Grandfathers' Writings

Husain's grandfather Shahid wrote a partition diary, offering historical details but lacking personal reflections.
Her other grandfather, Mumtaz, wrote an unpublished memoir detailing the social fabric of his upbringing in Multan.

INSIGHT

Thaira's Tapes

Husain's grandmother Thaira's audio tapes revealed her perspective on partition's impact.
Thaira's generation felt incomplete due to the disruption of relationships and the loss of a shared cultural fabric.

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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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