Date/Time
Date(s) - 15/02/2025
12:00 am
Location
Seminar Hall
Categories
Two day (02 Day) National Conference on “Living the partition: portrayal of Partition in Films in India” Scheduled to be held on 11-12 March 2025 at IIAS, Shimla
Theme Note
The trauma of partition has been a living historical tragedy for the Indian nation. Much of younger generation who have not lived the partition have in one or other way shared the historical memories of individual and collective losses. The people from partition are still alive among us who carry the dark memories of the partition horrors. The younger Indian nation wants to create a vibrant and dynamic nationhood that is based on past experiences and better future in mind. Just because the nation is 75 years from partition does not mean that people have put in in the past. The recall of partition has infact taken new shape of cross border terrorism. It’s a long surviving saga of loss of territory, shared culture, collective memory of pain and loss, sufferings of death and missing family members. Decades after the partition stories like Pinjar and films like Gadar were written and made. With the films like Gadar and Gadar 2 the trauma of partition was relived for the younger generation. The huge commercial success of this film in 2003 and again in 2023 proved the living nature of the partition. It is never easy to forget your lived tragedy so mercilessly inflicted on a huge section of population.
Through this proposed conference, we the organisers would try to collect a slew of people who all would deliberate on the films made on partition and related topics. The main idea is to trace the longevity and relevance of partition as a subject in the post partition India where by we individually and collectively would scan films to see how and what we remember of partition, the new nations created, new dogmas constructed, new paradigms invented and a new partition lingo being brought back in fashion, what with new generation learning the new meaning of Gadar in 2023.
Though not much is written on partition in literature, in the world of cinema, makers have taken upon themselves to create a whole world of partition and then went on to create new partition leading to depiction of Pakistan in Hindi films. The huge space hogged by Pakistan in Hindi films is an indicator of living interest in the new partition. It may be of some interest to we academics to note that moving ahead in the new stature of New Bharat, there are films which take Pakistan as just another place and not really enemy country, pointing towards that the nation of Bharat has assumed new confidence in oneself. The examples of such films are Filmistan, War chhor na yar and Happy Bhag jayegi. Partition that led to creation of a new nation has become just some place else.
Call for Papers
A limited number of participants will be invited for the Conference. Those interested in participating should send (preferably by email) an abstract (500 words) of the proposed paper in English only along with their C.V. (One page) directly to Professor Nirmal Kumar, Professor of History, Sri Venkateswara College, New Delhi on his Email: kumarnirmal42@gmail.com Mobile: 9717090294 and copy to Shri Prem Chand, Librarian/Academic Resource Officer (AC), Indian institute of Advanced Study, Shimla on his Email: seminar@iias.ac.in Tel: 0177-2831385. The last date for submission of abstract (500 words) is till 15th February 2025 05:00 PM. The Institute intends to send Invitation letters to selected participants by the 25th February, 2025.
It is the policy of the Institute to publish the papers not proceedings of the conference it organizes. Hence, all invited participants will be expected to submit complete papers, hitherto unpublished and original, with citations in place, along with a reference section, to the Academic Resource Officer, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla– 171005 by 28th February, 2025.
The IIAS, Shimla will be glad to extend its hospitality (free hospitality is provided only to the Conference participant) during the seminar period and is willing to reimburse, if required, rail or air travel expenses from the place of current residence in India, or the port of arrival in India, and back.
Note: Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and the Institute reserves the right to cancel the selection /participation of a candidate found guilty at any stage.
Important Dates:
Abstract: February 15, 2025
Communication of Acceptance, February 25, 2025
Paper Submission: February 28, 2025
Conference Dates: March 11-12, 2025
Convener:
Professor Nirmal Kumar,
Professor of History,
Sri Venkateswara College,
New Delhi
Mobile: 9717090294