A&L Nov_2018

DLF 2018
Partition in a new light
• Preeti Huq
The partition of India in 1947 was one of the most gruesome events of
the 20th century. Around two million people died in the bloodshed.
It was also the largest forced migration in the history of the world,
and caused fifteen million people to be displaced.
In his book Midnight’s Furies, Nishid Hajari attempts to answer how two
countries, which were part of the same country for so long and had so much in
common, became enemies in such a short period of time.
Hajari tells the story of partition through dramatic storytelling. It begins
with personal narratives of the three vital political players in British India at
the time of partition: Jawaharal Nehru, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and
Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Nehru is described as “dashing”, “famously handsome”,
and “irresistible to his many female admirers”; Gandhi as a “mystical,
septuagenarian”; and Jinnah as slightly sinister, with “cheekbones jutted out
of his cadaverous face like the edges of a diamond.” Here, Lord Mountbatten
is “the Hollywood version of a British prince.” He describes how these figures
were key players leading up to the partition.
Hajari describes the months of tension and escalation of communal violence,
which led to two communities being ripped apart from each other, with
striking prose. Not only was there a large forced migration, there were also division
of land, armies, water, and
holy places. There are chapters of
Kashmir, which still today is “the
wound that keeps the paranoia
and hatreds of 1947 fresh for both
Pakistanis and Indians.”
Hajari ends by appealing to
the current citizens of what used to be British India to put the “midnight furies”
to rest. India and Pakistan needs to stop thinking of each other as enemies
because, not so long ago, they were one and the same. •
Embedding the essence of literature
through journalism
• Fairoz Anika
The DLF has created an international platform where journalists of diverse origins can come together to share their experiences. Like the
previous editions, this year also sees the convergence of many renowned journalists who will talk about issues of political importance and
humanitarian crises.
David Biello
David Biello, the
award-winning journalist
and science curator
for TED Conferences, is
a versatile figure with a
diversified career background.
He was the Editor
of Scientific American
since 2005. He has also
appeared in different TV
and radio shows. His first
book for which he is most
well-known for is named, The Unnatural World: The Race to Remake
Civilization in Earth’s Newest Age. Besides being an environmental
journalist, he has also been the author of a children’s book named,
Bullet Trains: Inside & Out.
In his book titled, The Unnatural World: The Race to Remake Civilization
in Earth’s Newest Age, David Biello suggests that through innovating
new ways, it is possible to recreate an astounding future for
better life on earth. He highlights that there are people who are trying
hard to protect mankind’s most precious dwelling place from mass
extinction, global warming, and the negative impacts for the effect of
advanced technologies.
Patrick Winn
Patrick Winn has lived in
Bangkok since 2008. Generally,
he covers crimes and
black-markets of South-
East Asia, for which he has
received multiple awards,
such as the Robert F. Kennedy
Journalism Award
and the National Press
Club Award. He is also
co-creator of a film named,
Hope Frozen which will be
screened at the International Documentary Festival in 2018. Currently,
he is working as an Asia correspondent for Public Radio International.
His most famous work is a narrative non-fiction book named, Hello,
Shadowlands: Inside the Meth Fiefdoms, Rebel Hideouts and Bomb-
Scarred Party Towns of South-East Asia, where he delves deeper into
the underworld crimes of South-east Asia of the 21 st Century. Patrick
Winn, in his non-fiction stories, examines the lives of different kinds of
criminals and investigates the crimes associated with them.
Attendees of DLF 2018 will have the pleasure to hear these versatile
journalists talk about their craft.
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ARTS & LETTERS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2018 | DHAKA TRIBUNE