The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India

This is an important book on a subject few have addressed, even marginally. Urvashi Butalia has tackled it head on. Few Indians or Pakistanis, let alone the rest of the world know or even recognize the fundamental ways in which the women and children on both sides of the religious divide paid the price of Partition, literally, with their lives. Sexual violence has always been a weapon of war. Indeed, 'to the victor goes the spoils' has been a war cry for millennia, and women are classed as part of those spoils. This fact is not in and of itself new. However, the scale and magnitude with which the rape, abandonment, and ritual sacrifice of women and children occurred during Partition, and the horrifying extent to which these acts were 'justified' by religious belief and cultural practice, is devastating.The word holocaust, as used in the Biblical sense of 'burnt sacrifice', is actually relevant here. So many women and children were sacrificed, very literally, on the altar of 'honor' as defined by religion and culture during that awful period in our history. The sheer volume of research done by Ms. Butalia's team could easily have allowed the reader to distance themselves, protected by the objectivity of data...an issue that Ms. Butalia addresses at the very outset, at some length. However, she manages to have the voices of those people, the sacrifier as well as the sacrificed, speak out of the silence with aching clarity. She connects the threads of action (and paralyzing inaction) of Governmental agencies British, Indian and of the newly formed Pakistan with an acute historical perception.There are a couple of places where the editors could have had a firmer hand, but in all, a book that needed to be written, and now should be required reading for anyone who wishes to know or understand the events of Partition.

.Somedays I wonder what was in the air the 1940's that made people worldwide so cruel to each other.Having recently read Yasmin Khan's quiet and well-balanced account of the Partition of India, I find Butalia's book adds the human dimension, the pride, the fear, the anguish, and passion that brings the horrors of the Partition alive.Urvashi Butalia's oral histories are extremely important resources for historians, sociologists, and for all who try to understand how the past informs the present.This is a very compelling read.Kim BurdickStanton, DE

It tells us a heart moving reality of the partition of India. It leaves us with the message that it was not only a partition of two countries but partition of families, ties, friends, and the people themselves.It is an excellent read, a page turner which will not let you put the book down. It is written so beautifully that the readers feel a part of the whole scene

I can't believe what a terrible editing job it was on an otherwise very interesting book. No excuse for the publisher in this day and age.

Book was great, but it arrived with a huge cut in the back cover and last 15 or so pages like it was sliced with a box cutter. Had to use scotch tape because I didn't have the time to reorder or whatever else as I needed it for a class.

Is a very good read if you have interest in the Partition of India. Related to personal accounts and eye witness stories of the affected people, this book gives a great insight to the unseen brutal reality of the partition of the sub continent experienced by both sides.

Needed for school. Came quickly, great price. Would order from company again.

needed the book for class.

- This review is for the Kindle version for which I paid Rs.237.30/- It is very well formatted and no problem with this version.- This is an extremely unique book. If you are wondering how so, as so much has already been written and said about partition, as you read my review you will see how.- The format of the book is essay/story telling. Essays from the author about her work techniques for the book, personal feelings, a brief about the story (interview) that will follow and the interview itself.The interview was originally in the local dialect and has been translated to English.- At time things and events are repetitive as the intro to a particular story reveals quite a bit of the actual story verbatim.- This book doesn't spares you the gory details and if graphic violence frightens you, this is not the book for you.- This book focuses heavily on women. The fate of women were decided by the men. The honour killings, the forced marriages and sexual assault...There are no interviews from women who were actually raped. Only 2nd hand accounts of women being carried away by men, or women returning to families heavy with child etc- This book is mostly from the Punjab perspective as the author has roots from the region.- There is also a section where she meets her uncle who stayed behind and converted to Islam.- The one area that this book towers high above the the many other I have read so far is dedicated sections to children and harijans. I personally have never read about partition from the 'harijan perspective' and like the author herself have never envisaged that such a perspective could even exist.You would think harijans are Hindus, but it turns out they are invisible entities.As for children, you are not give just tiring numbers like xyz children died or were lost. This goes into the depths beyond the figures and touches the sensitive topic of what happened to the children of women kidnapped or raped. Who are these children? Hindu, Muslim? One thing is for sure. They are largely unwanted and many abandoned. What happened to these children? With no proper documentation, one could only hypothesize.- The initial part of the book has some matter related to the politics, but by and large the book is about people and their experiences.Don't forget to click the 'helpful' button if this review has been :)

The best book i have read, very tearful moments, very well written.

Wonderful book...hard bound so pleased with it.

hard to read, different time place culture. written well to capture that time place and feeling. Bit hard to follow at times.

this is a good book, provides some really good first hand source work of real people stories that have struggled through the hardship of partition - closer insight into social aspect.