India, Pakistan and Transformative Nostalgia
The nostalgic discourse of India-Pakistan relationship is being used to contest the state-manufactured narrative and to foster bonds of transnational peace and solidarity
The independence of the Indian subcontinent from British Rule was accompanied by a partition on religious lines. One of the largest migrations in human history, the partition witnessed unimaginable violence and bloodshed. With four major wars and countless border skirmishes, the relations of the two sovereigns, India and Pakistan, has also been a tenuous one.
Besides physical violence, both the states have also manufactured their official “truths”. Both countries maintain an opposing view of partition, with India viewing partition as a moment of tragedy and Pakistan viewing it as a moment of liberation (from Hindu Rule). This discourse is reproduced through, among other institutions, education and media. This discourse has constructed an extremist and opposing “other”.
However, there exists an alternative discourse. There is, what Maghbouleh (2010) terms, “inherited nostalgia”. Several studies have demonstrated the ability of nostalgia to generate positive effects. (Ange and Berliner 2015). The concept of inherited nostalgia is applicable even in the context of India and Pakistan.
A preliminary analysis of team membership of seven youth-led cross-border peacebuilding projects demonstrated “inherited nostalgia” as a factor of motivation. The founders/core team members in these initiatives including Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFDP), Aaghaz-e-Dosti, Indo-Pak Book lovers Club have been second or third generation migrants. This “inherited nostalgia” is often the driving motivation for prospective volunteers to join. A young girl from Delhi writes:
“My grandparents migrated to Delhi from Lahore during 1947. I grew up listening to their stories whether it was their golden days of Lahore or the horrors of partition. Even though I have never been to Pakistan or met a Pakistani I somehow feel connected to them. I never felt a difference among us and aren’t we same after all whether it is listening to Atif Aslam songs or eating biryani or going crazy over cricket match we both (Indians and Pakistanis) have done it all.
"I want to join Aaghaz-e-Dosti because I want to make peace between both the countries so that instead of hating each other over social media or fighting on military borders, one day we can visit each other’s countries freely without any restrictions. So that one day instead of hating we can share and talk about our past, share stories and love each other. After all we both are same, divided by borders but united by culture.”
Another prospective volunteer from Punjab (India) reasoned similarly. He writes:
“I have keen interest to join the team as it seeks to enhance people-to-people relationship between the two countries, and become the medium through which people of the two countries can discover the reality on the either side of the border to improve understanding…I feel that ideology and the task done in this NGO is great and something which matches to my interest and I am always passionate about such ventures and I have my emotional connection attached to it as my grandparents belong to Pakistan.”
Davis (1979) argue that nostalgia can dilute the effect of negative experiences (memories of violence). In the case of India-Pakistan, nostalgia can help focus on the positive memories or longing for the homeland which can inspire transnational solidarity and counter hyper-nationalist narratives.
There are many social media groups which work to connect Punjabis or Sindhis of India and Pakistan. The conversations in these groups centre around shared history, shared cultural symbols and practices. They also draw on nostalgia.
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A Pakistani peace activist who is an HR manager by profession changed his name and identity to Babar Jalandhari. Babar’s family had migrated from Hoshiarpur in India to Pakistan in 1947. He is the founder of a Facebook group “Sikh Muslim Friendship Mission” which connects Punjabis of India and Pakistan and helps them to see their ancestral home and homeland, in reality or at least virtually.
Elaborating on the aim of the group, Babar Jalandhari argues that it is important to keep these spaces free of political debates. “There is enough negativity. We should focus on positive stories, remember the positive, for a better future,” states Babar.
Nostalgia is a relationship between past, present and future. The nostalgic discourse of India-Pakistan relationship is being used to contest the state-manufactured narrative and to foster bonds of transnational peace and solidarity. This is then, what I would term, “Transformative Nostalgia”. For, it is being used to imagine a better future, a future with endless possibilities for friendship and solidarity between the arch rivals.
References:
Ange, O. and D. Berliner, 2015, Anthropology and Nostalgia, New York: Berghahn Books.
Davis, F., 1979, Yearning for Nostalgia: A Sociology of Nostalgia, The Free Press.
Maghbouleh, N., 2010, “‘Inherited Nostalgia’ Among Second-Generation Iranian Americans: A Case Study at a Southern California University”, Journal of Intercultural Studies, 31(2): 199-218.
[The writer, Dr Devika Mittal, teaches Sociology at Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi. She is also the convener of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, a cross-border peacebuilding initiative. She tweets at @devikasmittal.]
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