This Side That Side: Partition Retold

“Partition is not a 1947 thing or a 1971 thing, but it is an ongoing thing,” said Vishwajyoti Ghosh at the Hay Festival '13 Dhaka about his incentive behind Bangladesh's very first graphic novel. Except this does not only belong to Bangladesh, but to India and Pakistan as well; it's truly a subcontinental affair.
The idea behind the graphic novel is as simple as it was complicated to execute. Let's assume you are a Muslim, born in Barisal, brought up in Mumbai or somewhere in India, what does that make you? Does it make you a Pakistani or a Bangladeshi or an Indian? But above all, does it make a huge difference in your life, enough to question your existence? These are the questions that “This Side That Side” would make you ask, as you go through the book and its array of comic strips.
It is a compilation of graphic narratives from people affected by the '47 and '71 partitions; all in all, it is the stories and lives of people all over the now divided subcontinent. Different artists, writers and researchers came together to make this novel happen. In fact 47 contributors formed the group that worked for this graphic novel, including Bangladesh's very own Kaiser Haq and Khademul Islam.
“This Side That Side” -- through contemporary art, doodles, pictures, even real letters and actual photographs -- tells the story of all the lives that were changed due to the geographical severance of the subcontinent. The short and separate stories have been put together in a way that will keep you turning pages to see what happens next. And wonder how that had happened, if that even happened. And stories that make you wonder whether we're separated and on different sides, or merely just prejudiced.
I personally found the stories incredibly intriguing. The stories ranged from letter excerpts, photographs, non-translated dialogue and Tagore lyrics that served as constant reminders that these are not just stories. These form our history. Perhaps parts of history considered too trivial for us to know about. But this book was a sharp reminder that there is more to this subcontinent's history than what we know. There are people that existed and exist, and it was the partition that made them question: “Where am I supposed to be from, anyway?”