Central University of Odisha Commemorates Partition Horrors Remembrance Day
The Central University of Odisha, Koraput, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Delhi, organized an event to commemorate ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ on 14 August 2024 in its campus at Sunabeda. The event was spearheaded by the Hindi Department of the University.
The program commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. Following this, dignitaries including the University’s Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Chakradhar Tripathi, Advisor, Prof. Vibhas Chandra Jha, Registrar-in-Charge, Prof. N.C. Panda, and the keynote speaker, Prof. Vanchanidhi Panda, Chairman of the Vidvat Parishad Vidyabharati, Eastern Region, inaugurated and viewed the partition-themed poster exhibition. At exactly 5 PM, a two-minute silence was observed in memory of those who perished during the massacres of the partition.
In his presidential address, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Tripathi explained that religious extremism led to the division of India, attributing a lack of education on undivided India as one of the reasons. He ended his speech on a hopeful note, saying, “An undivided India will emerge, and Ram Rajya will prevail.”
Prof. Vanchanidhi Panda, the keynote speaker, began his address by quoting, “A community that forgets its history can never stand strong in the world.” He traced the events leading up to the partition, shedding light on the 1857 Revolt, the formation of the Congress in 1885, the 1905 Bengal partition, the 1906 announcement of separate electorates and the establishment of the Muslim League, the 1920 Khilafat Movement and massacres, the 1931 Congress Flag Committee, and the Direct Action Day on August 16, 1946, which witnessed a massacre of Hindus. Prof. Panda discussed the political forces behind the partition and why India’s independence, initially set for June 1948, was brought forward to August 1947. He argued that the partition was not inevitable and could have been avoided. He concluded by emphasizing the duty of ensuring that future generations envision an undivided India.
Dr. Saurabh Gupta, in his talk titled ‘Cinema as an Alternative Historiography: A Study of Partition Narratives’, highlighted the impact of the partition on women through films like Mammo and Pinjar.
Following this, a screening of the film Bantwara took place, and the event concluded with a powerful presentation of the play Vibhajan Ek Vibhishika, written by Prakash Jha and performed by students of the Hindi Department under the direction of the department head.
The program was conducted by Dr. Chakradhar Padhan, Head of the Hindi Department, and Dr. Manoj Kumar Singh delivered the vote of thanks. The event was made successful with the support of Hindi Department faculty members Dr. Sunit Paswan, Dr. Shrikant Arle, Dr. Mayuri Mishra, and the students. Faculty members and students from other university departments also attended the event.