The partition of India in 1947 was, and undoubtedly remains, the most turbulent episode in the recent history of the subcontinent. Of course, the reading of Partition history, be it through its humanitarian or political dimension, is anything but uniform. It is observable that a group narrative of Partition exists for each community directly affected by the event – that is to say, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh respectively.

This article examines what is arguably a paradox: given the unique position held by the events of the 1947 Partition in the collective consciousness of the Indian subcontinent, why is there no national partition museum anywhere in India? The article analyses the possible reasons for this absence, evaluates the arguments for establishing such a museum, and considers what shape it might take.

The image of "Mother India" has often been used to represent the nation, but within this image the relationship of women to the nation does not find a place. The question of where a woman belongs is one that has many answers but these are hardly ever related to nationhood. This article looks at how nation and nationhood have been defined in women's writings in India. It attempts to explore this through two main themes: first, narratives of partition, specifically those written by women across the border and second, the dominant perceptions reflected in women's writings.

"Few events have been more important to the history of modern South Asia than the partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan in 1947. The coming of partition has cast a powerful shadow on historical reconstructions of the decades before 1947, while the ramifications of partition have continued to leave their mark on subcontinental politics fifty years after the event.