Commemorating Sites of Conflict

When Lahore, the major city of trade in north-west India pre-partition, was cut off, it
changed the fate of Amritsar for ever. Being one of the biggest border cities, Amritsar still
carries the trauma of the bloody events of Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Partition itself.
There is no doubt that these sites and stories are of utmost importance and should be
commemorated. But the question is, how?

The guide, Gurvinder Kaur who took us around the old city, remarked that she is
'embarrassed' to take visitors to the Jallianwala Bagh memorial after the recent renovation
in 2021. When the Tribers visited it as part of their Odyssey2022, we could see why. Smiling
(!), large-than-life reliefs of villagers flanked the narrow entry through which these people
had walked into their deaths. The crowd carries itself through the 5 over-flowing galleries
showcasing the events, partially or completely ignorant about what is being displayed. Then
we were pushed out into mounts of well-kept, barricaded lawns and red sandstone
pathways. Nothing about the place reminded people about the atrocity that happened
there. The conservation architect Gurmeet Rai mentions how the original low lying site of
unkept gardens were largely altered as well. Isn't the site as important as the story itself? 

The Wagah border ceremony is a fascinating practice that has been happening since 1959,
to display the brotherhood, cooperation and a little bit of harmless rivalry between the two
nations. We went there, full of pride for our country, but we were welcomed by hundreds of
'Indians' running, screaming, pushing and pulling to grab a seat. I was surprised to see
people leave even before the flags were lowered! It seemed like they came only to dance
along with the 'patriotic' bollywood songs and take 'Instagramable' photos at the border. I
wonder if anyone even knows the importance of the ceremony. 

The Partition Museum is one of the most recent addition to the sites of commemoration in
Amritsar. It is interesting that they chose the Town Hall, which housed the Police station at
the time of the British rule. Just like most other museums, the history and artefacts of
events leading to and after the Partition have been displayed here. Yet, what struck me the
most the the audio-visual displays of the personal narrations of refugees about their
journey, suffering and resilience. We have all heard of how thousands were effected by the
mass migration that followed, but what hit me hard was the pain of loss in their voices even
more than 70 years after the incidents. Even though the Partition did not physically happen
at the site of the museum, an indulgent visitor could surely feel the pain of it by the time
they exited it. 

Such sites of memory, when maintained well, can become a place of collective shared
knowledge, helpful in uniting the community and individuals. In Amritsar, where there is a
constant tussle between peace and conflict, these sites can be a reminder of the fights,
struggles and the blood shed for the freedom which we often take for granted. In the race
to popularise and commodify these sites as tourist attractions, are these places and their
stories losing their significance too?