The past, tense: India at 75
We spend so much time thinking about past and future. But do we really examine it to inform our now? Welcome to Noise Reduction, filled with guidance, inspiration and fun.
My parents left their country of birth, and have never returned. They were on the wrong side of the border and part of the mass forced migration - the largest in history - when Panjab and Bengal were cleaved apart in the formation of Pakistan and the re-constitution of independent India. This month is the 75th anniversary of Partition.
On 3 June 1947, Viscount Louis Mountbatten, the last British Governor-General of India, announced the partitioning of British India into India and Pakistan. With the speedy passage of the Indian Independence Act 1947, at 11:57 on 14 August 1947 Pakistan was declared a separate nation. Then at 12:02 A.M., on 15 August 1947 India became a sovereign and democratic nation - Wikipedia, Indian Independence Movement
Carnage followed. Around 1 million people were killed. Many estimate more. A whole generation of refugees was created, my parents included. I only began to find this out when I ran for NZ Parliament for the Labour Party in 2017. Up until then, my parents had been vague about their experiences. To protect me. To protect themselves. The memories were too painful. But my decision to enter politics (I exited after that election) prompted them to disclose some painful memories.
In the last few years, may parents’ generation have started to tell their stories to their children and grandchildren. And they are harrowing.
But these are stories we need to know. They inform our identity. They change it. They help us to know who we really are. They connect us in different ways. And if we are wise, we can grow to understand the legacy of hurt and seek to heal it, while remain acutely aware of those who seek to exploit division.
We must be so wary.
This week’s newsletter is dedicated to my parents, and those who continue to struggle with the consequences of colonisation.
This BBC audio documentary tells contemporary tales of love, longing and discovery. A man goes to the Pakistani village where his Hindu grandfather was saved by Muslims and makes a surprising connection; a woman who has always thought of herself as British Pakistani does a DNA test; and a young couple with roots on different sides of the line dividing India and Pakistan plan their wedding.
Another incredible resource, full of interactive archive video, audio and photographs is this very well put-together mini site.
British judge Cyril Radcliffe was brought in to draw up the border between India and Pakistan. It meant cutting two of India's most powerful and populous provinces in half; Punjab and Bengal. Radcliffe had never been to India before and never returned. This rushed partition would have repercussions for decades to come.
How to make friends with your sadness
Susan Cain has a new book out, called Bittersweet: How Sorrow And Longing Make Us Whole. Think of it as learning how to be ok with your sadness when it arises from time to time, and even how to embrace it.
MERAJI: I love that story, and I loved your book because I do feel like it gave me permission to stop, you know, turning my frown upside down and faking it till I make it. But also, once I, like, step out into this society, there's just so much intense pressure to pretend that everything's OK. And there is this tyranny of positivity that you write about in the book. It's all around us here in the United States. How do we do this? How do we make this a practice? Are there ways that we can acknowledge sadness or embrace our melancholy that we've been just trying to shut out for forever, for our entire lives?
CAIN: Yeah. And one of the best ways, I think, of doing this is tuning into the places in our lives where we feel an intense beauty, whether it's in music or in art or in nature. And in art and music in particular, you get not only the beauty, but you usually find kindred spirits there who are expressing exactly the same thing that you are feeling and know to be true.
Check out the audio here on NPR, and the transcript is here too.
Can You Pass the 10-Second Balance Test?
This simple, often neglected skill can pay huge dividends later in life.
Balance training is an important but often-neglected skill, one that impacts both our longevity and our quality of life, beginning around age 40. A study in June by a Brazilian team found that 20 percent of the 1,700 older adults tested couldn’t balance on one leg for 10 seconds or more. And that inability to balance was associated with a twofold risk of death from any cause within 10 years.
It’s never too late to start working on balance training, even if you can pass the 10 second test, especially if you’re over age 50. This doesn’t mean joining your local gymnastics troupe. You can start at home without any equipment. Check out this link for more - made free for my readers through my New York Times subscription.
Why facts don’t change minds
“Facts First” is the tagline of a CNN branding campaign which contends that “once facts are established, opinions can be formed.” The problem is that while it sounds plausible, this appealing assertion is not supported by research.
Behavioural and neuroscience studies have found that the exact opposite is often true when it comes to politics: People form opinions based on emotions, such as fear, contempt and anger, rather than relying on facts. New facts often do not change people’s minds - rather, they result in people digging in to shore up their position.
Our worldview forms during childhood as a result of our socialization within a particular cultural context. Our views get reinforced over time by the social groups we keep, the media we consume, and even the way in which our brains are wired. Challenging our worldviews with facts can feel like an attack on our personal identities and can often result in hardening our positions.
More here.
Reading, watching, listening
Reading: now that I’m back running again, I dug out a book that has been sitting on the shelf for years: Pole to Pole, by Australian ultramarathon runner Pat Farmer And so far, it’s been an absorbing read, satisfying my need to get back into this world again.
Watching: Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig has been an entertaining evening watch - gently humorous, and not too taxing at all. Trailer below, and the first episode on YouTube here.
Listening: William Dalrymple (author of The Anarchy - a history of the East India Company - which I recommend highly) and Anita Anand (author of the story of Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary - Sophia Duleep Singh: princess-in-exile, moderniser and suffragette), explore the stories, personalities and events of empire over the course of history.
The first series looks at the British in India, covering the East India Company, the Raj, Gandhi, Independence and Partition. Well worth a listen.