The tragedy of Partition is almost Shakespearean in its fallout. It’s been over sixty-three years since this catastrophic event occurred yet its effects continue to unfold, like seismic aftershocks. No one on the Indian sub-continent has really escaped its scathing wounds as the two countries carved out of undivided India in 1947 – independent India and Pakistan – reel even today from the legacy of hatred and suspicion unleashed by the Partition. In reality, one people, one culture, today stand on opposite shores – We and They – talking in tongues which neither understands.
One would think that everything that had to be said about the Partition has been said but along comes Sarah Singh, an intrepid film-maker who has boldly gone into this troubled, calloused territory.

In this strong drama you see the intersection of politics, religion, corruption, and how the little guy is sucked into the games powerful people play.The script takes you from London to Pakistan – and you see the potholes, feel the heat and desperation, and sounds metamorphose into frenetic, imaginary pictures. The sounds of traffic, sirens, chanting of Hail Mary’s and Islamic prayers, echoes, distortions, clanging doors – even chilling silence – all bring the turmoil up-close.

Riveting.

That’s probably the word one is searching for when asked about the new face of Pakistani art which is now being shown in art centers internationally. For a country in so much pain politically and socially – not to mention economically – Pakistan is surprisingly on top of things where art is concerned.

“The steel structure of Spine is transformed through the stitching of red suede, and was inspired by the two-piece choli that is worn at weddings in the Subcontinent. Spine led me to rethink the function of the choli and the inherent contradictions it carries; it is, at the same time, flirtatious and oppressive.”

- Naiza Khan

The lovely bride was just 25 years old but in book years, ‘The Pakistani Bride’ had turned a hefty quarter of a century old!