It was Pakistani independence day 3 days ago.
Technically I'm Kashmiri but I won't get into that because with that comes its own challenges.
Just breaks my heart hearing my grandad relive the partition. He's seen too much. My grandma getting separated from her parents and being left behind because of the forced migration. This is something all colonised communities will feel. It's not just stories. It rewires your entire DNA. Makes your susceptible to more illnesses. Trauma can live in the bodies for as long as 7 generations. There's people to this day separated from their families because of displacement. Some that still haven't found each other. Millions died.
This is why I resonate with others that come from colonised communities. It's something we'll always carry. We were kidnapped by empires and diaspora fostered us. Questioned on loyalty when brown bodies fertilise the grounds of the wars fought for you.
Our tribes are quests to land lost to us. Being from everywhere but nowhere. A space named dignity. I don't feel patriotism towards any country but I'll always have my customs and cultural expression because it's about the people, not the arbitrary lines drawn by someone who didn't even set foot there.
Just breaks my heart hearing my grandad relive the partition. He's seen too much. My grandma getting separated from her parents and being left behind because of the forced migration. This is something all colonised communities will feel. It's not just stories. It rewires your entire DNA. Makes your susceptible to more illnesses. Trauma can live in the bodies for as long as 7 generations. There's people to this day separated from their families because of displacement. Some that still haven't found each other. Millions died.
This is why I resonate with others that come from colonised communities. It's something we'll always carry. We were kidnapped by empires and diaspora fostered us. Questioned on loyalty when brown bodies fertilise the grounds of the wars fought for you.
Our tribes are quests to land lost to us. Being from everywhere but nowhere. A space named dignity. I don't feel patriotism towards any country but I'll always have my customs and cultural expression because it's about the people, not the arbitrary lines drawn by someone who didn't even set foot there.
