The Weekend Documentary: The Museum Of Lost Objects - India And Pakistan

India gained independence in 1947, but was torn apart by religious and political differences. The partition of India and Pakistan, in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions displaced, still evokes a spectre of mayhem, massacre and lost history. In this two-part series, Kanishk Tharoor explores landmarks and precious artefacts that were caught up in the events around independence, partition and their legacies.

Episode one looks at how the bureaucracy of partition impacted important artefacts, when antique masterpieces from the ancient Indus Valley were divvied up between the museums in Delhi and Lahore - and how that informed the new national identities of both India and Pakistan.

The programme tells the story of the 6,000 year old necklace of Mohenjodaro broken into two pieces to satisfy both countries.

In Kashmir - one of the most contested territories on earth - we hear about the Palladium Cinema, a famous building in the heart of Srinagar and a backdrop to some of the city’s major events. During partition, local self-defence forces would practice their military drills in front of it; Prime Minister Nehru gave a speech in front of it, and many of Bollywood’s top premieres took place there - but in the violence of the 1990s the cinema was turned into a military camp and detention centre.

And the story of Lahore’s Lakshmi building, built by a Hindu philanthropist in the 1930s, adorned with elephants and a statue of the goddess Lakshmi. After partition, the area became home to writers freshly arrived from India, and Lollywood - Pakistan’s burgeoning film industry. The building remains but the goddess disappeared. This episode charts Lakshmi’s history in Lahore, and the city’s lost Hindu heritage.

Publicity contact: SS2