Aanchal Malhotra

‘[A] monumental archive of Partition’ — Sonal Shah, India Today

‘Malhotra’s book is an opus.’ — Raaja Bhasin, The Tribune

‘This immensely important book transcends seeing Partition as a mass phenomenon of communal violence but delves into personal sentiments of loss, identity and individual trauma. . . While political ramifications of Partition continue to be felt, this is an important reminder of the personal in the political’ — Maximillian Morch, Asian Review of Books

‘In the discourse around the anti-CAA protests where the invocation of the Partition became a common motif, this book remains a blatant reminder that the connections between South Asian communities are more intertwined – beyond the scope of the limited definitional criterions of citizenship laws. In the Language of Remembering will be a rupture for the incumbent – dealing with the issues of polarisation with care and diligence.’ — Prerna Vij, Scroll

‘Malhotra’s process isn’t unlike that of a detective; she follows the trail of one story, persistently willing to trace it to the end (or, more accurately, back to the beginning) only to find that on the way, it unravels an entirely new thread all together.’ — Avantika Shankar, Vogue India

‘It’s this ability to create a layered narrative that’s Malhotra’s strength. . . If there is one overarching message of Language of Remembering, it’s that of empathy – a quality that she brings to her writing as well. Hers is an account of human connections and relationships that once existed between communities.’ — Kaushik Das Gupta, The Indian Express

‘Aanchal Malhotra has not only shown immense agility in manoeuvring difficult conversations but has also successfully unravelled the layers of meanings hidden in her interactions with the interviewees.’ — Saurabh Sharma, Business Standard

‘'Malhotra’s book turns back the pages of history at a more humane level. Overcoming temptation to hark back to the geography of that once undivided Subcontinent, she has successfully built a fluent fabric of human connections that far outweigh animosity . . .[It] serves as a time capsule for posterity as it touchingly portrays the psychological aspects of having to abandon home and hearth under duress.’ — Nyla Daud, Dawn   

‘Going beyond the popular narratives of violence, In the Language of Remembering provides a comprehensive account of memories associated with the historical event and its “second-hand” understanding. . .What echoes strongly throughout the book is the importance of empathy and the power of the shared cultural heritage in the region.’ — Urmi Bhattacharyya, Telegraph India

‘In the Language of Remembering is a worthy successor [to Remnants of a Separation] because it reinstates Malhotra’s literary creativity to bring in a newer dimension to understanding Partition. It evokes the readers to think that Partition has continued to live vicariously in the present . . .It evades generalizations and acknowledges the complexities– the diverse experiences and perspectives that are bound to exist within the framework of a theme so vast, in the landscape changing ever so rapidly owing to the turbulence of the time.’ — Yashasvi Krishna, South Asian Review

‘The importance of this book perhaps lies in how myriad, how juxtaposing human experiences and the way to recuperate with them have been- where no two experiences are quite the same . . . it is an archive of unheard voices’ — Medhashree Talapatra, Refugee Watch Online

‘[It] strives to remind us of the redemptive power of storytelling, and that remembering is an ethical act.’ — Meher Ali, Biblio

‘In the Language of Remembering makes us aware of what we carry within ourselves. Malhotra’s book is about regrets, losses, hopes, about what we gained, and what we were separated from. It is about the choices one made, about family, about generations, and how some incidents are not passed over, not told as stories, not revisited because of how painful they are and the need to talk about them – both in order to look ahead and constantly keep looking back so as not to lose a part of ourselves.’ — Vivek Tejuja, Scroll

‘Malhotra’s work in both Remnants of a Separation and In the Language of Remembering. . . treat history as the multi-modal entity that it is, not as a flat, linear, cause-and-effect phenomenon. . . If you’re fatigued by reading run-of-the-mill history books on the subcontinent’s many Partitions, In the Language of Remembering will surprise, educate and enthral you.’ — Aditya Mani Jha, Open Magazine

‘When the bitter harvest sown by decades of hating the ‘other’ is standing tall and ripe, when seeds of hatred are kept at the ready to be thrown in a soil that has been prepared to hate, rather than love, Malhotra’s book comes as a harbinger of truth and reconciliation.’ — Rakhshanda Jalil, The Hindu

'Aanchal has [done] a great service ... The nuanced stories and experiences of Partition survivors offer an essential lens into our past and present. It is a lens that, for me, provides the only hope to move beyond distorted, jingoistic and censored state histories.'
– From the Foreword by Anam Zakaria

'In the Language of Remembering is two things at once: a subtle, restrained memoir, where the author's own inner journey and questions make themselves heard, but, in the main, also an anthology that brings together the voices, memories, regrets and emotional peregrinations of so many others. Yet again, Aanchal Malhotra lifts Partition from disembodied numbers and statistics, from maps and borders, to highlight the very human nature of the tragedy, opening to us layer upon layer, and stories within stories.'
– Manu S. Pillai, author and historian

'Compassionate, caring and insightful, Aanchal Malhotra's deeply personal enquiry traces a complex and multi-layered history to reflect on and come to terms with its many legacies. The narrative - always reflective, always questioning - stretches and crosses the boundaries of nations and politics as only stories can do, and even as it traces loss, pain and grief, and the profound impress of histories through generations, it offers that precious thing: hope.'
– Urvashi Butalia, author and publisher

'It is at the intersection of history and memory - national, familial, individual - that we get an insight into how trauma unfolds over time. In this unique intergenerational account, Aanchal has given us a sensitive and precious archive.'
– Ritu Menon, author and publisher

'This is a valuable collection of memories - and memories of memories - skillfully woven into a narrative thread that animates how much the past illuminates and intrudes into the present. The 1947 and 1971 partitions and divisions in South Asia acquire in Aanchal Malhotra's sensitive prose an immediacy and a pressing relevance, two and even three generations after the actual events. The book is a worthy sequel to Remnants of a Separation.'
– T.C.A. Raghavan, author and former diplomat

'Aanchal Malhotra has written a deeply thoughtful and original work which grapples with the poignant and multiple ways that Partition memories still animate later generations. A moving and emotional meditation on South Asia's history and the way that Partition still resonates in the present.'
– Yasmin Khan, author and historian

'A work of immense courage and grace. It deftly locates the intertwined personal and political traumas, both lived and inherited. Aanchal delicately redirects our gaze and imagination to generations which continue to be affected from the horrors of displacement during Partition that haunt the subcontinent to date.'
– Farah Bashir, author