From Essex to Amritsar

Punjabi diaspora’s UK journey documented in an exhibition at the Partition Museum, India

With the aim to celebrate and preserve cultural heritage, this month Essex Cultural Diversity Project launched a 30-day exhibition featuring community memories at the Partition Museum in Amritsar, entitled After the Partition: A Shared Cultural Heritage in Essex.

The exhibition is a legacy following on from the Heritage Lottery Fund project of the same name, highlighting the journey of the Punjabi Diaspora in the United Kingdom, through oral history narratives, preserved cultural materials, and visual archives spanning three generations.

Developed in collaboration with elderly Punjabi community members living in East England, the exhibition presents powerful memories of the 1947 Partition capturing the shared memories, reflections, and legacy passed down through generations, offering a moving tribute to resilience, identity, and cultural continuity.

The exhibition also incorporated ‘Re-rooted’, a collection of work by Suman Gujral, and artist and poet based in Harlow, Essex. At the centre of Suman’s practice is the exploration of Indian history, in particular Partition when India was divided and many communities displaced; she explores the effect this had on her own family, and more broadly on India itself. She is interested in how the cycle of displacement and division of families is still happening today in places all around the world.

Strengthening International Connections

One core aim of Essex Cultural Diversity Project is to develop connections with international partners, to build bridges and create new opportunities for creative organisations and practitioners based in the East of England.

Stating that this cross-cultural collaboration is set to further strengthen ties between heritage institutions in Punjab and the UK, Punjab State Information Commissioner, Harpreet Sandhu inaugurated the exhibition and said that such initiatives play a vital role in promoting one of Punjab’s key tourism landmarks – The Partition Museum, Amritsar – while also showcasing the state’s rich cultural heritage to diverse communities across the UK.

Indi Sandhu, CEO of Essex Cultural Diversity Project said, “We work strategically with creative practitioners, culture and heritage sectors, diverse communities, and the voluntary sector to help develop skills, build sustainable networks and infrastructures, alongside creating new opportunities to enhance diverse artists’ work.”

Indi Sandhu from Essex Cultural Diversity Project and Essex based artist Suman Gujral were joined by renowned artists and ECDP Patrons The Singh Twins, Prof Jagjit Singh, Rajwinder Kaur, Malwinder Singh Ahluwalia and Ravinder Singh Chamak.