• Partition narratives, produced both by the state and the individual, produce a sort of mythical “refugee” with set characteristics“entrepreneurial spirit” and “hard work”.
  • Our knowledge about Partition migration has been obtained from the narratives of upper caste/middle-class migrants.
  • Against this narrative of semi-mythical refugees who left their home right before independence in the middle of violence is the narrative of the Shudra refugee, in most cases only able to leave much after Independence, if at all, and even if they left, made to go in caravans several kilometres long, exposing themselves to constant threats of violence and disease.
  • A lot of untouchable groups were forbidden from migrating to India because it was believed that no one else would do the jobs they performed.