Organizers & Sponsors
Project Dastaan is generously supported by the Ford Foundation JustFilms program.
Moving personal narratives recount the impact of the events of 1947 on South Asia and its diasporas.
Through colorfully animated retellings of individual histories, Project Dastaan reveals the resilience of those who were uprooted and dispersed as a result of the events of 1947. Their stories emphasize the power of letters, food, and other shared experiences to foster reunion and healing in the wake of the largest migration in recorded history.
Dastaan (“story” in Urdu and Hindi) recalls the experiences of the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan, one of the largest forced migrations in human history. “Child of Empire” invites visitors into an immersive experience of Partition through an animated virtual reality (VR) docu-drama. “Lost Migrations,” a three-part animated series, explores the legacies of Partition through the personal narratives of women and the stateless, and the broader experience of diaspora communities around the world.
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This special presentation at the Asian Art Museum is Project Dastaan’s first showing in the United States.
“Project Dastaan is an exciting example of global citizens using digital media to explore a difficult subject with sensitivity and compassion,” says Padma Dorje Maitland, Malavalli Family Foundation Associate Curator of the Art of the Indian Subcontinent. “This program offers an accessible, interactive space for individuals and families of South Asian diasporas to reflect on Partition’s intergenerational impact. For audiences beyond these diasporas, it’s a chance both to learn about Partition and to consider the moments of ‘partition’ in their own histories.”
“For anyone looking to understand modern South Asian art, a consideration of Partition is essential,” Maitland continues. “This program demonstrates the Asian Art Museum’s capacity to engage with more recent and complex histories; it also affirms art’s potential to create moments of connection for all.”
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Opening Celebration Thursday, April 17, 5 PM
Gallery space open April 17–June 2 during regular museum hours.
Virtual Reality (VR) experience:
Project Dastaan (داستان/दास्तान: “Story”) is a peacebuilding initiative reconnecting individuals displaced during the 1947 Partition with their ancestral villages through VR. Dastaan has conducted, filmed and edited interviews with Partition survivors across the UK, India, and Pakistan in five languages. Their work has been featured in outlets including TIME, The BBC, Reuters, and Elle.
The Project is generously supported by Ford Foundation JustFilms, the CatchLight Foundation, Digital Catapult and Arts Council, National Geographic, The British Council, and BFI/Doc Society. They have presented at UK Parliament as a founding member of the South Asian Heritage Month Campaign lobby and various colleges across India, Pakistan, and the UK.
Advisors on the Project include: Gabo Arora, William Dalrymple, Aanchal Malhotra, Anam Zakaria, Malala Yousufzai, Suroosh Alvi, Dr. Faisal Devji, Asha Easton, Dr. Kate Sullivan De Estrada, Dr. Sundas Ali, Anita Rani, Dr. Shahidul Alam, Asad J. Malik, Gayatri Parameswaran, and Dr. Yasmin Khan.
Project Dastaan is generously supported by the Ford Foundation JustFilms program.
