memories of migration

BBC News In Pictures: Turning the iconic Ghana Must Go bag into high fashion

Recently I read an article "Turning the iconic Ghana Must Go bag into high fashion" in In Pictures section of the BBC News. I was struck how a bag can have multiple meanings and become a symbol of migration, identity, mobility as well as stereotyping. I'm familiar with such bags. We also use them in India but even in India not everyone uses such bags. We still have three of these bags. They're fairly sturdy bottomless pits usually with black or red border piping. I must admit that I too have a certain disdain toward these bags. They're not 'cool' but I've also learnt that there are advantages to using them. I've seen them in Old Delhi and at railway stations. I've seen people of certain regions in India use them. However, I doubt whether these bags have many takers among upper classes in urban India.

Do you have any stories or memory related with such woven matted bags? It would be interesting to hear your experiences. 

The article is written by Nduka Orjinmo, BBC News, Abuja (19 November 2020)

Making a Place- People’s Story of a Town

Pipariya is a small town in Madhya Pradesh, India along the east-west cross country railway line at a wide point in the Narmada valley between the Satpura hills and the river. Located at the foot of the Pachmarhi Plateau, this place is remembered in many ways by many people. Among them, local residents from different castes and communities, remember when and how their ancestors came to settle here in the last three or four generations. This blog post focuses on one such narrative from the pool of conversations recorded with the long time residents of the town. In a brief excerpt (translated from Hindi), Mr. Haridas Panjwani (89) sheds light on the migration of his family and community members from Larkana, Sindh province (Pakistan) to Sindhi Colony, Pipariya, Madhya Pradesh (India) and how the town has changed over the decades.

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