Kalyani Gupta

Kalyani Gupta was born Kalyani Mukherjee in Barisal, Bengal in 1934. She was the fifth of ten siblings. A few years before Partition, in 1945, her father passed away. Mrs. Gupta remembers the relationship among families of different backgrounds to be cordial before Partition. Although, she recalls that not long after the announcement of Partition in August 1947, social conditions became strained.

Mrs. Gupta was 13 years old when Partition was announced. Her family did not decide to migrate until several months after the announcement. Her mother decided it was best to sell as much of the family’s belongings and move to Kolkata. After her exams, Mrs. Gupta moved to Kolkata in December 1947, and the rest of her family came in February 1948. While she did not see violence in the city, she did hear news of violence in rural areas of Bengal from family members. After Partition, Mrs. Gupta continued her education in Kolkata. She recalls the death of her mother in 1951 as a difficult time, especially with siblings who were very young. Mrs. Gupta began working for the railway system after completing her education, and married in 1956.