Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; July 30, 2016)

A Partition Museum will soon come up at Amritsar’s historic Town Hall and pledging support to the initiative is actress Alia Bhatt. Sources say she got interested since her mother, veteran actress-director Soni Razdan, is associated with the ambitious project as a trustee.

A source says, “The museum trust has been looking for volunteers as well as donations. Soni is taking active part in making the Rs 10 crore project a reality along with other trustees. Now, Alia has decided to be involved with the first-of-its-kind attempt, financially and even otherwise.” The trust plans to throw it open to the public by this year end.

The museum will commemorate and document the largest across-the-border migration in 1947. It will include contributions and donations from the aam aadmi, as well as artefacts and documents sourced through private and public collections and archives. The choice of site is just apt — one wing of the late-19th century Town Hall that was witness to the unrest in Punjab in the wake of the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre and the Partition.

The source adds, “Alia is busy with her Bollywood commitments, but wants to contribute to the project in whichever way she can. She also wishes to campaign for it to draw the attention of potential volunteers and philanthropists.”

Alia remained unavailable for comment.