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Tanya Momi’s new book revisits Partition
Daughter of a Refugee draws on family history, letters, and paintings to examine the long legacy of 1947.
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Staff Reporter - Sat, 17, Jan 2026
- 14:49 EST
- 25
Tanya Momi/ Book's cover / Credit: Tanya Momi
Bay Area–based artist and author Tanya Momi released a new book that examines the legacy of the 1947 Partition through a combination of family memoir, historical reflection, and visual art.
The book, Daughter of a Refugee: India’s Partition—History, Memory, and Art, centers on the experiences of Momi’s parents, who were forced to flee their homes as children during the mass displacement that accompanied the division of British India. It traces how that upheaval continued to shape family life and identity across generations.
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Announcing the publication in a post, Momi said the project was the result of years of work. “After years of writing, painting, and digging through painful but powerful memories, my book Daughter of a Refugee is officially published,” she wrote.
“This book tells the story of my parents, who were forced to flee their homes in 1947 during the Partition of India. But more than that, it tells the story of us—the generation who inherited their trauma and their strength,” Momi said.
The volume combines reproductions of Momi’s artwork with historical narrative and personal material, including letters from her father, the late Balbir Singh Momi. Works associated with the project include Birds Without Borders, Divided, Where Are You From?, and Remember Us, which reflect on borders, memory, and displacement.
Momi said the project also addresses questions of belonging and inherited identity. “I wrote this for anyone who has ever asked, ‘Where do I come from?’ I painted this for anyone who believes that art can heal wounds that history left open,” she wrote.
Momi is a graduate of the Government College of Art in Chandigarh, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She has worked for decades as a visual artist in styles including cubism, figurative, abstract, and social realism. She is also the founder of Spoil Me Salon and Gallery.
Daughter of a Refugee is Momi’s second book. She previously authored Return of Goddess, published in 2022.
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