The Journal of Social Studies, Vol. 146 (The Journal of Centre for Social Studies, Dhaka University, Dhaka), April-June 2015, 25-44. ‘Surgery’ in rush and affected lives: Make-Believe stories in understanding History Sayeed Ferdous Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Jahangirnagar University Abstract: Factual accuracy may appear to be an essential element in the disciplinary practice of history for many, but it was a matter of least concern at different stages of this current work. In this paper, I would like to transcend the dichotomy of accuracy/inaccuracy or crudely saying, that of the truth/false. Especially, when I am dealing with rumours and stories, with fragmented memories, with people's embodiment of meta history in micro lives, with people's desire to bring up a local history of their own, it is most importantly inconsistencies over the consistency, incompleteness over a complete story line, I am keen to prefer. 1 Surgery: “3. The line shall run along the boundary between the following Thanas: Haripur and Raiganj; Haripur and Hemtabad; Ranisankail and Hemtabad; Pirganj and Hemtabad; Pirganj and Kaliganj; Bochaganj and Kaliganj; Biral and Kaliganj; Biral and Kushmundi; Biral and Gangarampur; Dinajpur and Gangarampur; Dinajpur and Kumarganj; Chirirbandar and Kumarganj; Phulbari and Kumarganj; Phulbari and Balurghat. It shall terminate at the point where the boundary between Phulbari and Balurghat meets the north-south line of the Bengal-Assam Railway in the eastern comer of the Thana of Balurghat. The line shall turn down the western edge of the railway lands belonging to that railway and follow that edge until it meets the boundary between the Thanas of Balurghat and Panchbibi.” 1 The Partition of the British India as well as its new border-making, that has created two nation-states of India and Pakistan, often mentioned as surgery both in academic and in popular writings. However some would argue how the metaphor is misleading and that puts a gloss to cover the catastrophic impact of the event. In this paper, firstly, I will focus upon some aspects of that so called surgery and in the latter half, I will bring up three make-believe stories about border-making from the ordinary lives of a borderland area of Bangladesh, to show, how the surgery affected the lives at the ground. This will also help one to see, how make-believe stories could play crucial role in understanding historical pasts.