[Audio] History of the partition. History of the partition.
[Audio] Overview The partition of India and Pakistan, also known as the Indian partition, was a major historical event that occurred on August 14-15, 1947. It was the result of a long struggle for independence from the British colonial rule in India. The partition resulted in the creation of two sovereign states: India and Pakistan. While various factors contributed towards the partition, it is widely acknowledged that the British colonial administration played a major role in the division of India along religious lines. The partition of the subcontinent was primarily the result of British policies, which exploited communal tensions and prioritized imperial interests over the welfare of the people of the Indian subcontinent..
[Audio] Background. Prior to colonisation, the subcontinent had been made up of many princely states where many religions co existed, there was a Hindu majority and Muslims were the largest minority. Historians say that the British implemented a strategy of "divide and rule" – they promoted political divisions between the followers of the regions main religions. Religious tension did exist before the British arrival but this was the first time it was a result of policy. The British first landed in the Indian subcontinent on August 24,1608,at the port of Surat .However, their rule did not begin until 1858. After the second world severely damaged the British Empire in terms of economy and peaceful protests against British rule, plans were announced to quit the vast nation. The Muslims, being only 25% of the region were worried about being a minority in a Hindu majority country. So Muhammad Ali Jinnah leader of the Muslim League advocated for Muslims to have their own homeland..
[Audio] A forgotten tragedy. Partition triggered riots, mass casualties, and a colossal wave of migration. As part of this process, the north-eastern Indian region of Bengal was split in half along religious lines into East and West Bengal. Muslim-majority East Bengal initially formed part of Pakistan but later became Bangladesh. It was decided that India needed to be separated because it had ended up as a massive empire. There was a previous model for such a move; both Burma and Sri Lanka had previously been separated from the Indian Empire in 1937.But then the decision came to separate it even further. India was divided by Sir Cyril Radcliffe, a British lawyer who had never visited the country before and had little time to grasp the social consequences of his decision in the partition..
[Audio] British India was divided into two independent states which would rule themselves: India, and Pakistan. Pakistan was split across two areas, which were 1,240 miles apart..
[Audio] Eye witness accounts and how it affects them to this day..
[Audio] Karam. Originally from Jalandhar, India. Before partition we were like one family -Muslim, Sikh and Hindu. Nobody ever thought there would be a partition. My mind is still confused why people changed so quickly. Muslims from outside came and attacked our village. A poisoned spear went through my arm and I was left for dead. My sister was saved by a Muslim family, who hid her in their house. But my father was killed. Even now I have bad dreams from that time. I wake up shaking..
[Audio] Khurshid's story. Raised in Delhi and Shimla, India, then moved to Karachi, Pakistan. Years before partition all the children at school used to protest together - Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian - shouting, 'We want independence - India is ours. But then in Delhi lots of Muslims were killed. We realised there was no option to stay in India - we had to go to Pakistan. My two best friends were Hindu. We used to visit each others' houses often. After partition, they wrote me a letter saying that a Muslim friend from my school who had stayed in India was raped by one of our teachers. I can't describe how bad I felt..
Partition by W.H. Auden.
[Audio] The British Factor. The British systematically encouraged communalism by promoting the interests of certain religious groups over others. They also mishandled the process of partition, leading to widespread violence and displacement. It was carried out hastily, without any proper planning for the transfer of power and the division of assets and resources. This led to confusion and chaos, as people did not know which side of the border they would end up on. As a result, millions of people were displaced, leading to immense human suffering and loss of life. In addition, the British did not deploy enough troops to maintain law and order during the partition, leading to catastrophic consequences. In some cases, they even colluded with local leaders to incite communal violence, as they saw this as a way of weakening the Indian independence movement..
[Audio] Kashmir, one of the world's most militarised zones. The partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 had a profound impact on the region of Kashmir, which has been a source of conflict between the two countries ever since. The dispute over Kashmir has resulted in four wars between India and Pakistan and ongoing tensions between the two countries. The Line of Control, which separates the Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered parts of Kashmir, remains one of the most heavily militarized borders in the world. The conflict has had a devastating impact on the people of Kashmir, with reports of human rights abuses, including disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture, by both Indian and Pakistani security forces..
[Audio] Partition : Borders of Blood. Even today the Indian – Pakistan border remains the most heavily patrolled and armed border in the world. The border is so well lit it is visible from space! The pernicious partition legacy continues to create havoc with our present. Two nuclear neighbouring nations at odds since Independence , not a promising picture for Peace..
[Audio] Controversial diamond. Queen Consort Camilla to wear St Mary's crown without the Koh-I-Noor diamond at King Charles coronation.(BBC News) With numerous countries(including India ,Pakistan and the Taliban in Afghanistan )having claimed ownership , it's a topic under vigorous debate..
[Audio] Relevance to our school community. Pupils from minority ethnic groups make up nearly the whole school roll. The majority of these pupils are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other Asian heritages. The Night Diary is set around the time of Partition. The story is told through the eyes of a 12-year-old, Nisha, the protagonist of the story. A historical piece of fiction currently being explored by our Year 6s. Educating ourselves about the partition enables us to globalise the Gearies Curriculum and ensure that it truly represents our values and our community..
[Audio] The Impact. It was deeply scarring and traumatic, changing their lives dramatically, uprooting them from places and communities where they had lived for generations. They lost languages, ways of life, property, heirlooms, people. It shaped their attitudes toward government, minorities and the concept of home. Trauma like this has lasting consequences – it affects what is shared with and what is concealed from future generations. Habits formed through trauma are also passed on – I was not there but still many of my habits have been shaped by my mother's and grandmother's experiences after 1947. -Historian Priya Satiya. Partition is as significant to modern identity in the Indian subcontinent, as the Holocaust is to identity among Jews, seared painfully onto the regional consciousness by memories of almost unconceivable violence. It is the single most defining event in the history of the region to this day..