“One can take the path of revolution but the revolution should not give a shock to the society. There is no place for violence in revolution” – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, 2024, marks the Partition of Bharat into India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, which was by far the most shocking event that took place around 1947, where almost 15 million people were displaced and an estimated 1 million people died.
Events triggering the Partition of 1947
Many factors were responsible for partitioning Bharat into two adjacent nations, Pakistan and Bangladesh, which we know of today. The most predominant factor was the “Divide and Rule Policy”, introduced by the British authorities to colonize India and disrupt the unity of people within it. The policy was first introduced in 1857 and culminated in 1947, leading to the segmentation of Bharat into two adjacent provinces. The Two-Nation Theory advocated by nationalists like Muhammad Ali Jinnah led to the development of a separatist ideology, where Muslims of India started demanding a separate nation altogether. The unholy approach of drawing impractical boundaries was responsible for causing mass-scale riots, murders, rape, displacements, land division and so on.
Horrors of Partition
The horrors of partition may be forgotten, but they can never be pardoned. The communal violence which erupted between the Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs caused large-scale riots and unfathomable bloodshed and atrocities, which send chills down the spine even now. More than 10-15 million people were forced to leave their inherited land by force, and anyone disobeying such orders was either killed, burned alive or raped.
Women, as always, were the most vulnerable group who were affected by these atrocities. They were raped, forcibly converted to other religions, abducted on a mass scale, beheaded, sexually assaulted and tortured physically and emotionally. They were used to prove a point or seek revenge on people following a particular religion. The survivors never truly recovered from the trauma caused, which disrupted their spirit as well as moral integrity and hopes for a better tomorrow.
What we can learn from the past
The partition was hastened by the British colonial administrators, mainly to divide the unified nationalist sentiment and free India from the oppressive Western authority. No planning was involved, and various political leaders collectively failed to restore peace and make the partition non-violent.
It is essential for every Indian to learn about the horrors of partition carefully and to ensure that we never commit a similar mistake in the future. It is the responsibility of the people of this country to learn from past mistakes and remember the ones who have lost. One must commemorate the lost lives, the emotional divide that the partition created and how it changed the nation, in and out. Our responsibility is to remember and forget, but never forgive people who caused such disruptions and influenced them to commit such crimes without morality and judgment.
Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, 2024
The current Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, declared 14th August as the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day to remember the horrors of Partition and collectively remind the nation of the hardships and sufferings faced by Indians in 1947. The time when innumerable Indians, irrespective of their religious beliefs or social position, died and were affected by the biased religious moralities and unauthorized political decisions of people in higher power.
Verdict
As we head out to celebrate India’s 77 years of independence tomorrow, we must remember the sacrifices, lives lost, and the nation affected by unethical and unfair decisions. The memory of these sacrifices should rip our souls apart and bring tears to our eyes as we sing our national anthem and hoist our flag to signify the contributions of millions of men, women, and children who died for our freedom.
