The Legacy of Partition
MUMBAI July 16, 2015 — To culminate a week of dynamic events, the Asia Society India Centre in partnership with Random House India hosted a discussion on the partition as told by Nisid Hajari, Asia Editor at Bloomberg View and author of ‘Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition.’ He was joined in conversation by Shekhar Gupta, Chairperson, Mediascape, and Kumar Ketkar, Media Consultant, Mi Marathi Group.
The programme began with Mr. Hajari reading riveting excerpts from his book that examined the divide between leaders Nehru and Jinnah, the August riots in Punjab, and the invasion of Kashmir. Audience members were silenced by Hajari’s accounts, which Kumar Ketkar described as “absorbing, disturbing, frightening, and fascinating.”
Hajari explained Jinnah’s vision for Pakistan as a secular nation to defend the minority Muslims of the region. The political void left after Jinnah’s death led to a long sequence of radical leaders and jihadi idealism.
Shekhar Gupta argued that there is a bigger scar in Pakistan than in India, even though the generation that witnessed Partition is mostly gone. Their stories have been passed down, along with their animosity. This, combined with the defeats of 1965 and 1971, has created the most vicious sibling rivalry ever. However, this is to date the most peaceful period between India and Pakistan.
Indeed, as Kumar Ketkar pointed out, nearly half of Mumbai has some connection to Pakistan. Why then do we seek out villains? Gupta, an experienced journalist in South Asia, accused news television and social media for making Pakistan into a villain and perpetuating and inflaming tensions between these countries.
Though some young people are apathetic about Partition and history, others are peaceful and curious to know about their counterparts in Pakistan. Hajari called for greater partnership between populations across the border, saying we must focus on our commonalities to build personal relationships, a strong force in overcoming a contentious history. Creating global interest and a constituency for peace could help change the nature of Pakistan’s unsustainable ideology, and even create growth and development.
Many hypothetical situations were speculated, but all the speakers rooted the discussion in historical facts. They warned of the dangers of fictionalizing history. The light-hearted evening provided audience members with the chance to question history and better understand the implications of the Partition. As Gupta concluded, “We need to know more.”
Video: Watch the complete programme (32min., 06 sec.)
Reported by Brigid Connell, Intern, Asia Society India Centre.
This programme falls under our Meet the Author series, which aims to bring together the freshest perspectives from writers across Asia as they engage in dialogue about their recent publications and the art of writing.
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