Let's Talk About Independence...

This week, like many years before, billions around the world celebrate their independence from the British. However, in recent years – what I’m seeing more and more of, thanks, I think, to the internet age and excellent journalism by the BBC, is British Asians reflecting on their own personal family partition story.

Why did partition happen?

So why did it happen? Well, the Treasury coffers were drained following the wars and what was once termed 'The Jewel' of the British Empire could no longer be sustained, despite 200 years of extraordinary remittances from Bengal to Britain. Britain was in a financial crises and so the British decided to leave, very quickly.

British bengal

Being British born with Bangladeshi heritage, naturally my family heritage has three generations who have first hand experiences of independence struggles – well up to 1971. As I reflect, I cannot stop thinking of the amount of turmoil my family has seen:

• My great grandfather would have seen the first division of Bengal in 1905 (later annulled) – which gave the first taste of life separated on religious grounds, supporting the growing tensions between Hindus and Muslims, and securing the case for the Indian Independence Movement. Sadly I never met my great grandfather.

• My grandfather would have seen India’s and Pakistan’s independence from the British Raj, he decided that his family should remain despite potential threats to the lives of his family members and him, including his children – such as my dad who was only 5 years old at time. Sadly I was quite young when my grandfather passed away.

• My mother has seen Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan, and her and my brother (a little baby then) lived in refugee camps, thankfully my mum and my brother survived.

My mum and dad are my last hope to understand what exactly happened in the time of partition, and my burning question: how did our family survive partition and independence? To me it’s just sheer luck, a roll of the dice – my grandad made the call to stay and here I am writing this post today. I hope to have the answers to these questions soon, but that’s for another post.

a case for understanding

So, why should anyone care for and seek to understand partition? Well, as a direct result of the rushed implementation of the Radcliffe lines, commissioned by Mountbatten – c. 1m people were killed and c. 15m people uprooted from their ancestral home (similar atrocities occurred during Bangladesh’s independence struggle). Worst still, this isn’t ancient history, these atrocities occurred a mere 70 years ago!

“So what?”, you ask – “that would never happen in the west!” you say. Look around you, why are we seeing an uprising of nationalism in the west and an anti-immigration rhetoric? It all kicked off following the financial crises and let’s not forget the nightmare inauguration of the bigot that is Trump!

Don’t take my word for it, the BBC have an excellent documentary series on iPlayer on the impact of partition.

Learning the history of South Asia (Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan) is important. I really don’t want a repeat of the past and my great grandchild posting in a blog some day in the distant future: “my great grandfather Amit would have seen…” More importantly, I certainly do not want my son’s name in the paragraph that follows!

Anyway, I will sign off with the historic meaning of Hindustan (the land of the peoples of the Indus valley to the Gangetic basin – I.e. Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan) – land of many people’s, and many cultures, but one aim.

Jai Hind!