August 14: Lest We Forget the Horrors of Partition | Ahead of Independence Day

As India gets set to celebrate its Independence Day and ‘Amrit Kaal’, the horrors of the Partition continue to serve as a grim reminder of the past. August 14, a day before India’s Independence Day, is observed as the ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in 2021 dedicated the day to those who lost their lives and were uprooted from their origins. “Partition’s pains can never be forgotten. Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence”, the PM had said last year. “May the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day keep reminding us of the need to remove the poison of social divisions, disharmony and further strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony and human empowerment,” he had further said.

1947 marked a paradoxical juncture in India’s history. The euphoria of Independence was shadowed by the Partition, which scarred the nation with memories of bloodshed, families torn apart and cities set on fire. It was a decision by the two largest political parties at the time – the Congress and Muslim League.

BORN AT THE SAME TIME, DIFFERENT FATES

While India and Pakistan were born at the same time, in the past 76 years, their trajectories have been starkly different.

India has set aside the dark past and prospered under visionary leaders and a democratic ethos, while Pakistan is on the verge of bankruptcy, militaristic turpitude and Islamic fundamentalism. Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s Two-Nation Theory has failed.

In the past decade, under PM Modi, India has strived even harder to reclaim its ancient glory and become an international superpower. Since 2014, Pakistan has seen a tumultuous decade marked by political upheavals, a falling currency, loss of US patronage and severe natural disasters.

After the Partition, through successive wars, insurgency and terrorism, Pakistan has tried to pull down India, but India has always given a fitting reply.

THE AMRIT KAAL

Modi’s vision of an ‘Amrit Kaal’ for the new India has not been just about economic growth. The past decade has seen a cultural resurgence, technological advancements and global leadership for India.

India has shed its colonial vestiges with a new parliament building symbolising democratic ethos; is close to putting a rover on the Moon; is an IT giant, which is the homeland of the world’s top companies. There is an Indian-origin Prime Minister in the United Kingdom (UK), and an Indian-origin Vice-President in the United States (US).

India’s journey from the dark days of 1947 is a testament to its resilience, vision and the indomitable spirit of its people.