A Country Divided
How it affected me
It was one of the largest migrations the world has ever seen - with at least 10 million people on the move.
Seventy years ago, in August 1947, British colonial rule in India came to an end.
The country was divided into two independent states - Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan.
Millions of Muslims moved to West and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Millions of Hindus and Sikhs travelled to be within India's new borders.
Indian subcontinent 2017
(In August 1947 Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan and Kashmir as the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir)
Across the Indian subcontinent, communities which had co-existed for centuries descended into violent sectarian fighting.
Up to a million people died and tens of thousands of women were raped and abducted.
Seven decades on, 12 people who now live in the UK reflect on their partition experiences - many speaking for the first time.
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.
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 poison 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.”
Khurshid
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.
Khurshid
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.”
Mohindra
Travelled from Lyallpur (now Faisalabad, Pakistan) to Delhi, India
This brick is from the house I left. I kept it to remind me of the good old days. My father never wanted to leave. He loved the place so much.
I remember 13 September 1947, my sixth birthday, when we left our home in Pakistan. We had to walk 25 miles (40km) to catch the train to India.
The train was about to start, but my father just decided ‘that’s it, let’s get out’ as there was no space for my elder brother to get on board.
It was a last-minute decision. We found out the next day that everyone on the train had been butchered.
Mohindra
Travelled from Lyallpur (now Faisalabad, Pakistan) to Delhi, India
“This brick is from the house I left. I kept it to remind me of the good old days. My father never wanted to leave. He loved the place so much.
“I remember 13 September 1947, my sixth birthday, when we left our home in Pakistan. We had to walk 25 miles (40km) to catch the train to India.
“The train was about to start, but my father just decided ‘that’s it, let’s get out’ as there was no space for my elder brother to get on board.
“It was a last-minute decision. We found out the next day that everyone on the train had been butchered.”
Pamela
Raised in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India
In the beautiful gardens at the Victoria Memorial we would wheel our doll's prams and meet up with our little friends. The nannies were all dressed in white. We had a happy time there.
I could go anywhere in Calcutta totally on my own, totally in safety, totally respected.
But then I was cycling in Chowringee one day, and out of the blue an Indian man pushed me off my bike in heavy traffic.
He said ‘quit India’.
I fell into the street with all the cars and rickshaws and everything around me. It was extremely dangerous. I could have been killed.
Pamela
Raised in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India
“In the beautiful gardens at the Victoria Memorial we would wheel our doll's prams and meet up with our little friends. The nannies were all dressed in white. We had a happy time there.
“I could go anywhere in Calcutta totally on my own, totally in safety, totally respected.
“But then I was cycling in Chowringee one day, and out of the blue an Indian man pushed me off my bike in heavy traffic.
“He said ‘quit India’.
“I fell into the street with all the cars and rickshaws and everything around me. It was extremely dangerous. I could have been killed.”
Ramen
Travelled from Dhaka, Pakistan (now Bangladesh) to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India
In 1942, as part of the Quit India Movement, I was one of the looters who seized cigarettes at Imperial Tobacco. We were out to ruin the British.
When Muslims came to attack our Hindu enclave, I threw petrol bombs and nail bombs. It drove away the crowd.
Now I feel remorse. But it was necessary to drive them away. It was self-defence.
On Independence Day in East Pakistan we hoisted up a flag of India. But we were told to take it down. We realised we were no longer the masters.
Partition shattered my life. India is never going to be India again.
Ramen
Travelled from Dhaka (now Bangladesh) to Calcutta (now Kolkata), India
“In 1942, as part of the Quit India Movement, I was one of the looters who seized cigarettes at Imperial Tobacco. We were out to ruin the British.
“When Muslims came to attack our Hindu enclave I threw petrol bombs and nail bombs. It drove away the crowd.
“Now I feel remorse. But it was necessary to drive them away. It was self-defence.
“On Independence Day in East Pakistan we hoisted up a flag of India. But we were told to take it down. We realised we were no longer the masters.
“Partition shattered my life. India is never going to be India again.”
Mehroo
Originally from Bombay (now Mumbai), India
We had to jump over the dead bodies to go to school and college.
We are Parsi. We were safe. We had Hindu and Muslim servants - so I would wear our Parsi dress when we went out. I would protect them.
* Parsis are a tiny religious minority - followers of Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest monotheistic faiths
Mehroo
Originally from Bombay (now Mumbai), India
“We had to jump over the dead bodies to go to school and college.
“We are Parsi. We were safe.
“We had Hindu and Muslim servants - so I would wear our Parsi dress when we went out. I would protect them.”
* Parsis are a tiny religious minority - followers of Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest monotheistic faiths
Khurshid
Raised near Phagwara, India, moved to Faisalabad, Pakistan
They came in groups to kill people. We heard that women were taken away.
My uncle used to say, ‘Our men will kill our women and fight the hooligans to the death, but never leave.’
But my grandmother took a stand, saying the women should also have a say. She was a brave woman. She ordered the men of my family to spare us - and they listened to her. She convinced them to migrate.
Khurshid
Raised near Phagwara, India, moved to Faisalabad, Pakistan
“They came in groups to kill people. We heard that women were taken away.
“My uncle used to say, ‘Our men will kill our women and fight the hooligans to the death, but never leave.’
“But my grandmother took a stand, saying the women should also have a say. She was a brave woman. She ordered the men of my family to spare us - and they listened to her. She convinced them to migrate.”
Malcolm
Raised in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India
As an Anglo-Indian, I suppose one felt that you were privileged.
You went to a good school and got the values associated with the British way of life from it.
In Calcutta in the run-up to partition there were constant riots and strikes. Killings went on. It was a turbulent period.
I personally didn’t think the British leaving India would threaten our lifestyle. But my family did. That was why I came to England.
They thought I would not get a job after school, because of prejudice against British people - or those of British derivative.
Malcolm
Raised in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India
“As an Anglo-Indian, I suppose one felt that you were privileged.
“You went to a good school and got the values associated with the British way of life from it.
“In Calcutta in the run-up to partition there were constant riots and strikes. Killings went on. It was a turbulent period.
“I personally didn’t think the British leaving India would threaten our lifestyle. But my family did. That was why I came to England.
“They thought I would not get a job after school, because of prejudice against British people - or those of British derivative.”
Denys
British Indian Army
We were fairly thin on the ground by August 1947. On Independence Day I was in Lahore making my way back to England. I remember people shaking my hand saying, ‘Thank you. Thank you for making us independent.’
The station was knee-deep in bodies. It was a terrible time. Trains coming from one direction full of dead Sikhs and Hindus -and trains coming from the other full of dead Muslims.
We all - sort of people like myself, British officers - felt partition went through too fast. The whole thing was not thought through.
I think the British government of the day was anxious to get it done quickly. It was a great mistake.
Denys
British Indian Army
“We were fairly thin on the ground by August 1947. On Independence Day I was in Lahore making my way back to England.
“I remember people shaking my hand saying, ‘Thank you. Thank you for making us independent.’
“The station was knee deep in bodies. It was a terrible time.
“Trains coming from one direction full of dead Sikhs and Hindus - and trains coming from the other full of dead Muslims.
“We all - sort of people like myself, British officers - felt Partition went through too fast. The whole thing was not thought through.
“I think the British government of the day was anxious to get it done quickly. It was a great mistake.”
Harchet
Travelled from Okara District, Pakistan, to Phagwara, India
We were told to start walking behind our cart, which was pulled by two oxen, loaded with food, clothing and animal fodder.
We didn’t realise we were going to India. The travelling group became bigger and bigger. As we walked, other villages joined us. In the end, the line was miles long.
We told ourselves we would go to India until things calmed down. When we saw killings in front of our eyes we thought ‘how can we go back?’ I can never erase the tragic memories.
They say we are independent but what good is that when you have lost everything? We got independence at such a human cost.
Harchet
Travelled from Okara District, Pakistan, to Phagwara, India
“We were told to start walking behind our cart, which was pulled by two oxen, loaded with food, clothing and animal fodder.
“We didn’t realise we were going to India. The travelling group became bigger and bigger. As we walked, other villages joined us. In the end the line was miles long.
“We told ourselves we would go to India until things calmed down. When we saw killings in front of our eyes we thought ‘how can we go back?’ I can never erase the tragic memories.
“They say we are independent but what good is that when you have lost everything? We got independence at such a human cost.”
Poonam
Mother's family moved from Lahore, Pakistan to Jalandhar, India
My grandmother's family decided to leave Pakistan after a Muslim neighbour came back from a meeting and said they were going to come and take their daughters the next day.
My mother talked about this neighbour saving their lives and always felt very indebted.
Partition was the formative experience of my mother’s life, and in a strange way it became one of the formative experiences of my life too.
It so utterly defined her. And it probably defined me because she utterly shaped who I am.
Poonam
Mother's family moved from Lahore (now Pakistan) to Jalandhar, India
“My grandmother's family decided to leave Pakistan after a Muslim neighbour came back from a meeting and said they were going to come and take their daughters the next day.
“My mother talked about this neighbour saving their lives and always felt very indebted.
“Partition was the formative experience of my mother’s life, and in a strange way it became one of the formative experiences of my life too.
“It so utterly defined her. And it probably defined me because she utterly shaped who I am.”
Razia
Family from Bombay (now Mumbai), India
Partition was almost a taboo subject. It was a very painful thing to talk about.
It must have been very difficult to be a Muslim from a family who chose to stay in India, as much as it was difficult for those who left.
My Ammi (my mum's) family went to Pakistan. But my father's family were against partition and remained in India. It must have been very stressful for her. She wasn't able to have contact with her own relatives.
I think it's important to heal. The wound may have been covered over, but it is still eating away at the body of the people who live in the Indian subcontinent and the diaspora.
It's still continuing to this day. For me the reverberations of partition exist in our everyday.
Razia
Family from Bombay (now Mumbai), India
“Partition was almost a taboo subject. It was a very painful thing to talk about.
“It must have been very difficult to be a Muslim from a family who chose to stay in India, as much as it was difficult for those who left.
“My Ammi (my mum's) family went to Pakistan. But my father's family were against partition and remained in India. It must have been very stressful for her. She wasn't able to have contact with her own relatives.
“I think it's important to heal. The wound may have been covered over, but it is still eating away at the body of the people who live in the Indian subcontinent and the diaspora.
“It's still continuing to this day. For me the reverberations of partition exist in our everyday.”
