Legacy of Partition: Lines that Divide and Scars that Rankle

The Partition of 1947 was a culmination of nearly two centuries of colonial subjugation of the Indian subcontinent.This watershed event in the history of South Asian geopolitics marked the violent birth of twin nations that were very similar to each another, but their differences spiralled to such an extent that they consumed all the shared memories, cultures, and literatures in one blow.The religion-based division fostered by the British imperialistic powers led to a massive exodus, displacing millions, making them refugees in their own country.The aftermath saw such brutal and beastly violence, abductions, gang-rapes, and massacres resorted to by either side that the streets were filled with blood and gore.It was the most compelling and heart-wrenching period ever witnessed post the Jewish genocide by the Nazi army.Was this the prize for freedom?What went wrong and why?How could their Ganga-Jamuni Tahzeeb collapse so horribly?The cross-border skirmishes, communal tensions, insurgencies, random acts of terrorism, militarization still shape contemporary South Asian politics despite the passage of seventy-eight long years.The trauma of being torn apart still rankles and finds expression in cinema, literature, and oral histories, contributing to the collective memory and shared grief.Through this paper, we intend to explore the factors leading to the division of the country and the lasting legacy of distrust and scepticism that has been bestowed willy-nilly on its citizens.