Often I find it hard to imagine how absolutely can a line etched on a map by an English lawyer, Sir Cyril Radcliffe, sitting thousands of miles away, divide the people of a country, who, till then, had been united under the same British regime, sharing the same dream of freedom from the British rule. It’s hard to digest that the line on the paper sometimes ran through the middle of existing villages, or even houses, and we accepted it as it is. No excuse can justify such insensitivity, not even the generally accepted theory that we were not willing to delay our freedom. If this is true, our leaders are guilty of genocide. Coz whatever be the ends, means do matter. This line led to mass migration of people, brutally uprooted from their roots on the basis of religion. Once the lines were established, about 14.5 million people crossed the borders to what they hoped was the relative safety of religious majority. The newly formed governments were completely unequipped to deal with migrations of such staggering magnitude, and massive violence and slaughter occurred on both sides of the border. Estimates of the number of deaths range around roughly 500,000, with low estimates at 200,000 and high estimates at 1,000,000 (quoted from wikipedia). I strongly believe that the partition could never have been on the agenda of the general masses, who, till then, had co-existed peacefully.Being a resident of Hyderabad, I can vouch for the fact that Hindus and Muslims have lived and can live together. If the Berlin wall can come down, can’t the Radcliffe line.. Death to India and Pakistan, Long live BHARAT.. Howazzat????
“Comon guys, its better late than never,
Fill up your heart with love for the other,
Rise up, its time to usher in the Revolution,
Brace yourselves for the sweet Unification…”
The human mind has always had a penchant from Lines and Curves.United we suck,divided we rock seems to be a more practical line,rather the ethic that these ostensibly capable people who roam all over with their Drawing boards,drafters and maps looking for nooks and corners to get their pencils cutting them into N-o-o-k and C-o-r-n-e-r,endorse. Their are so many dreams-a flat planet,a one-world Govt,Utopia..but my friend,just like with chalk their’s cheese,with every India comes a Pakistan and with every dream comes a nightmare.
Lines and their love for it will keep splitting us up,and if the past is any good indication,those unscrupulous artists are still on the lookout for spaces to scribble on.As you put it,who knows the line might just run between your bed and your bathroom.And maybe,some 50 years down the line,you just might be praying for an India,leave alone Bharat.
By: Soumya Siddhartha Mohanty on February 19, 2008
at 10:58 am