Tarun Chugh
India is celebrating the Amritkaal of its independence and every year on 15th August we the countrymen celebrate Independence Day. For any country, the anniversary of independence is an occasion of joy and pride. We too became independent on 15th August 1947. But, along with the independence that India had received, we also got the sting of the horror of Partition as a gift. The newly independent Indian nation was born with the violent pain of Partition, which left permanent scars of pain on millions of Indians.
Partition Horror Memorial Day
The year 1947 saw one of the most devastating displacements in the history of mankind due to Partition. On the morning of 15th August 1947, people were displaced from their own motherland and going to their respective countries by trains, horses, mules and on foot. Meanwhile, millions of people lost their lives in the riots and violence that broke out during the Partition. It was a disturbing event, a horrific tragedy that killed nearly two million people and forced 15 million people to flee. Partition is one of the largest displacements in human history, forcing millions of families to leave their ancestral villages and cities and live a new life as refugees.
The state that bore the brunt of the Partition was Punjab. Punjab was a province that was home to a myriad and vibrant population of various communities including Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. But the divisive conspiracy dealt a severe blow to its heritage and uniqueness by dividing it into two parts. The part of Punjab that went to India was divided as East Punjab or Indian Punjab and the part that went to Pakistan was divided as West Punjab or Pakistani Punjab. The land of five rivers, Punj-Aab, too, saw its water sources divided, three of which, Sutlej, Ravi and Beas are in Indian Punjab and the other two, Chenab and Jhelum are in Pakistani Punjab. The pain of this Partition has been expressed in many places, one of which is ‘Ki Banu Duniya Da’ by the famous Punjabi singer Gurdas Maan, in which the latter says ‘Ravi to Chenab poochda, ki haal aye Sutlej da’ (Chenab often asks Ravi about the well-being of Sutlej). The Partition of India witnessed a confluence of displacement and destruction. The pain of partition that the country had to face after independence was not understood by any government. Either an attempt was made to erase it from Indian memory or a deliberate indifference was shown towards it. The wounds of this tragedy are so deep that even today in a large part of the country, especially in Punjab and Bengal, elderly people remember 15th August only as partition. This is a sign of political weakness, the tragedy which became the reason for the biggest migration in human history.
For the first time a government decided to officially recognize the horror of Partition as a national tragedy, it was the BJP government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced on 14 August 2021 that every year 14 August will be celebrated as Partition Horrors Memorial Day. The purpose of the events of this day is to pay tribute to the souls who died in the cruelty of the horror of Partition, as well as to maintain vigilance against those political powers and ideological motivations, which can again become a threat to the society. At that time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted, “The pain of the partition of the country can never be forgotten. Due to hatred and violence, lakhs of our sisters and brothers had to be displaced and even lost their lives. In memory of the struggle and sacrifice of those people, it has been decided to celebrate 14 August as ‘Partition Horrors Memorial Day’. This day will not only inspire us to eliminate the poison of discrimination, animosity and ill will, but it will also strengthen unity, social harmony and human sensibilities”. The pain of partition of the country can never be forgotten. Therefore, a day before celebrating the 75th anniversary of India’s independence on 15 August 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told the countrymen that from today onwards, it has been decided to celebrate 14 August every year as ‘Partition Horrors Memorial Day’. Due to hatred and violence during the partition, lakhs of our sisters and brothers had to be displaced and lakhs of people lost their lives. In memory of the struggle and sacrifice of those people, it was decided to celebrate 14 August every year as ‘Partition Horrors Memorial Day’. Partition Horrors Memorial Day is not just an occasion to remember the events. It also puts the violent and intolerant ideology in the dock, which causes these tragedies. The memory of the horrors reminds us how the nation can be weakened by inciting anti-national sentiments. The horror of Partition has taught the country ample lessons. By announcing the Remembrance Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed that the country is sensitive towards the people who died in its most brutal tragedy and is also committed to prevent the recurrence of such tragic events. As a fitting tribute to all those who lost their lives and were displaced from their roots due to the partition of the nation, the government wants to make the present and future generations of the countrymen aware of the reasons for the pain and suffering suffered by the people during the Partition by celebrating 14 August every year as a day to remember their sacrifice.
The partition of India in 1947 was also not a spontaneous event. Despite this, the government’s neglect of the horrors of partition was an attempt to turn away from separatism due to appeasement. Today’s generation cannot be blamed for the 77-year-old decision, but it cannot be denied that separatism and extremism are still on the rise in many areas. Whether it is the exodus of Hindus from Kashmir or violent opposition to humanitarian steps like the Citizenship Amendment Act, religious fanaticism is still a reality. It is the result of the persistent indifference to the horrors of partition that opposition to Vande Mataram and demands like reservation on religious basis are still vocal even seven decades after independence, which were the reason for partition at that time. In national life, not only the insult of Hindu symbols, but also the national flag and the national anthem has now become common.
Salute to all the martyrs on this Partition Horror Remembrance Day. Assimilate these two lines of revered Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee:-
From today, prepare yourself and make sacrifices for that golden day.
Don’t get lost in what you have gained, think about what you have lost.
(The author is the National General Secretary of BJP)
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