The 'Partition of India' was perhaps a lasting revenge of the colonial masters as they felt ‘defeated’ and had to reluctantly withdraw from India.
(The famous five – Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Jawaharlal Nehru, Liaquat Ali Khan and Sardar Vallabhai Patel – were already divided politically.)
However, no last word can be said.
Muslim scholars like Rafiq Zakaria believed partition had rather harmed the cause of Muslims in the sub-continent.
The Partition Horrors Remembrance Day should also be an occasion to ponder about governance in the country and the roadmap for future.
The Republic of India will not be deemed as successful till every passenger in the boat reaches his/her destination of happiness and prosperity, and take India to newer heights.
Andrew Lownie, author of “The Mountbattens”, spent Rs 2 crore (£250,000) and raised another Rs 51 lakh (£50,000) through crowdfunding for the court case to get all the documents up to 1960 and the letters that the couple wrote to each other released.
As directed by the Cabinet Office, the University of Southampton, that as the diaries and letters of the Mountbattens as part of an archive they had bought, had closed off all 47 volumes of Lord Mountbatten’s diaries and all 36 volumes of Lady Mountbatten’s diaries, and their letters to each other. (2021)
These documents shed light on the relationship between Edwina Mountbatten and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the royal family, how fair the India-Pakistan partition was, and what Mountbatten thought of Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi and Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
While documents till 1960 were released, 1947-48 diaries and letters were withheld.
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| Jinnah too like Nehru was in hurry ? |
United India – in retrospect – today is only a wishful thinking. Many would say the division of India was a blessing in disguise.
Others can argue, Moutbatten was against partition himself and would have preferred Indian leaders to settle for a united country.
It was later claimed that Jinnah’s illness and possible premature death was not known to many including the people who mattered like Mountbatten.
“If somebody had told me he’s going to be dead in X months would I then said let’s hold back India together and not divide it? Would I have put back the clock, and held the position?
Most probably. I have a feeling Jinnah may not have known himself he had tuberculosis,”
-- Mountbatten reportedly told Larry Collins and Lapierre in exhaustive interviews later in 1970s.
This may be something difficult to stomach as Mountbatten’s predecessor Wavell had got a wind of it. The British staff under Wavell also perhaps knew and had “kept it to themselves”, Mountbatten claimed.
To me, this argument is not convincing as Mountbatten came and started ruling India with every minute details about India and Indian politics and the political stars.
They could not have missed this vital information about India.
Partition' in focus again as PM in 2021 made Aug 14 the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day
"Partition’s pains can never be forgotten," said the Prime Minister in 2021.
"Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence" he tweeted recalling the struggles and sacrifices.
“Sir, I suffer from the congenial weakness of believing I can do anything”. –
Lord Louis Mountbatten had reportedly told Winston Churchill when the all important offer of Indian Viceroy post was made.
What would have been the course of Indian history had not protagonists like Mountbatten come around to decide about India’s history?
Mountbatten was chosen by British leadership under then Prime Minister Clement Richard Attlee then to take over the reins of India. In the words of Mountbatten’s predecessor, Earl Wavell (Viceroy from 1943-47) India and the British Raj then had already “reached a completely impasse” situation.
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| Blogger - Life means play your cards well ! |
This ‘impasse’ actually relates to the gulf of difference several events and history had created between Wavell and the then Indian political leaders.
One can always ponder on the fascinating choice of its players by the history.
What was supposed to be Mountbatten’s precise agenda? Did the British Raj already make up their mind for withdrawal and grant Indian independence?
Were they looking for a scapegoat in Mountbatten to pull them out of the mess?
On the other hand, Indian political scene had offered five foremost protagonists then to be dealt effectively and individually then collectively.
Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Jawaharlal Nehru, Liaquat Ali Khan and Sardar Vallabhai Patel – were by mid-forties divided politically.
The 16 August, 1946 Calcutta protest – Direct Action Day - demonstration by Jinnah had already given a glimpse of how horrifying things could turn.
The protest by Jinnah’s supporters on the fateful day had already left 15000 injured and at least 5000 killed.
The Direct Action Day (16 August 1946), also known as the Great Calcutta Killings.
Although the communal passion had come to stay in Indian public life and Jinnah was a ‘player’ in the theater, it is also true that all these five players had submerged completely their entire life into politics and freedom struggle.
All Five had actually started to dream about the ‘culmination’ of their lifetime’s sacrifice and struggle.
In other words, Indian independence would have come sooner than later despite Mountbattens or the likes of Jinnahs and Nehrus.
The western writers and even Left leaning historians have shown a great tendency to hail Mountbatten’s stint as a success. In doing so they declare rather unhesitatingly that “many colonial nations were not so fortunate and were forced to pay the price of their freedom with bloody wars”.
(the quotes attributed to Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre).
But what was our partition ? And more importantly, did they miss the bloodbath and the post-1947 sort of permanent enmity between India and Pakistan?
Would India of 2021 or 2025 be different without 1947-partition and the chief protagonist Mountbatten who scissored the map of India?
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| Mountbatters and Nehru |
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