Govt felicitates Partition survivors at Delhi’s Ambedkar University campus

Rana Pratap Singh was just nine years old when he left Jahanpur, his ancestral village in Alipur tehsil of Punjab in present-day Pakistan, when Partition was announced.

“In August 1947, the entire country was celebrating Independence while we had to flee our homes amid bloodshed and find shelter as a refugee. Through hard work, we made a life for ourselves,” said Singh, who reached Karnal in October 1947 as one of the millions who moved to India in the aftermath of Partition to start life afresh.

In 2021, the Centre declared that, every year, August 14 will be observed as the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day to honour those who suffered during Partition.

On Monday, Singh, now 85, was felicitated by Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri at a commemorative event at the Partition Museum and Culture Hub at Dara Shikoh Library Building (DSLB) in the Ambedkar University campus at Kashmere Gate.

Puri said that Partition was an event that should have never taken place, adding that he himself came from a family of Partition survivors — his mother was from Peshawar and his father was from Rawalpindi.

“This is one of those historical events which should have never happened... Anyone who has had some acquaintance with governance should have known that if an event like this is carried out, it will have disastrous consequences. My family was educated. They looked for places in Delhi and Dehradun for themselves but went back because they didn’t think anything would happen,” said Puri.

He added that it was important to remember the horrors of the Partition and recall the country’s suffering. Colonial rule heavily damaged India and the Partition triggered the displacement of millions of people, he added.

As part of the commemorative event, many survivors shared accounts of their lives in then-Pakistan and the tumultuous journey that they undertook to reach India.

Trilochan Singh, 96,who was originally from Peshawar, recalled how his Pathan friends stood guard outside the homes of Hindu and Sikh families when the riots began. Recalling similar incidents of communal cooperation, he said it was important for youngsters to carry forward the legacy. “It’s important to remember that survival is only possible when we all live together in harmony. Loving or hating each other on the basis of religion is wrong. Religion should be personal,” he said.

As part of the programme, families of Partition survivors donated artefacts to the Partition Museum. Alka Gulati, one of the donors, whose father was from Multan, said, “In July 1947, my father completed Class 8. His birthday also falls in the same month. His grandmother gifted him a gold chain, a wristwatch, and a compass as a present for his birthday… All these objects are special and have memories associated with them.”

Exhibitions on Partition Horrors Remembrance Day were also held at railway and Metro stations across the city. Northern Railway said it held exhibitions at the Old Delhi, New Delhi, Anand Vihar, and Nizamuddin railway stations, with photographs and exhibits depicting the Partition put on display, both near the entrance and at platforms.

The Delhi Metro, meanwhile, unveiled exhibitions at the Rajiv Chowk and the Kashmere Gate stations. “The exhibitions have been curated jointly by the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) and Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). It is also available in English and Hindi languages in digital format at amritmahotsav.nic.in/partition-horror-remembrance-day.html,” said Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, corporate communications at DMRC.