Why was India split into two countries? - Haimanti Roy

Dig into the 1947 Partition of India, when Britain split the region into two states, India and Pakistan, and the mass migrations and violence that followed.

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In 1947, the British viceroy announced that after 200 years of British rule, India would gain independence and be partitioned into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. What followed was one of the largest and bloodiest forced migrations in history: an estimated 1 million people lost their lives. What caused this violent aftermath? Haimanti Roy details the lasting legacies of the Partition of India.

Lesson by Haimanti Roy, directed by Jagriti Khirwar & Raghav Arumugam.

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[huzaifa]

There is saying that "Only reason you still find pyramids in Egypt because they were too heavy to transport to British museum"
Pirates of the world.

[SpeedyRogue]

As an old Iraqi saying goes "If you see two fish fighting in water, you can be sure an Englishman passed by five minutes ago"

[frommahisdesk]

Whenever I read about our history, it saddens me. My grandmother tells me about how big her house was in Multan (Now part of Pakistan). She tells me about how rich she was but had to flee to save her life. She thought that she would get to see her home again, but we have no contacts to know the conditions of the land. All money and gold were left their. She lost her twin sister in the violence that took place. She still prays for her to be alive.

[AYZ]

As a Pakistani living in the UK, I can confirm that the British youth are oblivious to the wrongdoings of their ancestors and they have not been taught well enough about the impacts of colonialism that remain prevalent in various parts of the world to this day. It's a shame really.

[alex-jubd]

i’m an indian living in Britain and i just mentioned the partition offhandedly and none of my white friends knew that this had ever happened, it hit me then how many british people live without understanding just HOW britain got to their current privileged position in the world, and the severity of the consequences of their past actions

[zahrashehryar]

I have a feeling they don't teach this in british schools.

[alottoftea]

I'm British (although not white or South Asian) and I didn't know any of these details despite growing up around many people of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage. It's honestly shocking that colonial history is barely taught in English schools. Colonial history is British history

[Shawa_Skibidi]

I am a Pakistani and a few days ago I went to meet my 103 year old great grandmother who has dementia, the people who lived with her told me that her brother was killed in the partition and that she probably saw things that she didn't tell anyone till her dementia.

Edit 1/6/24: She passed away 4 months ago

[ShortHax]

Such small divisions on a map sure have caused millions of people to hate each other...

[manalfatima]

My grandfather came to Pakistan without his father or siblings, alone. After years he settled yet he still missed the place he grew up in (Lucknow). He couldn't even attend the funeral of his brothers. He was the eldest yet the only one alive. I can feel sorrow in his voice when he talks about his brothers.

[davidbowie]

As an Irishman (of Indian descent), we bitterly remember how British colonialism hurt our nation. For 800 years, the British tried to subject Ireland into its constitution, but Ireland never stopped resisting. So the British deliberately caused a famine in 1845, killing 2 million and leaving 2 million others to leave - so the British could repopulate with the Protestants (Ulsters), mainly in the Belfast region. That Ulster gang would go on to play a role in dividing our Ireland apart after our independence in 1921. This helped explain why Irish people do sympathise with India.

[sabahnawaz]

it devastates me how Punjab was sliced through the middle like that. brothers separated from sisters, children from their parents all because of colonial greed, and poor planning. as a Pakistani punjabi, it blows my mind how we share the same/similar language, food, traditions and culture as Indian punjabis but we can never cross over to see them or share our plate with them because of politics. I hope this border disintregrates one day and Punjab becomes whole again,

[jadenj]

I am Korean and I can tell this is SCARILY similar to what happened after Independence of Korea. Japanese troops withdrew and we separated… Also I just realized two Independence Days share same date(15/8)

[hazelnuts]

Like someone said, "All the fighting in the world started with a Britsh drawing a line on a Map"

[pratikghosh]

My late grandfather was from Lahore (now in Pakistan) and came to India as a refugee. He used to tell about the difficulties he faced during the Partition. He told me that while he took a train to go to the newly formed Dominion of India from the Dominion of Pakistan, he wore a burkha to hide from the local Muslim militias who were constantly stopping the train to look out for Hindus and kill them (Since my grandfather was a Hindu). When he finally reached the Indian border, the driver of the train who was a Muslim was taken out by the angry Sikh and Hindu militias from the Indian side and was killed mercilessly. When asked about how he felt during that time, He only used to say that no one in this world should go through what he went through.

[dj_digital]

as an indian, many years ago my family lived in present day pakistan. They left to India. My grandfather lost his job and went through much stress. Sometimes i wish the world could live at peace and didn't need to go through so much.

[infiniteaseem]

I honestly do not believe any 5 or 6 minute video could do justice to the sheer volume of material that exists regarding the partition. That being said, this one was fairly comprehensive, especially given the fact that it was as short as it was.

For the people of India and Pakistan, the partition was a tragedy unlike any other and remains etched in the hearts of the people of both countries as a dark chapter in their history. Many thanks to TedEd for educating people about this event. Here's to hoping for a more peaceful tomorrow, much love from India🥂

[watcherolic]

British used the simplest tactic -of- Divide and Rule.
Even today in India, we see fair skin obsession, western brands hype, more value of English language, than regional ones...

[haniahmahmood]

As a bangladeshi living in the UK, I can say that without my own reasearch or my family, and having gone through the british education system, I never would have known about my own history regarding the indian split.

[mariatrinitymya]

I'm from Myanmar and I know the feeling of being colonized by other countries. Watching this video make this feeling reborn in my heart again.