It still irks when people today that I encounter don’t realize that India and Pakistan (as well as Bangladesh) all used to be the same country. Partition tore India into two to become India and Pakistan in 1947. Bangladesh later separated from Pakistan in 1971.
While I do not think we should ever forget the violence that ensued, the bloodshed, the migrations, broken homes, the pain, and the suffering (all tensions that were aggravated by the British presence who used the "divide and rule" strategy), I also do not think that we should let such events tear us apart from one another as people. Obviously yes, we are still divided as countries. Yet to constantly create further distinctions and divisions between ourselves is to forget that we were all once living together in peace and that our cultures are the same. Our languages are the same. (Many people are confused about the whole Urdu/Hindi issue – they are in fact the same language but Pakistan uses the Arabic-influenced Urdu script, whereas India uses the Sanskrit-influenced Hindi script; spoken, they are the same).
In our parents’ generation, the pain is still quite fresh. After all, their parents and elders were directly affected. Grandparents were lost as well as countless friends and relatives. Entire families were forced to leave their homes and go where it may be safer for them – for instance, Muslims living in India no longer felt safe there and left their homes of generations to relocate to Pakistan and start all over again. The same can be said of Hindus living in the area that was now to be Pakistan. Truckloads of the bodies of the massacred were on both sides of the border. I once heard a horror story from a family friend that many people would rush onto trains to quickly escape and yet those people would become targeted somehow anyway; so then sometimes a train would arrive, only to find that all of the people inside of it, men, women, boys, girls, the elderly, were slaughtered inside. In fact, this was one of the only truly horrific things I was told by anyone, because they told me I would rather not hear the true extent of the horrific events that occurred in 1947. It seems entirely reasonable to me that our parents may still hold resentment, anger, and sadness over these events.
But it seems to me that it is our parents that are the most forgiving. Places where South Asians are many seem to show that Indians and Pakistanis live in peace with one another, and make good friends with each other also.
Rather, I have seen more open hatred between the younger generations. Once when I was in class a friend of mine asked the girl next to me if she was Pakistani. She curtly replied, “No of course not. I’m Indian. Pakistanis are stupid.” I was totally enraged and asked her how she could make such a comment. “You’re the same people,” I said. “No,” she said. “We’re completely different. Look at them and their backwards country. They don’t know what they’re doing. And those Muslim people are crazy.” I don’t need to mention that India is corrupt as well, though it is an economically-booming country. And I’m also going to point out that violence between Hindus and Muslims back home is equal. It is not just Muslims that dislike Hindus, but Hindus that dislike Muslims (I’m referring to when things do occur; I’m not saying all Muslims hate all Hindus or the reverse).
Rather, I have seen more open hatred between the younger generations. Once when I was in class a friend of mine asked the girl next to me if she was Pakistani. She curtly replied, “No of course not. I’m Indian. Pakistanis are stupid.” I was totally enraged and asked her how she could make such a comment. “You’re the same people,” I said. “No,” she said. “We’re completely different. Look at them and their backwards country. They don’t know what they’re doing. And those Muslim people are crazy.” I don’t need to mention that India is corrupt as well, though it is an economically-booming country. And I’m also going to point out that violence between Hindus and Muslims back home is equal. It is not just Muslims that dislike Hindus, but Hindus that dislike Muslims (I’m referring to when things do occur; I’m not saying all Muslims hate all Hindus or the reverse).
Obviously comments like the one this girl made are not always out in the open. You can have two friends that have known each other for years but when something happens to again highlight that “difference” between them – that one is Pakistani and Muslim, and one is Indian and Hindu, there are divisions.
For instance, to illustrate this, I will talk very briefly about the aftermath of 9/11. In the old neighborhood I used to live in, the majority of people were Indians and Pakistanis. The stores were all Indian and Pakistani. The people made friends, everybody was friendly to one another. After 9/11, the comments started to create divisions between people that had known each other for 20-30 years. A store we frequented run by an Indian Hindu family was heard saying that “those extreme Muslims” [she was referring to all Muslims] “are the reason for these attacks and that’s why I never liked them in the first place.” Another Indian Sikh family said “Muslims were not to be trusted.” Then when these comments were circulated, and others like them, the Muslims in the area began to hear of them and also became enraged. Some said “It was obvious that those Indians never liked us in the first place.” Others said “I’m so tired of them thinking they are so much better than us.” Some people I knew began to only support businesses and only talk to those who were the same religion as themselves, and from the same country, out of spite and anger over these comments.
For instance, to illustrate this, I will talk very briefly about the aftermath of 9/11. In the old neighborhood I used to live in, the majority of people were Indians and Pakistanis. The stores were all Indian and Pakistani. The people made friends, everybody was friendly to one another. After 9/11, the comments started to create divisions between people that had known each other for 20-30 years. A store we frequented run by an Indian Hindu family was heard saying that “those extreme Muslims” [she was referring to all Muslims] “are the reason for these attacks and that’s why I never liked them in the first place.” Another Indian Sikh family said “Muslims were not to be trusted.” Then when these comments were circulated, and others like them, the Muslims in the area began to hear of them and also became enraged. Some said “It was obvious that those Indians never liked us in the first place.” Others said “I’m so tired of them thinking they are so much better than us.” Some people I knew began to only support businesses and only talk to those who were the same religion as themselves, and from the same country, out of spite and anger over these comments.
Another less expected example was that the area I grew up in was officially called “The Indian Bazaar”; when it was suggested that they change it to “The Pakistani-Indian Bazaar” to more accurately reflect the great variety and diversity of the stores and restaurants, as well as the people, there was a huge uproar. Again, people that had been friends for 20-30 years were divided. Many of the Indians said that they would not support putting both country names in the title and would not even want to live there anymore. The Indian people were the majority, and so the name was never changed. Pakistanis felt the sting and held quiet resentment.
But I think that some of that resentment is misplaced. Some of, (or most of) that resentment should be aimed at the British monarchy which tore us apart from one another. This is why I have never taken part in any celebration of Victoria Day. This is why I refuse to subscribe to views such as the British made us “more civilized” or “organized”; the British made us more “technologically advanced”; the British with their light skin and light eyes and “eloquent” speak are, basically “better than us”; no. The British monarchy was actually arbitrary, careless, and threw us out of order. They sparked violence and hatred; they created divisions that now feel like they are irreversible.
With the independence days of both countries fast-approaching all I can say is that the remembrance of 1947 is more a painful reminder of the people we could have been and used to be. The achievements of our great people are scattered across both of our nations and it feels odd to me for them to be arbitrarily divided between us. I do have pride as a citizen of my country but I have more pride knowing the greatness of all of our people together. And I have hope that one day we can bury these hurts and come together once again.
image source http://www.indianchild.com/images/indiaflagbig.gif
image source http://flagspot.net/images/p/pk.gif
More on this later.
-My Name is Not Raj
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