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Partition of India: Its Social Aftermaths & Its Projection In Indian Cinema .

Made By: Ankita Bhatkhande

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Introduction The historic event of partition of India is much more than its demographic and physical understanding.

•In order to have a full understanding of its repercussions we should be aware about its social aftermaths ,i.e the physical and psychological trauma associated, displacement of emotions and cultural lives and much more.•This can be well understood from the trends in Indian cinema that occurred after partition and the real life sketches makers tried to portray.

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Social aftermaths of partition.

Spread of Islamic fundamentalism

Communal violence

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Crisis of identity

Impact on women and children

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Indian cinema and partition.

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Partition of India-when and why?o The partition of India (हि�न्दुस्ता�न का�

बटवा�रा�) was the partition of British India into two sovereign states India and Pakistan on the basis of religious demographics.

o Indian Independence Act 1947 had decided 15 August 1947 as the appointed date for the partition. However Pakistan came into existence a day earlier on 14 August.

It resulted in a struggle between the new states of India and Pakistan and displaced up to 12.5 million people with estimates of loss of life varying from several hundred thousand to a million.

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Causes of partition

• The British policy of divide and rule before leaving independent India .

• Hunger for power in Muslim minorities .• Muslim demand for recognition of their religion and

later Jinnah's demand for separate Pakistan.• Communal tensions among Hindus ,Muslims and

Sikhs.• Lack of foresight and indecisiveness of Indian leaders• Political suspicion

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Problem of displacement

• Partition led to large scale displacement of people from both the sides.

• Nine million Hindus migrated from Pakistan

• Six million Muslims left India and a million refugees crossed the borders on foot leaving their land, money, food and all assets behind

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Communal disharmony

• Communal violence evoked even before partition leading to religious rivalries that still exist

• Thousands were killed innocently in these riots.• Women and children were soft targets.

Crisis of identity

• Those who wished to stay were disowned on religious grounds.

• People lost their identity, relationships, and friendships and were judged merely on being a Hindu, Sikh or a Muslim.

• They had no access to sufficient food, clothing and shelter. Even the richest went as refugees.

• Survival and existence was itself at stake even in independent India.

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ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM• ZIAH UL HAQ- Islam is our goal. These helpless people need our sacrifices.• ‘’What cowards are we to leave our women without their heads covered

on the streets’’.• ‘’Islam is Allah and Allah is eternal. Slash those who go against Islam’’.

• Shops were forcibly closed and riots erupted every second.• Jihadists used violent and unlawful means to press their demands on

commoners.

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IMPACT ON WOMEN•Soft targets to communal atrocities•Raped,abducted,forced to end their lives•They lacked voice and mere objects in the hands of the then powerful men.•Their ‘honor’ and ‘chastity’ was associated with family honor.

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India-Pakistan after partition

•Communal Riots•Terrorism and growth of fundamentalism•Mutual hatred and mistrust•Issue of Kashmir•Unending antagonism