Question

Collect information about the response of common people after gaining independence, with the help of various reference books as well as internet.

Answer 1

India’s population in 1947 was large, almost 345 million. Lakhs of people who lived from generations at a place had to vacate it due to violence on the basis of religion. Hindus living for a long time had to leave their homes in Pakistan and vice versa.

• Response 1: We had to leave our home where our grandfathers had built years ago. During the partition, there was chaos all around. Several of our neighbours were killed, and innumerable women were raped and abducted. They uprooted us from our local residences and forced us to start anew.
• Response 2: We lost all their immovable property and most of their movable assets, separated from many of their relatives and friends as well. We used to live in a secular society where everyone respected each other’s faith and was a believer in brotherhood. But suddenly things turned strange, and the same people turned foes and were after our lives, forcing us to move from where we belonged.