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Question
How did the Partition affect life in Delhi?
Solution
In 1947, due to the Partition, there was a massive transfer of populations on both sides of the new border. As a result, the population of Delhi swelled (nearly 500,000 people were added to Delhi’s population). Delhi became a city of refugees, with people living in camps, schools, military barracks and gardens. The riots accompanying the Partition led to the killing of thousands of people, and the looting and burning of their houses. Over two-third of the Delhi Muslims migrated, and almost 44,000 homes were abandoned. Their places were taken over by Sikh and Hindu refugees from Pakistan. These refugees were mostly rural landlords, lawyers, teachers, traders and shopkeepers. After Partition, their lives changed as they took up new jobs as hawkers, vendors, carpenters and ironsmiths. The influx of Sikh and Hindu refugee population and the outflow of the Muslim population changed the social milieu of Delhi. An urban culture largely based on Urdu was overshadowed by new tastes and sensibilities, in food, dress and the arts.
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