“National Flag of India” by Sanyam Bahga used under Creative Commons 2.0

On the 15th of August 2017, the world celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the Partition of India. In 1947, India became divided from British India and a new country- Pakistan was formed. This changed the lives of the citizens of this great continent. To mark this special occasion, a documentary film ‘The Reality of Partition, The Impact of Independence on Birmingham’ was produced and is being screened at Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery.

The film created by DESIbllitz.com features the personal stories of people from Birmingham and The Black Country who survived the partition of India. Millions of people were divided along religious lines and had to leave their homes. Muslims were required to take the road from India to Pakistan and Hindus who had lived for generations in the Pakistan area were forced to leave with only a few belongings to India.

Before separation, previous generations of Muslims and Hindus had lived together peacefully. The partition created chaos, discord, violence and a huge refugee crisis. New governments were not prepared for mass migration and violence; therefore they were unable to stop the enormous crisis unfolding on both sides of the border.

The film’s creators wanted to show the true reality of what happened at the time of partition. People shared memories of the time they left home and challenges they had faced when migrating to other countries especially the UK and Kenya. The film consists of several parts: ‘Life before Partition’, ‘Leading to Partition’, ‘Partition Realities’, ‘Life after partition’, ‘Leaving partition behind’.

The film is a great way to keep the memories of the people who experienced the partition alive. It is also an amazing opportunity for the general public to become more familiar with Indian and Pakistani history.