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There’s life as we want it to be, then there’s life as it’s lived. I’m often reminded of this when I’m teaching history. Let me explain. But first…
Question: What happened in 1947 that was one of the largest migrations of the 20th century?
Hint #1: In 1947, Saleema Khatoon was 19 when violence forced to flee India. For 2 months she lived in a camp where she cut her hair and dressed as a boy. She and her husband eventually made it to Pakistan.
Hint #2: In August 1947, Ramji Das heard rumours about violence nearby. Soon, a mob came to his house in Pakistan. He escaped and got on a train. The train derailed in another mob attack. Eventually, his family arrived at a camp and months later settled in their new home in India.
Answer: The India-Pakistan partition.
15+ million people were displaced, some so suddenly that dinners were left half made in kitchens. Muslims in India moved to Pakistan. Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan moved to India. One million died in the violence.
I use this amazing archive 1947partitionarchive.org for teaching – almost 10,000 oral histories. The stories are reminders that life continues after the violence of conflict – people marry, have children, make friends, laugh, and live lives that they did not plan for. For example, after partition, Sadiqa Zia-ur-Rehman started a new school in Pakistan. She excelled in art and won many awards. After university, she married her husband and gave birth to her beautiful sons.
This is life as lived.
