Remembering Partition and Independence, 78 Years On

At the stroke of midnight between August 14 and August 15 in 1947, the British partitioned the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan, the latter which encompassed what became independent Bangladesh in 1971. Today, Pakistan celebrates its Independence Day on August 14 and India on August 15.

The man who drew the borders between Muslim-majority Pakistan and secular India, British lawyer Cyril Radcliffe, had never been east of Paris. Partition triggered the largest forced migration in history, displacing as many as 20 million people. The communal violence before, during, and after left millions dead and tens, if not hundreds, of thousands missing.

Arguably, almost the entire Juggernaut archive touches Partition and independence in some form, but today, we are highlighting just 15 stories, from first-hand memories of the event to how colonial famines still echo in our genes. Happy Independence Day and happy reading!