PHYSICAL DIVISION OF INDIABY- YASHASWI SINGH

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTI would like to express my special thanks of

gratitude to my teacher Ms. SONU KHAPRA who gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic of “PHYSICAL DIVISION OF INDIA” , which is also helped me in doing a lot of research & I came to know so many new things about our India & I am really thankful to you ma’am.

Secondly, I would like to thank my parents & my friends who helped me a lot in finalizing this project within the limited time frame.

PARTITION OF INDIA

The Partition of India was the partition of the British Indian Empire[1] that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan (it later split into the Pakistan and the Bangladesh) and the Union of India (later Republic of India) on 15 August 1947. "Partition" here refers not only to the division of the Bengal province of British India into East Pakistan and West Bengal (India), and the similar partition of the Punjab province into Punjab (West Pakistan) and Punjab, India, but also to the respective divisions of other assets, including the British Indian Army, the Indian Civil Service and other administrative services, the railways, and the central treasury.

Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives, the remaining countries of present-day South Asia, were unaffected by the partition. The first two, Nepal and Bhutan, having signed treaties with the British designating them as independent states, were never a part of the British Indian Empire, and therefore their borders were unaffected by the partition of India.[8] The Maldives, which had become a protectorate of the British crown in 1887 and gained its independence in 1965, was also unaffected by the partition.

PARTITION OF BENGAL (1905)

PARTITION OF BENGAL (1905)

PARTITION OF BENGAL (1905)

TIMELINE OF EVENTS 1600- British East India Company is established1707-Mughal Empire collapsing;Indian states begin breaking away fromMughal control1757-Robert Clives victory at Battle of Plassey;begins East India Company (British) leading power in India .1800s-Many Indians begin thinking more modernly , changing traditional ideas. May 10, 1857- India Rebellion of 1857 (Sepoy Munity) starts.Challenges East India Company as fierce fighting break out.1858- British Govt. takes direct command of India, from East India Company.Late 1800s- Nationalism surfaces in India1885-National Congress Is formed1906-Muslim League forms1930-First proposed idea of partition by philosopher Allama IqbalLate 1930s-Muslims begins exiting Congress1943-Muslim League proposes “Divide & Quit” planJuly 18,1947- Mountbatten Partition plan is finalizedAugust 14-15, 1947-independence is gained by Britain. Pakistan is formed immediate next day.

THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY Britain becomes intrested in India for the economic reason in 1600s.The British East India Company is formed after a charter is issued by Elizabeth I for favourable trading privilages b/w India & England.It began originally as a joint venture with the Dutch East India Company.Trading posts are set up in Bombay(1638), madras(1639) & Calcutta(1690) by the company.Because India was ruled by Mughal empire, at first, European trading in the country was limited.The company eventually transformed itself from a commercial trade venture to a group that basically ruled India.

In 1617, The company is given trade rights in India by Mughal Emperor Jahangir.

By 1707, Dozens of small Indian states begin breaking away from Mughal rule.

In 1717, the British are given clear trading advantage when Mughal Emperor Farrukhsiyar gives tax & duty free trading to the company in Bengal.

Finally in 1757, The EIC makes there move. Led by Robert Clive, EIC troops win a authoritative victory at the Battle of Plassey, defeating Indian troops allied with the French.

From 1757-1858, The East India Company is the leading power in India.

EAST INDIA COMPANY GAINS POWER

IMPACT OF BRITISH RULE IN INDIA

POLICIES & REGULATIONSAt the first the EIC ruled with little interferrence from the British

Govt. untill the 19th century. The company employed its own & even had an internal Govt. structure. The British used India for the gain

of Britain’s Economy, & set up restrictions, that didn’t allow India to operate on its own.

POSITIVE EFFECTSA huge railroad system was placed in India by British, making trade

much more efficient & brought together regions.

NEGATIVE EFFECTMany villagers lost self-suffiency due to the British enforcing cash

crops.

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was also called India's First War of Independence, the Great Rebellion, the Indian Mutiny, or the Sepoy Mutiny. It began on 10 May 1857, as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army.[2]Sepoys in the Presidency of Bengal revolted against their British officers.

THE INDIAN REBELLION OF 1857

CHRONOLOGY11 May - starting date of the revolt which developed into a widents become mutinousMay - following the mutiny at Meerut there are outbreaks in Delhi, Ferozepur, Bombay, Aligarh, Mainpuri, Etawah, Bulundshah, Nasirabad, Bareilly, Moradabad, Shahjahanpur and elsewhere; sepoys are disarmed in Lahore, Agra, Lucknow, Peshawar and Mardan; the Delhi Field Force advances to Karnaul; death of General Anson the British commander-in-chiefJune - Mutinies at Sitapur, Hansi, Hissar, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur and Nimach; mutinies at Gwalior, Bharatpur and Jhansi; mutiny at Kanpur, followed by the siege of the Europeans (4-25 June) and a massacre; mutiny in Banaras forestalled; mutinies at Jewanpur, Allahabad, Jullundur, Phillaur, Nowgong, Rhoni, Fatehgarh, Aurangabad (Deccan), Fatehpur and Jubbulpur; Indian units are forcibly disarmed at Nagpur and Barrackpur; mutinies at Faizabad, Sultanpur and Lucknow; order is restored in Lucknow but the district remains disturbed (Europeans take shelter in the Residency); British defeat at Chinhat (30 June) near Lucknow; siege of Lucknow begins. Other events of June: Battle of Badli-ki-Serai (8 June); Delhi Field Force takes up position on the Ridge and begins operations against Delhi; further spreading of the revolt through the Ganges plain, Rajputana and Central IndiaJuly - Mutinies at Indore and Mhow, Auggur, Jhelum, Saugor, Sialkot, Dinapur and Agra; siege of the Lucknow Residency continues through July; operations against Delhi continue through July; death of General Barnard, commanding at Delhi (5 July); General Havelock's force advances from Allahabad to the relief of Kanpur and arrives on the 17th, one day too late to save those massacred there; disarming of Indian units in Rawalpindi; Sialkot mutineers defeated at Trimmu Ghat (16 July)

August - Mutinies at Kolhapur (Bombay Presidency), Poonamali (near Madras), Jubbulpur, Bhopawar (near Indore), and Mian Mir (near Lahore); rebellion spreads through the Saugor and Narbada districts. Also: disarmamament of Indian units at Berhampur (1 August); siege of the Lucknow Residency continues and Havelock's first attempt at relief failsSeptember - Failure of an outbreak in Karachi (14 Sept.); further outbreaks in the Saugor and Narbada districts; siege of Saugor begins; the City of Delhi is assaulted and captured by the British (14-20 Sept.); the Lucknow residency is relieved by Havelock and Outram (25 Sept.) but a new siege of the reinforced garrison beginsOctober - Mutiny at Bhogalpur (near Dinapur); unrest in Bihar, north Bengal and Assam; mutiny in Bombay city is forestalled (15 Oct.); revolt in Kotah state (15 Oct.)November - Sir Colin Campbell relieves Lucknow (17 Nov.); the garrison is evacuated and the city and Residency are temporarily abandoned; defeat of General Windham outside Kanpur (28 Nov.)December - Decisive battle of Kanpur (6 Dec.); the armies of Rao Sahib and of Tatya Tope are routed by Sir Colin Campbell; campaign in the Doab; capture of Fatehgarh

Nationalist feeling began arising in country due to modernization & the taking up of western ideas. It wasn’t long before the groups wanting to self govern themselves. Two major nationalist groups formed:

The Indian National Congress The Muslim League In 1885 the Indian National govt. in 1906, The Muslim League

formed formed comprised mainly of Hindus another nationalist groups formed waiting to break free from British rule. which focused on specific

concerns for the Muslim minority living in India.

NATIONALISM SURFACES IN INDIATHE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS & MUSLIMLEAGUE FORM

Raja Ram Mohan Roy (22 May 1772 – 27 September 1833) was a founder (along with Dwarkanath Tagore and other Bengali Brahmins) of the Brahmo Samaj movement in 1828 which engendered the Brahmo Samaj, an influential Bengali socio-religious reform movement. His influence was apparent in the fields of politics, public administration and education as well as religion. He is best known for his efforts to establish the abolishment hurry of the practice of sati, the Hindu funeral practice in which the widow was compelled to sacrifice herself on her husband’s funeral pyre in some parts of the then Bengal. It was him who first introduced the word "Hinduism" into the English language in 1816. For his diverse contributions to society, Raja Ram Mohan Roy is regarded as one of the most important figures in the Bengal Renaissance. His efforts to protect Hinduism and Indian rights by participating in British government earned him the title "The Father of the Indian Renaissance“.

RAM MOHAN ROYPOWERFUL SOCIAL REFORMER OF INDIA

o Not only were Indians struggling to break away from British rule, but they were also struggling internally due to tensions b/w Hindus & Muslims.

o The formation of the Indian National Congress & the Muslim League defined a fine line b/w the two major religions & their views.

o The first to propose separate states was writer & philosopher Allama Iqbal in 1930. an excerpt from his conversation with the Muslim League in 1930 appears on

the right. Allama Iqbal’s 1930 address

to Muslim league:“The Hindus & The Muslims

belongs to two different religions, philosophy, literature & social customs…..To yoke together two such nations under a single state, one as a numerical minority & the other as a majority, must lead to growing discontent & final destruction of any fabric that may be so built up for the govt. of such a state.”

LEADING UP TO PARTITION:1920-1932

o Not only were the Muslims pushing for the separation, but so were the Hindus.

o Many Hindus despised the Muslims due to the Muslims formerly ruling India for 300 years under the Mughal Empire.

o Hindu organizations such as Hindu Mahasabha pushed for the division of the country & insisted the chasm b/w Muslims & Hindus was too great & was in need of separate states.

o In 1937, Veer Savarkar in his Presidential Address to the Hindu Mahabhasha:

“India can’t be assumed today to be Unitarian & homogenous nation, but on the contrary there are two nations in the main- The Hindus & The Muslims.”

LEADING UP TO PARTITION:1932-1937

o Although many groups called for the separation of India based on religion, the majority of congress members were secular & opposed to dividing the country solely based on the religion.

o By the late 1930s, Muslims begin exiting Congress & forming separate groups that were pushing the formation of a new Muslim state: Pakistan.

o At the time Britain didn’t directly rule India, but just oversaw the whole country. Local & Regional govt. comprised of full Indian rule.

o In 1943, the Muslim League proposes a quick plan to divide & gain independence; also know as “Divide & Quit”.

o Soon India was ready to be partitioned. Muslims & Hindus were in quarrels, & a plan was proposed to the British.

LEADING UP TO PARTITION:1937-1946

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Hindustani 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the preeminent leader of Indian independence movement  in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahatma (Sanskrit: "high-souled", "venerable"[3])—applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa—is now used worldwide. He is also called Bapu (Gujarati: endearment for "father "papa)in India.

Gandhi initially favoured offering "nonviolent moral support" to the British effort when World War II broke out in 1939, but the Congressional leaders were offended by the unilateral inclusion of India in the war without consultation of the people's representatives. All Congressmen resigned from office. After long deliberations, Gandhi declared that India could not be party to a war ostensibly being fought for democratic freedom while that freedom was denied to India itself. As the war progressed, Gandhi intensified his demand for independence, calling for the British to Quit India in a speech at Gowalia Tank Maidan. This was Gandhi's and the Congress Party's most definitive revolt aimed at securing the British exit from India

“LEAVE INDIA TO GOD. IF THAT IS TOO MUCH, THEN LEAVE HER TO ANRCHY.”

----GANDHI, MAY 1942.

MOHANDAS GANDHI

After Britain handed over self governance to India on August 14, 1947 , the plan for the partition was put it into action.

The Mountbatten Plan is what India was divided according to. The plan was written by Cyril Radcliffe, who wrote it based on a British commissioned report on India. The plan was finalized on July 18, 1947 & was put into action a month later.

India was formed out of the mostly Hindu regions & Pakistan was formed out of the mainly Muslim regions. Pakistan was formed in two dominions-East Pakistan & West Pakistan, which were separated geographically by India.

THE PARTITION

The Partition of India was such an event which devastated both the nations, India and Pakistan, completely. The impact of the partition of India was quite distressing. The immediate result of partition was violence. Communal riots took place throughout the country destroying lives, wealth and resulting in a bitterness that was hard to wipe out. Moreover, after India attained Independence, the minorities were affected directly in the areas of partition. Their fate was in a perilous situation. In addition to this, the 'Direct Action' campaign by the Muslim League was followed by the Calcutta killing and disturbances in the Noakhali district of East Bengal. Tension prevailed in the areas of Bihar and Punjab and the North-West Frontier Province as well. These areas witnessed massive bloodshed and arson. 

IMAPACT & AFTERMATH OF PARTITION

The announcement of the June 3rd plan or Mountbatten Plan and its acceptance by the political leaders temporarily tried to end the communal hostilities. But the Muslim League in the Punjab region announced that it would resist any change in the speculative division of the province. As a result, the Sikhs immediately launched a violent counter-agitation, and this again caused a dangerous situation including the impact of partition of India. Immediately thereafter, Gandhiji and the Congress leaders appealed to the Hindu and Sikh minorities in Pakistan areas to face the situation in the areas bravely and to stay in their respective homes. 

But after, the announcement of the Radcliffe Award oil on 17th August, a campaign was launched to drive out the Hindus and Sikhs all over West Punjab and the North-West Frontier Province. Furthermore, serious disturbances in the Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot and Gujranwala districts started to develop as the aftermath of partition. The massacre was followed by a violent anti-Muslim reaction in Amritsar. Soon after, communal turbulence engrossed the people on both sides of the border leading to the sufferance of the masses in both the countries. 

"A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to new, when an age ends, & when the soul of a nation, long supperesed, finds utterance."

-JAWAHARLAL NEHRU 1ST PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA