THE PARTITION TRAIL
ACTIVITY PACK The Grimmit Trust
Limoges Charitable Trust
Short Term/Long Term Consequences Neighbours and families argued and fell out with each other
Tensions between the two countries intensified
Families were forced to move to another country
People moved to the United Kingdom
People lost their homes and had nowhere to live
Different faith groups no longer trusted one another
People were slaughtered by different communities
Conflict continued on disputed borders
People were forced to live in refugee camps
Looting and rioting occurred in certain villages
People blamed the British for how they handled Partition
Many people became severely ill
People lost all their money and belongings
Political dispute between India and Pakistan was further developed
People were traumatised by what they had witnessed
Bangladesh was formed after a civil war
The events were recorded in art and literature
New countries were formed
THE PARTITION TRAIL / ACTIVITY PACK
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partition of india 1947
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S W E L W Z P E J L H B U E W B I H D N A G F P A B H V F D M X K X K R D E T I E K H E B G P Q H H I N D U N I H A I V N E T T A B T N U O M T F I O X W M U S L I M E L H Q E N N Q N I A T I R B B O T Y W D O E N I L L D E Q S C T Y Z I I A V H A N N I J F R G H L A T U M E C N E D N E P E D N I A S U B C O N T I N E N T Y X R P A K I S T A N O F P A Y Y G W Z M M N O I S I V I D N S I O S R A D C L I F F E S I Z M C S S E N D A S V B P A H T S RADCLIFFE INDIA PAKISTAN BRITAIN DIVISION LINE
THE PARTITION TRAIL / ACTIVITY PACK
SUBCONTINENT MIGRATION HINDU MUSLIM SIKH GANDHI
JINNAH MOUNTBATTEN SADNESS DEATH INDEPENDENCE COLONIAL
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who am i? For many people Partition was about identity. If you were one faith you were told that ‘belonged’ in one place and if you were of another faith you were told you ‘belonged’ somewhere else. Suddenly friends and neighbours were asked to see the differences between themselves rather than the similarities. They were told that because they followed a different religion they weren’t now welcome in the village they had grown up in.
What is your identity?
What makes you, you?
Draw your face in the mirror below and write around it words that describe who you are and what makes you different or similar to other people.
THE PARTITION TRAIL / ACTIVITY PACK
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What if...? What IF... The boundaries had been announced before Pakistan and India’s Independence Day? Think about; l Would people be celebrating or angry? l How might people act towards Lord Mountbatten? l Would people be excited about their Independence or worried about their future?
What IF... Britain had said India couldn’t become Independent after WW2? Think about; l Would people be violent towards the British? l How might Gandhi have protested? l What reaction would the rest of Europe have had towards Britain refusing to decolonise? l What arguments might Indians have used to argue their case?
What IF... Britain had sent someone who knew the local culture and communities of India to draw the new boundaries? Think about; l Would boundaries have been more reflective of the communities? l Would Pakistan have been split into East and West Pakistan? l Do you think violence would have been reduced?
THE PARTITION TRAIL / ACTIVITY PACK
What IF... The British had used their troops to protect law and order during the migration period? Think about; l Would the British soldiers have stopped the violence? l Would locals be angry with the British? l Would the British have killed anyone to stop violence?
What IF... Britain had said no to the Partition and said India would have to remain as a united country? Think about; l How would the Muslims be feeling – what might they be scared of? l How might the Sikhs and Hindus react? l What might Gandhi have said? l Would there have been an increase in violence?
What IF... There hadn’t been violence after the Partition was announced? Think about; l Would people still have migrated to the country with the majority faith? l Would friends and neighbours have kept in touch with each other? l Would the Partition be viewed as a positive event?
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partition of india
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ACROSS
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2. Name given to the rule of Britain in India.
1. The name of the country that was formerly East Pakistan.
3. ___________ League. 5. The surname of Britain’s last viceroy. 6. The surname of the lawyer who drew the boundaries. 8. The faith which is dominant in Pakistan. 9. Surname of the man who was Britain’s prime minister during partition. 10. The surname of the man who started the Quit India Movement.
3. A violent and deadly act which results in many people being killed. 4. What Indians were protesting for. 7. An old Indian city, now known as Kolkata. 12 An act of rebellion Indians formed against the British in 1857.
11. A northern part of India which which saw major conflict as a result of the Partition. 12. What approximately 10-12 million people did. 13. The state language of Pakistan. 14. The surname of the Muslim League’s founder.
THE PARTITION TRAIL / ACTIVITY PACK
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race to safety
During Partition thousands of people had to find their way from one newly formed country to another. Can you help Sanyagita and Sahid get from their starting point to their end point?
START
FINISH
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Countries
This map shows India as the boundaries are today. 1. Can you find and label the following 4. Using a map, can you mark the following major countries; India, Pakistan, Bangladesh? cities (please note some now have new names)? Calcutta, Delhi, Amritsar, Lahore, Bombay, 2. In a black felt tip pen can you draw the Islamabad, Peshawar, Karachi, Dhaka, Sylhet. border of India as it was in 1947? 3. Can you colour in the countries which formed 5. Can you colour in red the zones of high conflict during partition? These were the Punjab and West and East Pakistan in 1947 in green? Bengal.
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partition Can you fill in the missing spaces with the correct words? Before 1947 the Indian subcontinent was one country ruled by __________. The majority of people living in India at that time were __________, _________ or Sikh. They often lived in groups of similar faiths but all mixed together and lived quite happily alongside one another. As time went by more and more Indians wanted to be free from British rule and manage their country independently. Two political parties formed, the Indian National ________ led by Mahatma__________ and the ___________ League led by Muhammad ______ __________. Gandhi wanted India to remain one __________ country after the British left, but Muhammad’s party wanted a new _______________ country to be created for __________, therefore dividing India in two. After WW2 Britain agreed to grant Independence to ___________, and sent Lord _____________ to India as the last _____________ who would be responsible for seeing India’s withdrawal. It was agreed that India would be split into two countries; India and ___________. A British lawyer named Cyril ____________ was brought into India, despite knowing nothing about the country, and asked to draw the new boundaries for the two countries. Tensions between the different religious groups had been _____________, and when the new boundaries were published, the different faiths became very violent to one another. To escape the killings and violence, many people decided to _____________ to the country where their faith was the majority. Many people were killed as part of this violence, and many friends and neighbours turned against one another. Due to the partition’s boundaries being badly thought out, __________ Pakistan had a civil war in 1971, which saw the country become independent from Pakistan and renamed as ____________________. Tensions remain high between the two countries, though they are improving, and there are still border _____________. Words to use: Radcliffe
Congress Growing East
India
Hindu
Britain
Muslim (x2)
Bangladesh Viceroy Gandhi Pakistan Jinnah
Conflicts
Mountbatten Separate
Muslims
Migrate
United
THE PARTITION TRAIL / ACTIVITY PACK
Ali
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role play cards sikh family
muslim family
SCENARIO
SCENARIO
Imagine your group is a Sikh family living in West Pakistan. You are trying to decide whether to move to India or stay in Pakistan. Create a role-play where as a family you look at the reasons to stay or leave.
Imagine your group is a Muslim family who will be moving from India to Pakistan. You have heard some Sikhs are raiding and killing in the villages nearby. Create a role-play about how you may be feeling as you get ready to leave.
Things to consider;
Things to consider;
l How
l How
l Do
l What
might different family members feel? Might children worry about different things to parents? you think your family would feel safe in Pakistan? Why/why not?
l Would
you want to leave your home?
l Would
you be scared of the journey?
l What
might your friends be doing?
hindu family
are different family members feeling? Are they scared, excited, confused, trying to remain calm? might they be trying to pack?
l How
might they be planning to travel e.g. by foot, by train, by night only?
l What
might the parents be telling the children?
l What
rumours might they be hearing?
english family
SCENARIO
SCENARIO
Imagine you are a Hindu family who has just arrived in a refugee camp in India after a long and dangerous journey. Create a role-play where you discuss the journey you had and how you feel about arriving in an unknown place where you know no-one.
Imagine you are a British family that has been living in India for twenty years. Create a role-play where you discuss as a family whether to leave India or not now that the Partition is happening.
Things to consider; l Did
everyone in your family arrive safely?
l Did
the family travel together or separately?
l What
emotions might you have felt on the journey and now?
l What
might your biggest worries about living in a refugee camp be?
l How
might parents be trying to comfort children? What might they tell them?
THE PARTITION TRAIL / ACTIVITY PACK
Things to consider; l Do
you feel safe?
l Are
you worried about your Indian friends/colleagues?
l Do
you understand what is happening?
l Do
you feel loyalty towards the Indian people?
l Do
you think the British government will protect you if there is trouble?
l Do
you want to stay and protect your home?
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Get up and Go Survival Plan
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How will you travel to Scotland? A
Have a look at an Atlas and work out how many miles away Scotland is from your school.
__________________ miles to Scotland
Using the estimate below, can you figure out how many days it would take you to travel the full distance from your school to Scotland?
Walking: 68 miles per 24 hours (this figure considers 6 hours you would sleep)
______________ days (miles to Scotland divided by miles per 24 hours)
By train: 2,160 miles per 24 hours ______________ days (miles to Scotland divided by miles per 24 hours)
By bus: 1,440 miles per 24 hours ______________ days (miles to Scotland divided by miles per 24 hours)
By horse cart: 170 miles per 24 hours ______________ days (miles to Scotland divided by miles per 24 hours)
B
Complete the table below to think about the positives and negatives for each method of travel POSITIVES
NEGATIVES
Travelling by night
Travelling by day Travelling in groups Travelling on your own Travelling in separate gender groups Travel in mixed gender groups
C
Is anyone in your group ill or unable to walk far?
THE PARTITION TRAIL / ACTIVITY PACK
YES
NO
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Get up and Go Survival Plan
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How will you eat? You will not have much money to buy food, and you can only cook if you bring cooking equipment which is big and bulky. If you are walking you will need more food as the journey will be longer. List all the foods you could eat when travelling and list any essential kitchenware you might need next to it. Food I could bring
Equipment Needed
Life in Scotland What do you know about Scotland? How might this influence what clothes you wear, what items you bring? List everything you know in the brainstorm opposite
SCOTLAND
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Get up and Go Survival Plan
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What is more important? Can you put the following items in the order of importance for your journey (1 being the most important and 10 being the least important). Food Drink
1. ___________________
6. __________________
Defence Weapons
Personal items
2. __________________
7. __________________
First Aid
Money
3. __________________
8. __________________
Clothes Maps
4. __________________
9. __________________
Jewellery
5. __________________
10.__________________
Identity Documents
The final decisions Having thought about the possible options, please now complete the following two exercises to say how you will escape your school. Be ready to explain why you made the decisions you did! Travel plans Please circle all the options you have chosen as a group
Walking
Travel by day
By coach/bus
By train
In a group
Individually
Travel at night
Boys only
Women only
Mixed gender By horse-cart
Following transport route
What will you bring? In the suitcase opposite list the ten things you would take with you on your journey. Remember, no modern technologies or big bulky items, you have to carry everything yourself. What you will bring may also depend on some of your answers before.
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THE PARTITION TRAIL
credits & acknowledgements Written by Katy Wade Produced by Sampad Cover Photo by Jas Sansi Photography Designed by Dave Walsh Creative
The Grimmit Trust
Limoges Charitable Trust