One of independent India’s most significant achievements post-1947 was the adoption of the constitution. The document was adopted on 26th November 1949, making India a sovereign, democratic republic on paper. Interestingly, most members in the constituent assembly who pioneered the creation of the constitution were from the Congress party. However, the intensity of the constituent [...]
1948: Gandhi’s assassinationOn January 30th 1948, darkness enveloped the nation. Just months after independence, Mahatma Gandhi, one of India’s foremost freedom fighters was assassinated by a member of the Hindu Mahasabha, Nathuram Godse. Once an ardent supporter of Gandhi’s philosophy, Godse’s decision to assassinate him stemmed from a dislike of Gandhi’s behaviour towards Muslims. Regardless [...]
India at Birth and its “Tryst with Destiny”:India became an independent nation on August 15th, 1947. Born on the same night as another country Pakistan, the two countries grew to see vastly divergent outcomes. At midnight, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru delivered his momentous “Tryst with Destiny” speech in the constituent assembly. The speech [...]
The Blood Telegram by Gary J. Bass is insightful, reflective and thoroughly well researched; the book offers a new perspective on the frequently chronicled 1971 India-Pakistan War, which led to the creation of Bangladesh. Outlining the turn of events in the leadup to the 14-day War in 1971, Bass also offers a scathing criticism of [...]
The Indus Valley Civilization was one of the oldest known cultures that flourished in the Indian Subcontinent between c. 3300- c. 1300 BCE. Mentioned first in Vedic Sources, this ancient civilisation is often referred to as The Indus Saraswathi Civilization or the Harappan Civilisation due to its situation along the Indus and Saraswathi rivers and [...]
Creating a New Medina authored by Venkat Dhulipala is an insightful and deftly crafted book, that provides a fresh perspective to long-established scholarship on the creation of Pakistan and its conceptions. Past historical accounts on its origins have been founded on the fundamental premise that Pakistan was a “bargaining counter”, an idea that was insufficiently [...]
Through the book, Ahmed puts forward arguments outlining the primary causes attributed to Jinnah's success and recognition as a leader in the buildup to the partition. One of the primary arguments that Ahmed focuses extensively on is the idea that the initial lack of success of the Quit India Movement was a pivotal step in [...]
The Sole Spokesman by Ayesha Jalal is a book takes a strong stand against the common teleological assumption that “the end result of the … partition was the ultimate goal of Muslim politics” and Jinnah in the years leading up to 1947. Through the book, Jalal’s arguments aim to explain Jinnah’s nuanced motives at the [...]
Conflict with the tribes: In June 1947, sentiments against the Maharaja took a turn for the worse. Nearly 60,000 former soldiers in the army began a harsh campaign against the Maharaja, refusing to pay taxes. The campaign soon gravitated towards a demand that the Maharaja step down until on the 14th and 15 of August, [...]
Brief summary of the conflict: The current Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan has origins that date back to the partition of 1947. The period subsequent to the partition contributed largely to ethnic and diplomatic tensions around the country. One such conflict was between Karachi and New Delhi over the princely state of Jammu and [...]
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