‘It was not inevitable. India’s independence was inevitable; but preservation of its unity was a prize that, in our plural society, required high statesmanship. That was in short supply. A mix of other reasons deprived us of that prize – personal hubris, miscalculation, and narrowness of outlook.’
A G Noorani, Frontline volume 18, issue 26, 2002
On this day in 1947, the modern India and Pakistan were born. Partition triggered one of the world’s largest forced migrations, with the brutal and bloody displacement of almost 20 million people, resulting in more than one million deaths. All because of the drawing of a line on a map.
‘I had also been overwhelmed by an agonising feeling of sympathy for the country which was not only my twin in birth but also joined to me (so to speak) at the hip, so that what happened to either of us, happened to us both. If I, snot-nosed and stain faced etcetera, had had a hard time of it, then so had she, my sub continental twin sister; and now that I had given myself the right to choose a better future, I was resolved that the nation should share it too.’
Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children
#230 Struggles for Truth ● The Arab Spring 10 years on ● The origins and legacies of US conspiracy theories ● The limits of scientific evidence in climate activism ● Student struggles around the world ● The political power of branding ● Celebrating Marcus Rashford ● ‘Cancelling’ Simon Hedges ● Latest book reviews ● And much more!
And you choose how much to pay for your subscription...
Siobhán McGuirk and Adienne Pine's edited volume is a powerful indictment of the modern migration complex writes Nico Vaccari
The uprisings against police brutality that swept across Nigeria must be contextualised within the country’s colonial history, argues Kehinde Alonge
Outside the media fanfare surrounding the recent wave of university-based militancy, one community's fight against developers goes on. Robert Firth reports
Conspiracy theories aren’t the preserve of a minority – they lie at the heart of US politics, argues Thomas Konda
From climate change to the perils of the information era, the collection powerfully explores the struggles facing contemporary teenagers, writes Jordana Belaiche
Hilary Wainwright remembers friend and mentor to many, Leo Panitch, who died on December 19, 2020