<h5 id="challenges-for-the-new-nation">Challenges for the new nation</h5> <ul> <li>India became independent at midnight on 14-15 August 1947.</li> <li>Jawaharlal Nehru, in his ’tryst with destiny’ speech, emphasized the agreement within the national movement for a democratic government focused on the welfare of the poor and socially disadvantaged.</li> <li>Despite the challenges of partition, violence, and displacement, India’s leaders remained focused on addressing the country’s multiple challenges.</li> <li>Nehru highlighted the bittersweet nature of independence, as it coincided with partition and its associated issues.</li> <li>Mahatma Gandhi expressed mixed feelings the day before independence, expressing joy for freedom but mourning the partition.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="three-challenges">Three Challenges</h5> <ul> <li>The first challenge faced by independent India was to build a united nation that accommodated its diversity in terms of languages, cultures, and religions. The partition of the country raised questions about India’s future as a unified country and the integration of its territory.</li> <li>The second challenge was to establish a democracy. India adopted a democratic constitution based on the parliamentary form of government, but the challenge was to develop democratic practices in accordance with the Constitution.</li> <li>The third challenge was to ensure the development and wellbeing of the entire society, not just some sections. The Constitution laid down the principle of equality and special protection to socially disadvantaged groups and religious and cultural communities.</li> <li>The response to these challenges is discussed in the book, which tells the story of politics in India since Independence. The first three chapters focus on how the three challenges were faced in the early years after Independence.</li> <li>The images on the stamps issued in 1950 to mark the first Republic Day on 26 January 1950 depict the challenges to the new republic. If asked to design these stamps in 1950, one would choose images that represent the challenges faced by the new republic.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="partition-displacement-and-rehabilitation">Partition: displacement and rehabilitation</h5> <ul> <li>On 14-15 August 1947, British India was divided into India and Pakistan, a process known as Partition.</li> <li>The two-nation theory, advocated by the Muslim League, claimed that India was composed of two separate nations, Hindus and Muslims, leading to the demand for a separate country for Muslims.</li> <li>The Congress opposed this theory and the demand for Pakistan, but a series of political developments and competition between the Congress and Muslim League, along with British influence, resulted in the creation of Pakistan.</li> <li>The border demarcation marked the end of political developments leading to Partition.</li> <li>The text does not include any specific equations or formulae related to this topic.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="process-of-partition">Process of Partition</h5> <ul> <li>The division of India into two countries, India and Pakistan, was decided based on the principle of religious majorities.</li> <li>Areas with Muslim majorities would become part of Pakistan, while the rest would remain with India.</li> <li>Two major difficulties arose: the absence of a single belt of Muslim majority areas and the opposition of some Muslim leaders to the two-nation theory.</li> <li>The provinces of Punjab and Bengal had large non-Muslim populations, leading to bifurcation according to religious majority at the district or lower level.</li> <li>The problem of ‘minorities’ on both sides of the border resulted in large-scale displacement and violence, as Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims were trapped in areas where they became undesirable aliens.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="consequences-of-partition">Consequences of Partition</h5> <ul> <li>The Partition of India in 1947 led to one of the largest population transfers in history, with about 80 lakh people migrating across the new border, resulting in killings and atrocities on both sides.</li> <li>The Partition not only divided properties, assets, and administrative apparatus but also affected financial assets and personal belongings. It also led to the separation of communities who had previously lived together peacefully.</li> <li>The aftermath of Partition saw immense suffering for minorities on both sides, with many women being abducted, forced to convert, and married into the other community, and thousands of children being separated from their parents.</li> <li>The Partition raised questions about the treatment of religious minorities in India, with the Muslim population accounting for 12% of the total population in 1951. The Indian government had to balance competing political interests and ensure equal treatment for all religions.</li> <li>The Partition also had a profound impact on people’s lives, causing emotional turmoil and affecting their sense of belonging. The story of Salim Mirza, a shoe manufacturer in Agra, is an example of the personal struggles that people faced during this time.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="integration-of-princely-states">Integration of Princely states</h5> <ul> <li>British India was divided into British Indian Provinces and Princely States, with the latter having autonomy over internal affairs under the British crown’s paramountcy.</li> <li>With the end of British rule, paramountcy lapsing threatened the unity of India, as Princely States could become independent, leading to potential division into small countries.</li> <li>Sardar Patel, India’s Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, played a crucial role in negotiating with Princely State rulers, bringing most of them into the Indian Union.</li> <li>Government’s approach focused on people’s desire to join the Indian union, flexibility in giving autonomy to regions, and integration/consolidation of territorial boundaries due to Partition.</li> <li>Cases of Hyderabad and Manipur proved difficult, with Hyderabad’s Nizam wanting independent status and Manipur facing sharp differences over merger with India. Hyderabad was brought into the Indian Union through military intervention, while Manipur became a constitutional monarchy and later merged with India.</li> </ul> <p>======</p> <h5 id="reorganisation-of-states">Reorganisation of states</h5> <ul> <li>The original states from which Gujarat, Haryana, Meghalaya, and Chhattisgarh were carved out are Bombay, Punjab, Assam, and Madhya Pradesh respectively.</li> <li>Two states affected by the partition of the country are Punjab and Bengal.</li> <li>Two states that were once Union Territories are Delhi and Puducherry.</li> <li>The States Reorganisation Act in 1956, based on the report of the States Reorganisation Commission, led to the creation of 14 states and six union territories.</li> <li>Linguistic states underlined the acceptance of the principle of diversity and strengthened national unity.</li> <li>The creation of new states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and Telangana are examples of the acceptance of the principle of linguistic states.</li> </ul> <p>======</p>