Partition of India

The partition of India was the process by which British dependencies and treaty states in the Indian subcontinent were granted independence in the 1940s. The divisions resulted in the creation of four new independent states—India, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and Pakistan (including modern-day Bangladesh)—and sowed the seeds for later conflicts between India and Pakistan.

Further reading

• Azad, Maulana Abul Kalam: India Wins Freedom. ISBN 8125005145
• Butalia, Urvashi (1998).The Other Side of Silence (2nd U.S. printing). Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-2494-6
• Collins, Larry and Dominique Lapierre: Freedom at Midnight. London: Collins, 1975. ISBN 0006388515
• Goel, Sita Ram: Muslim Separatism - Causes and Consequences. Voice of India, New Delhi. http://www.voi.org/books/muslimsep/
• Gossman, P. (1999). Riots and Victims. Westview Press. ISBN 0813336252
• David Page, Anita Inder Singh, Penderel Moon, G. D. Khosla, Mushirul Hasan (2001). The Partition Omnibus: Prelude to Partition/the Origins of the Partition of India 1936-1947/Divide and Quit/Stern Reckoning. Oxford University Press. ISBN 019565850-7
• Seshadri, Hongasandra Venkataramaiah: The Tragic Story of Partition. 1. ed. - Bangalore : Jagarana Prakashana, 1982.
• Qureshi, Ishtiaque Hussain. A Short History of Pakistan. University of Karachi Press.
• Talib, S. Gurbachan Singh. Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947. Delhi: Voice of India. 1991. http://allaboutsikhs.com/books/gst/index.htm

Fiction

• Manto, Saadat Hasan, Kingdom's End and Other Stories (1987). Penguin Books India. ISBN 0140117741. The majority of stories by this Punjabi writer revolve around the end of the Raj, Partition and commmunalism.
• Mistry, Rohinton, A Fine Balance (2001). Random House ISBN 140003065X (though this book is set in 1975 Partition plays a dominant role in the narrative)
• Rushdie, Salman, Midnight's Children (1980). New York: Knopf, 1981; ISBN 039451470X.
• Sahni, Bhisham, Tamas. Penguin Books India. ISBN 0140114777
• Sidhwa, Bapsi, Ice-Candy Man (1989) ISBN 0140117679 later published as Cracking India (1991). ISBN 0915943565
• Singh, Khushwant, Train to Pakistan (1990). Grove Press; ISBN 0802132219.

Feature films

• Garam Hawa, directed by M. S. Sathyu (1973), IMDB entry : Balraj Sahni's last major role, and the first film on the Partition.
• Earth, directed by Deepa Mehta (1998), IMDB entry : An India/Canada co-production. A thoughtful examination of a circle of friends and acquaintances affected by the Partition. A scoundrel uses communal violence as an excuse for retaliation against a romantic rival. The film is based on Bapsi Sidhwa's Cracking India; Sidhwa co-wrote the screenplay with Mehta. Contains brutal scenes of communal carnage.
• Jinnah, directed by Jamil Dehlavi (1998), IMDB entry : A UK/Pakistan co-production, one of the few film treatments of this event to come from a Pakistani rather than an Indian perspective.
• Hey Ram directed by Kamal Hassan (2000), IMBD entry : Kamal Hassan wrote, directed, and starred in this film about the Partition and the assassination of Gandhi. Sentimental, egotistical, but strong production values.
• ', directed by Anil Sharma (2001), IMDB entry : Sensationalistic and nationalistic Indian movie about the Partition; notable for shocking scenes of riot and massacre. An unexpected major hit.
• Partition, directed by Vic Sarin (to be released 2005), IMDB entry: A Canada/UK/South Africa co-production. A retired Sikh military officer (played by Jimi Mistry) helps and falls in love with a Muslim teenaged girl (played by Kristin Kreuk).