Page 3 - Seniors Today Jan20 Issue

From The Publisher
Let Us Eschew Hate
In the marketing of history, the Holocaust has
become a superbrand and has overtaken all
the other tragic events in the world - whether it
is Pearl Harbour or Hiroshima-Nagasaki. The
Holocaust had transcended all these to become a
global symbol.
The Jews of the world have ensured that even
a hundred years later, every Jewish child will
grow up aware of and learning the lessons of
the Holocaust. January 27 is recognised as the
International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The Partition of India was no less a tragedy than
the Holocaust. Across the Indian sub-continent
communities that had coexisted for a millennium
attacked each other in a terrifying outbreak of
sectarian violence. Hindus, Sikhs on one side
and Muslims on the other. A savage, intense
genocide and carnage that the country had never
witnessed before; 15 million people uprooted
and over 5 million dead. The comparison of the
partition to the Holocaust is not as far-fetched as
it may seem.
The history of Partition is about high politics
played by Mountbatten, Jinnah, Gandhi,
Nehru and Sardar Patel. Countless families
like the Sethis that fought the British have
been relegated to the dustbin of history. Today
Partition is merely a small event in the story of
India’s Independence. Many survivors and their
families talk about being uprooted in the middle
of the night; tales about friends and servants left
behind, nostalgia for a cherished house, and the
violence of neighbour versus neighbour. There
are also heartwarming stories of Muslims and
Hindus helping each other cross the divide.
Millions of people who lived in refugee camps
died and survived with little or no help from
3 SENIORS TODAY | Issue #7 | January 15, 2020
the government. It was heart-wrenching to see
women and children, old bodies carrying heavy
bags going door to door selling papad and achaar.
These are the stories of human grit, perseverance
and the determination of the Punjabis and Sindhis
to move on with their lives. In two decades most
of the refugee camps had been vacated.
We need to have a multi-dimensional
understanding of what happened in 1947. This
is also vital for the future of India. Just as the
Jews have ensured that the world remembers the
Holocaust, we also need to ensure that Indians do
not forget the tragedy of Partition.
My family was a victim of Partition. After 72
years it is time to put the furies of 1947 to rest.
Unfortunately today hate flows like water and I
am unable to sit back in silence and watch people
casually turn hate into a marketing campaign.
The question is, has 1947 really come to an end?
This issue has two Partition-related stories, one
of the Kohli family and another of my family - the
Sethis of Rawalpindi. While looking back may
seem an indulgent exercise, it is important and
necessary to savour the sweet and remember the
bitter. There are countless stories like these that
need to be told and recalled. Finally, Hum Laye
Hain Toofan Se Kashti Nikal Ke, Ish Desh Ko
Rakhna Mere Bachhon Sambhal Ke.
Jai Hind
Best wishes,
Vickram Sethi
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief