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Remembering Partition's forgotten impact on Assam and Northeast
Long ago, in 1947, a very big country called India was divided into new countries, and this is called the Partition of India.
Many families suddenly found that their homes were part of a different country.
People had to leave everything behind and travel very far to find safety.
It became one of the biggest times in history when so many people had to move.
A place called Assam and other parts of Northeast India lost their path to the ocean through a port called Chittagong.
Now they could only reach the rest of India through a very thin strip of land called the Chicken's Neck.
In 2021, the Government of India chose August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.
This day reminds everyone to remember the people who suffered and to be kind and peaceful.
It also teaches us that we should never let hatred and division hurt people again.
The Government of India declared 14 August as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day (Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas) in 2021.
The Partition of Bengal and the Sylhet referendum fundamentally altered Assam's geography, economy and connectivity.
Assam lost its natural access to the sea through the port of Chittagong after Partition.
The Northeast became connected to mainland India mainly through the narrow Siliguri Corridor, popularly known as the Chicken's Neck.
The forced migration that followed Partition became one of the largest in recorded history, and its trauma has passed across generations.
- Who
- The Government of India, which declared 14 August as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, and the millions of displaced families in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
- What
- The observance of Partition Horrors Remembrance Day and the largely unspoken story of how the 1947 Partition transformed Assam and the Northeast, including the loss of access to the port of Chittagong.
- Where
- India, especially Assam and the Northeast; also Bengal, Sylhet and Chittagong, divided by the Radcliffe Line.
- When
- Partition took place in 1947; the remembrance day was declared in 2021 and is observed annually on 14 August.
- Why
- To honour the countless men, women and children who endured one of the greatest human tragedies of the twentieth century and to teach future generations the immense cost of division.
Key facts
- Event
- Partition of India (1947)
- Remembrance day
- Partition Horrors Remembrance Day (Vibhajan Vibhishika Smriti Diwas)
- Date of observance
- 14 August, declared in 2021
- Region affected
- Assam and the Northeast; Bengal, Sylhet and Chittagong
- Key loss
- Assam's natural sea access via the port of Chittagong
- Mainland connectivity
- Siliguri Corridor (Chicken's Neck)
- Key boundary
- Radcliffe Line
- Scale of migration
- One of the largest forced human migrations in recorded history
Sources
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