UK suffered from 'complete' amnesia over its colonial past, things getting better: Author Sam Dalrymple
Dalrymple, historian and son of writer William Dalrymple, is out with his maiden book, "Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the making of Modern Asia".
He argues that how the multiple partitions that took place in the Raj are remembered, or forgotten, varies sharply from country to country.
For instance, while Bangladesh foregrounds the 1971 Liberation War in its national narrative, India focuses predominantly on the 1947 Partition with Pakistan in the west -- often overlooking the equally disruptive upheavals in the southern regions, such as the migration from the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad, which witnessed -- three times -- more migration to Pakistan.
And things were no better in Britain either.
"The UK used to have, in my childhood, complete amnesia about the Empire, etc. And it's only recently that they introduced courses for GCSE students, requiring them to learn about the independence movement in India, etc. Until recently, there was no mention of Partition in the British curriculum. Now there is and that's an amazing change..."It began in 2018, when a lobby emerged to try and get it included in the curriculum. Now it's available as an optional module. So it's not for everyone, but I think most people will come across it at some point," said the 28-year-old Delhi-raised Scottish historian.
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