What we remember about 1947 when India became a free country is either Nehru’s speech or the brutal partition that displaced millions of people in a matter of days. Suddenly, there was a border when none existed either in Punjab or Bengal. Today, what we have instead is this border ceremony that takes place every evening and is a constant reminder for many on how the country was partitioned. This short video clip highlights the border ceremony, but if you get a chance do watch Sanjeev Bhaksar’s journey to India and especially the episodes relating to his journey from India to Pakistan in search of the place his father grew up in.

I wanted to look at 1947 from a different perspective. I thought it would be an interesting project to look back at 1947 through the eyes of regular young people who grew up during that time. The San Francisco bay area is a treasure trove with a fair number of senior citizens of Indian origin that live here and that is the group I turned to complete the project. What did they remember of August 15th, 1947 when India became a free country? For some it was a period of celebration, while for others it was a period of anxiety and uncertainty. Some like Nirmal Pushkara and Mr. Sharma grew up in princely states, while others grew up in states or Presidencies ruled by the British.

Suresh Sharma and Mohanlal Sharma are contemporaries and vividly recollect the celebrations of August 15, 1947. Mohanlal Sharma was in Jaipur and Suresh Sharma was in Mumbai when the British withdrew in 1947. Originally, both grew up in different provinces of Rajputana, now known as Rajasthan, and graduated from high school in 1935 and went to study in Uttar Pradesh then known as United Provinces. UP according to them was considered a hub of knowledge and had some of the best universities in the country, and is unlike modern day UP. Both of them now live in the San Francisco bay area and met each other once in a while to catch up on old times.

Srigopal Sharma was a young medical graduate student in Nagpur and recollects the celebrations on August 15, 1947. He then goes on to look at modern day India and shares some great points about what needs to be done to help uplift the poorer sections of the Indian society.

Nirmal Pushkarna was 11 years old and does not recollect August 15, 1947 but she vividly recollects what happened in October 1947 when she and her family fled Srinagar to Jammu. That is when the firs undeclared war between India and Pakistan broke out. After a 6 month stay in Jammu she along with her family returned to Srinagar where she continued to live until her marriage in the early 1960s when she moved to Delhi.

Murli Manohar Wanchoo was working for the Government and stationed in Simla from 1942 through 1954. While he does not remember August 15, 1947 he remembers how Simla was the hub of government activity during that time. For 6 months of the year the British Government moved its offices to Simla. After independence parts of the Indian government continue to function from Simla according to him before finally moving its offices to New Delhi.

Anusuya Devi was a well-known classical and folk singer in Madras in 1947 and August 15 was a very busy day for her. She went around singing in various sabhas and functions around Madras.

I have some more video clips about India in 1947 so watch out for those.

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