Author aims to record Partition Voices before they ‘fall silent’
Stories of those who lived through India’s division are important, says Kavita Puri
By Sarwar AlamJul 24, 2022
PARTITION, for so many people from south Asia, evokes the horrors of the violent and brutal separation of India and the creation of Pakistan.
Less mentioned, however, is life before 1947, when people from different cultures and religions lived side by side largely in harmony for many years.
Author Kavita Puri, who spoke to south Asians who lived through this period for her book, Partition Voices: Untold British Stories, described the pre-Partition years as a “nuanced time”.
Puri will take part in a series of events across the UK to mark 75 years of India’s independence and Pakistan’s creation next month. They have been organised to also commemorate 75 years of Partition by restaurant group Dishoom, in conjunction with Puri.
She told Eastern Eye on Monday (18), “If you talk to the generation who lived through it, they don’t just remember the tough times. They remember their best friend who was someone of the other religion, they remember mixing with people of other religions, it was very normal.
“You celebrated festivals together, weddings, they were happy times. And so, it’s a much more complicated story than perhaps we are led to believe.
“That’s why stories from that generation are important, because they show a very nuanced time, and not really the narratives we have been led to believe today.
“Partition was devastating, you can’t deny that. But there was also unity.
“If you were Punjabi or Bengali (living in pre-partition Punjab or Bengal) your language was the same, food was the same, your traditions were the same.
“A Punjabi Muslim, a Punjabi Sikh and Punjabi Hindu living in the same place may well have had more in common with each other than someone from a different province of the same religion.”
Her new book
Audiences at the 75 Years events will get to hear first-hand accounts from those who lived through Partition. There will be live music from Soumik Datta, while Puri and Dishoom co-founder Shamil Thakrar will front the chat.
“I did a session at Cheltenham Literature Festival with Shamil. He was curating a big chunk of it and it was all about the legacies of empire. That was the first time I met him,” Puri said.
“I found we have a shared interest in history, and then he proposed doing something to mark the 75th anniversary, but in a way that combines our shared
history, with food and music.
“The emphasis is on our shared history. We’re all sharing food, it doesn’t matter who we are, we’re sitting side by side.
“We will be speaking to people who lived through the time of independence and Partition, hearing their stories, which again, are very nuanced.
“They are traumatic, but they’re also remembering a time where people lived happily, side by side. And we’ll also be talking to people from the third generation about the legacy, about empire and the impact of Partition on their lives today in Britain.”
During her research for the book and her award-winning BBC Radio 4 series of the same name (which won the Royal Historical Society’s Radio and Podcast Award and its overall Public History Prize), Puri realised “these stories were all around Britain”.
Her book is being adapted into a play
She herself has a direct connection to Partition through her father.
“He was born in Lahore and his family migrated to India when he was 12, but it wasn’t really something he talked about.
We only spoke about it in the final months of his life. I’d always try to talk to him about it, but he didn’t really want to and so I kind of left it, really.
“I think it was painful for him, but I also think he was also trying to protect us. He wanted us to grow up and live happily side by side and respect other people and their religions. He didn’t want to expose us to what the extreme elements can do, which as we know, was horrific.”
She added: “It’s his story, but it’s my story and it’s my children’s story as well.
So, it’s really important for my own family history that I capture that because part of
my history is in Lahore as well.”
With so many of those who lived through Partition dying, Puri said it was more important now than ever before to record their stories.
“We have to hear these stories. We still have time, just about, but that generation is dwindling,” she said.
“But I am heartened to see how the younger generation – particularly the third generation – are really interested in their histories. They want to understand it, want to know their family history before their ancestors came to Britain. They want to understand that maybe they thought they came from India or Pakistan, but maybe their story begins in another country.
“They feel comfortable in terms of their identity – that maybe their history is in both India and Pakistan.”
The events planned to mark 75 years since the British left the Indian subcontinent
Puri will be looking at what Partition means to the third generation of British Asians in her new BBC Radio 4 programme, Inheritors of Partition, which will be broadcast on August 8.
She told Eastern Eye she believed the history of Partition should be made part of the curriculum and taught in schools.
“When I was doing my research, some people didn’t know about Partition, they didn’t even know what the word meant. Others weren’t aware the British were in India. They didn’t know it was their own family story,” said Puri. “I’m not surprised. Why would they know? Because if their families are not talking about it, and they’re not taught about it in schools, how would they know?
“I think Partition and the British empire should be taught because if you don’t understand empire, if you don’t understand Partition, how can you understand the migration that took place in the post-war years when Britain looked to its former colonies, to ask people to come to help rebuild the country after the Second World War? How can you understand why there are millions of people with south
Asian heritage in Britain today?”
Puri’s work on shedding light on Partition will continue with her book currently being adapted into a play called Silence, which will run at the Donmar Warehouse in September in a co-production with Tara Theatre.
She said, “It’s possible for people of different faiths to live side by side and (in undivided India), they did so for many generations and a border cannot erase those memories.
“That’s not to say that there weren’t many, many people who wanted Partition and who wanted Pakistan. It’s not about that. It’s about remembering a time where people did coexist and had genuine friendships and love for people of different faiths.
“Once that generation dies, we will only read about it in history books, so they are still our connection to that time.”
An updated edition of Partition Voices: Untold British Stories is available from Thursday (21).
75 Years events:
August 8: Dishoom Manchester, £50
August 9: Dishoom Birmingham, £50
August 15: The 75th anniversary of Indian Independence – Dishoom King’s Cross,
INDIA’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the initiation of procurement for arms and equipment worth $12.31 billion (£9.05 billion), the defence ministry said on Thursday.
The council is headed by India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
The approvals are part of a push to strengthen the armed forces through the purchase of various systems and platforms. The ministry said the proposals include armoured recovery vehicles, electronic warfare systems for the three services, and surface-to-air missiles.
“These procurements will provide higher mobility, effective air defence, better supply chain management and augment the operational preparedness of the armed forces,” the ministry said in an official statement.
Naval systems and battlefield upgrades
The DAC has also cleared the procurement of mine countermeasure vessels (MCMVs), super rapid gun mounts (SRGMs), and submersible autonomous vessels for the Indian Navy. According to the ministry, “these procurements will enable mitigation of potential risks posed to the naval and merchant vessels.”
Among the other projects approved are the acquisition of an integrated common mobility card for the armed forces, high-power radar, air defence tactical control radar, advanced radio systems, and electronic warfare systems. The procurement of these items will help in improving situational awareness, enhancing battlefield transparency, and reducing the sensor-to-shooter loop.
The DAC also gave approval for the procurement of an integrated common inventory management system for the tri-services. The ministry said this would help in efficient management of ordnance stores and streamline inventory monitoring, strengthening the supply chain network.
All procurements from Indian vendors
The entire value of the approved proposals is to be procured from domestic sources. The ministry said, “All these procurements will be made from Indian vendors under Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) and Buy (Indian) categories, giving a boost to the Indian defence industry.”
According to the statement, this move is in line with the government’s goal of achieving self-reliance in defence production and promoting the Indian industry under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.
The procurement will also involve the acquisition of guided extended range rockets and area denial munition type I for the Indian Army. The ministry said these will enhance the combat capabilities of the artillery forces.
The Defence Acquisition Council is the highest decision-making body in the Ministry of Defence for capital acquisition proposals.
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Forecasts indicate that the weekend will be unsettled
UK's second heatwave of 2025 ends with cooler temperatures setting in.
Tuesday recorded the year’s highest temperature at 34.7°C in London.
No return to heatwave conditions forecast for early July.
Showers expected in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, with drier weather ahead.
UK heatwave fades as cooler weather returns
Following a stretch of record-breaking heat, the UK has now entered a cooler phase, with no heatwave conditions forecast for the first half of July. This change comes after Tuesday became the hottest day of the year so far, with 34.7°C recorded in London’s St James’s Park.
However, the high temperatures that marked the start of July have now given way to more comfortable conditions. In many parts of the country, temperatures have dropped by more than 10°C, bringing relief from the extreme heat.
Temperature outlook across the UK
On Wednesday, temperatures ranged between 16°C and 26°C from north to south, with cooler, fresher nights expected. Over the next week, Scotland and Northern Ireland will see daytime highs in the mid to high teens, while England and Wales can expect low to mid-20s.
Friday is likely to be the warmest day in the near forecast, with 27°C or 28°C predicted in the far south-east. Despite this brief warm spell, meteorologists have confirmed that there is no indication of another heatwave during the first two weeks of July.
Rainfall expected after dry spell
After one of the driest springs on record and a similarly dry start to summer, some rainfall is forecast over the next five days, particularly in north-western parts of the British Isles.
Areas already affected by drought, including Yorkshire and North-west England, are under close monitoring. The Environment Agency reports that two-thirds of England’s rivers currently have flow levels classified as below normal or lower for this time of year.
Regions such as eastern Scotland and parts of Wales are also experiencing low water levels. Showers are expected to arrive on Thursday and Friday, mainly across Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Unsettled weekend ahead
Forecasts indicate that the weekend will be unsettled, with unpredictable showers across the UK. However, early signs suggest that higher pressure may build again during the second week of July, reducing the chances of rain and bringing more stable conditions.
Recap of 2025’s second heatwave
This week’s hot spell marked the second official heatwave in the UK for 2025. It lasted six days in Yorkshire and the Humber, and five days in central and eastern England.
An official heatwave is recorded when a region meets specific temperature thresholds for three consecutive days, which range from 25°C to 28°C depending on location.
The recent high temperatures were driven by a large area of high pressure stalled over Europe, sometimes referred to as a “heat dome.” Scientists continue to warn that climate change is making UK heatwaves more frequent and more intense, with such events expected to become increasingly common in future years.
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Matt Hancock arrives ahead of his latest appearance before the Covid-19 Inquiry on July 02, 2025 in London, England.(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
BEREAVED families have condemned former health secretary Matt Hancock as "insulting" and "full of excuses" after he defended the controversial policy of moving untested hospital patients into care homes during the early days of the Covid pandemic.
Speaking at the Covid-19 inquiry on Wednesday (2), Hancock described the decision to discharge patients into care homes as "the least-worst decision" available at the time, despite the devastating death toll that followed.
Nicola Brook, a solicitor representing more than 7,000 families from Covid Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said Hancock's claims were "an insult to the memory of each and every person who died."
A spokesperson for the bereaved families group said: "We've waited years for this moment, hoping for truth. What we got was finger-pointing and evasion. Our loved ones were left to die without PPE, without testing or protection. Other countries protected their care homes. Ours were abandoned."
When the pandemic struck in early 2020, hospital patients were rapidly moved into care homes to free up beds and prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed. However, there was no policy requiring patients to be tested for Covid before admission until mid-April, despite growing awareness that people without symptoms could spread the virus.
Hancock told the inquiry: "Nobody has yet provided me with an alternative that was available at the time that would have saved more lives. I still can't see a decision that would have been less bad. None of the options were good."
The policy was later ruled unlawful by the High Court in 2022, which found it was "irrational" not to advise that patients should isolate from existing residents for 14 days after admission. Hancock faced sharp criticism over his previous claim that a "protective ring" had been placed around care homes. When challenged about this statement at a Downing Street press conference in May 2020, he admitted it was "rhetoric."
"I would stress in that piece of rhetoric, what I said is that we had 'tried' – it was not possible to protect as much as I would have wanted," he said.
The inquiry heard anonymous evidence from care home workers who said Hancock had "blatantly lied about the situation" and that they felt like "the sacrifice, a cull of older people who could no longer contribute to the society."
Sharon Cook, who lost both her parents during the pandemic, described the "lot of confusion" about guidance at the time. Her mother tested positive for Covid and died three days later.
A week after that, her father died, with care home staff showing her a Do Not Attempt Resuscitation form they claimed had been agreed in consultation with her.
"If they'd been using the proper form, a more up-to-date form, I would have had to countersign," she said. "If I'd been let in, would my dad still be with me? I don't know."
The inquiry has heard that more than 43,000 deaths involving Covid occurred in care homes across the UK between March 2020 and July 2022. A civil servant earlier this week described the figure as a "generational slaughter within care homes."
Hancock, who resigned from government in 2021 after admitting to breaking social distancing rules by having an affair with a colleague, said the discharge policy was "formally a government decision" signed off by the prime minister but "driven" by then-NHS chief executive Simon Stevens.
Throughout his evidence, Hancock offered no apology for the policy's consequences. He told the inquiry: "We were trying to do everything that we possibly could, we were in bleak circumstances."
The care sector module of the inquiry is expected to run until the end of July, with bereaved families continuing to demand accountability from those who made key decisions during the pandemic's early stages.
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Starmer has said the NHS must 'reform or die' and promised changes that would control the rising costs of caring for an ageing population without increasing taxes. (Photo: Getty Images)
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer will on Thursday launch a 10-year strategy aimed at fixing the National Health Service (NHS), which he said was in crisis. The plan seeks to ease the pressure on overstretched hospitals and shift care closer to people’s homes.
The NHS, which is publicly funded and state-run, has faced difficulties recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. It continues to experience annual winter pressures, repeated waves of industrial action, and a long backlog for elective treatments.
Starmer has said the NHS must “reform or die” and promised changes that would control the rising costs of caring for an ageing population without increasing taxes.
In a statement, Starmer said his Labour Party had inherited a health system in crisis when it took office a year ago, but that the new plan would “fundamentally rewire and future-proof” the service.
New health centres and waiting list cuts
The strategy includes the creation of new health centres that will offer a wider range of services in a single location. According to the government, this move is intended to reduce pressure on hospitals, help bring down waiting lists and end “perpetual firefighting” in the system.
After a first year in office marked by unpopular spending cuts and some costly U-turns, healthcare is one of the areas where Starmer’s government says it has made progress.
The government has delivered 4 million extra appointments – double the target set for the first year – and brought waiting lists to a two-year low. Starmer said the NHS would not be fixed overnight but added, “we are already turning the tide on years of decline”.
Talks with pharma sector and life sciences strategy pending
However, the government remains in a deadlock with the pharmaceutical industry over drug pricing. It also faces potential further strikes from healthcare workers and has yet to release its promised plan to accelerate development in the UK’s life sciences sector.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Starmer and Reeves during a visit to Horiba Mira in Nuneaton, to mark the launch of the Government's Industrial Strategy on June 23, 2025 in Nuneaton. (Photo: Getty Images)
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer on Wednesday said that Chancellor Rachel Reeves would remain in her role for “a very long time to come”, after she appeared visibly upset in parliament as questions were raised about her future.
Reeves was seen with tears rolling down her face during Prime Minister’s Questions, after Starmer did not confirm whether she would remain chancellor until the next general election, expected in 2029.
The moment came after the Labour government reversed its position on key welfare spending cuts, removing a multibillion-pound saving from the public finances and prompting speculation about Reeves’s position in the cabinet.
Following the incident, the pound dropped by more than one per cent against the dollar, and the London stock market also declined.
'The Chancellor is going nowhere'
A spokeswoman for Starmer told reporters later that Reeves had the Prime Minister’s “full backing”. A spokesman for Reeves said she had been upset due to a “personal matter”.
“The Chancellor is going nowhere. She has the Prime Minister’s full backing,” said Starmer’s press secretary.
When asked why Starmer had not voiced support for Reeves in the Commons, the spokeswoman said: “He has done so repeatedly.”
She added: “The Chancellor and the Prime Minister are focused entirely on delivering for working people.”
In a later interview with the BBC, Starmer said Reeves had done “an excellent job as chancellor” and would stay in the role “for a very long time to come”.
He said the tears had “nothing to do with politics” and described suggestions to the contrary as “absolutely wrong”.
Reeves to continue work from Downing Street
Asked about why Reeves was upset, her spokesman said: “It’s a personal matter, which, as you would expect, we are not going to get into.”
He added: “The Chancellor will be working out of Downing Street this afternoon.”
Starmer reversed the government’s welfare spending plan on Tuesday following a rebellion from Labour MPs, in what has been seen as a significant blow to his authority.
The decision to drop the cuts has left a gap of nearly £5 billion in Reeves’s fiscal plans, raising the prospect that she may have to increase taxes on “working people”—something she has said she would not do.
She has also ruled out changing her position that day-to-day spending must be funded by tax receipts rather than borrowing.