THE High Commission of India in London on Thursday (14) commemorated Partition Horrors Remembrance Day with a special photography exhibition and a documentary screening reflecting on India’s Partition in August 1947.
Community leaders and Indian diaspora members recounted memories of the past on the eve of the country’s 79th Independence Day.
“When we recall Partition, we must also recall that this was a tragedy for everybody, because it was a tragedy that happened to all communities,” Indian high commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami, told the gathering.
On #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay, @HCI_London hosted a commemorative event to honour the lives lost and the strength of those who survived. In his remarks, HC @VDoraiswami emphasised that Partition is a chapter of our nation’s history that must never be forgotten, and that it… pic.twitter.com/uwG9c1f7Df
— India in the UK (@HCI_London) August 14, 2025
Many people were uprooted to come to India and likewise in Pakistan and that impact is still seen in the way people deal with each other even now, the envoy said.
"That at least should tell us, if nothing else, that the experiment that is the modern Indian nation is a valid argument,” he added.
“Our continued existence as a state that is there for all Indian citizens is the best answer we can give anybody who seeks to suggest that we are different by virtue of our faith or by dealing with the absence of faith,” Doraiswami added.
UK-based filmmaker Lalit Mohan Joshi presented an abridged version of his documentary Beyond Partition, with film-makers Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani and Gulzar whose work features themes of Partition.
“My film explores the trauma of Partition and how it impacted on filmmakers from the Indian subcontinent,” said Joshi.
The memorial event, held in the Gandhi Hall of India House, also included a photographic exhibition tracing the history of the Partition.
Professor Anand Menon
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