Overdose of Partition in British media irks Indians
August 15 has long been an occasion for the British media to remember the ‘jewel in the crown’, the empire and pass judgment on how India has fared since Independence, but the current focus on partition has not exactly enthused the Indian community.
The BBC in particular has unleashed a series of partitionthemed programmes across radio, television and the internet, but newspapers are not far behind pillaging the partition discourse, with much comment.
Missing in the media narrative and imagery however, is Britain’s role in the partition and its responsibility in the fallout.
“I'm a little partitioned-out. We are celebrating 70 years of Indian independence and it seems like the only thing we have to show for it is partition – look at the rash of films and programmes that have cropped up,” said London-based writer Seema Anand.
Several members of the Indian community told HT that the media focus on the partition here almost seemed like a ‘celebration’ of partition.
A BBC spokesperson said: “To mark the anniversary, the BBC has commissioned a diverse range of programmes ... The output utilises a wide variety of voices to provide fresh perspectives and ensure a balance between examining the impact of historical events and looking forward”.
However, Daya K Thussu, professor and co-director of the Indian media centre at the University of Westminster, said: “Despite Britain’s direct responsibility ... the BBC’s coverage has been to ignore British role in what was one of the worst tragedies of the 20th century”.
“An imperial mindset still appears to influence the worldview of the elites of a diminishing power. By focusing on the partition, the BBC has missed the bigger story about India – the third largest economy in the world (in terms of purchasing power parity) and its growing investment in Britain”, he added.
Madrasas in Meerut are gearing up for Independence Day celebrations but are not happy with the state government’s order making videography of the programme mandatory.
People associated with madrasas said the order indicated that the government did not trust them. Western Uttar Pradesh has over 3,000 madrasas affiliated to the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom of Deoband.
Mohtmim (vice-chancellor) of Darul Uloom Mufti Abul Kasim Nomani said madrasas celebrated Independence Day every year with fervour. When asked about the order on videography, Nomani claimed he did not receive any such order.
City president of Jamiat-e-Ulema-Hind and nayab shahar qazi Jainus Rasheed in expressed dismay over the state government’s order for videography of the function. “The move is highly objectionable and questions our patriotism. If it is important, it should be done in all institutes,” he said.