Why was India split into two countries? - Haimanti Roy

翻译人员: Yanyan Hong 校对人员: Jiasi Hao

In August 1947, India gained independence after 200 years of British rule.

1947 年 8 月，印度在经历 两百年的英国统治后获得独立。

What followed was one of the largest and bloodiest forced migrations in history.

随之发生的是历史上规模 最大、最血腥的一次被迫迁徙，

An estimated one million people lost their lives.

约一百万人在其中丧生。

Before British colonization,

在英国殖民统治之前，

the Indian subcontinent was a patchwork of regional kingdoms

印度次大陆是一个 由印度教教徒、穆斯林、

known as princely states populated by Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains,

锡克教、耆那教、 佛教、基督教、帕西斯教，

Buddhists, Christians, Parsis, and Jews.

和犹太教教徒 各领地组成的王国。

Each princely state had its own traditions,

每个领地都有自己的传统、

caste backgrounds, and leadership.

种姓历史以及领袖。

Starting in the 1500s, a series of European powers colonized India

从 16 世纪开始，许多欧洲强国

通过沿海贸易据点的设立 在印度建立殖民地。

with coastal trading settlements.

By the mid-18th century, the English East India Company

18 世纪中叶，英国东印度公司

emerged as the primary colonial power in India.

成了印度的主要殖民势力。

The British ruled some provinces directly, and ruled the princely states indirectly.

英国直接统治了一些地区， 并间接控制了各个领地。

Under indirect rule, the princely states remained sovereign

在间接统治下， 各个领地仍然拥有主权，

but made political and financial concessions to the British.

但在政治和财政上向英国妥协。

In the 19th century, the British began to categorize Indians by religious identity—

在 19 世纪，英国人开始 按宗教信仰给印度人分类——

a gross simplification of the communities in India.

一种面向印度各群体的极度简化。

They counted Hindus as “majorities”

他们把印度教徒们视为 “多数”，

and all other religious communities as distinct “minorities,”

而将其他以穆斯林为首的宗教团体

with Muslims being the largest minority.

定为 “少数”。

Sikhs were considered part of the Hindu community by everyone but themselves.

除了教徒本身，所有人都认为 锡克教徒是印度教团体的一部分 。

In elections, people could only vote for candidates

在选举中，人们只能投票给

of their own religious identification.

具有相同宗教信仰的候选人。

These practices exaggerated differences,

这些做法放大了差异，

sowing distrust between communities that had previously co-existed.

在原本和谐共存的群体间 播下了不信任的种子。

The 20th century began with decades of anti-colonial movements,

20 世纪开始了 数十年的反殖民运动，

where Indians fought for independence from Britain.

印度人为脱离英国，获得独立而斗争。

In the aftermath of World War II,

第二次世界大战结束后，

under enormous financial strain from the war,

在战争造成的巨大财政压力下，

Britain finally caved.

英国终于投降了。

Indian political leaders had differing views

印度政治领袖对独立后的印度

on what an independent India should look like.

各持己见。

Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru represented the Hindu majority

代表印度教多数派的莫汉达斯·甘地 （Mohandas Gandhi）

和贾瓦哈拉尔·尼赫鲁 （Jawaharlal Nehru）

and wanted one united India.

想要一个统一的印度。

Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who led the Muslim minority,

领导穆斯林少数派的 穆罕默德·阿里·金纳（Muhammad Ali Jinnah）

thought the rifts created by colonization were too deep to repair.

认为殖民造成的 分歧太深，难以修复。

Jinnah argued for a two nation division

金纳主张印巴分治，

where Muslims would have a homeland called Pakistan.

穆斯林将会拥有一个称之为 “巴基斯坦” 的国家。

Following riots in 1946 and 1947, the British expedited their retreat,

紧随 1946 年和 1947 年发生的暴乱， 英国人加快了撤退的步伐，

planning Indian independence behind closed doors.

闭门讨论印度的独立。

In June 1947, the British viceroy announced that India

1947 年 6 月，英国总督宣布印度

would gain independence by August,

将在 8 月前获得独立，

and be partitioned into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan—

并划分为信奉印度教的印度 和穆斯林的巴基斯坦——

but gave little explanation of how exactly this would happen.

但却没有做进一步解释。

Using outdated maps, inaccurate census numbers and minimal knowledge of the land,

边界委员会拿着过时的地图、 不准确的人口普查数字，

以及对这片土地所知甚少的情报，

in a mere five weeks, the Boundary Committee drew a border

在短短的五周内，画了条边界划分了

dividing three provinces under direct British rule:

英国管辖下的三个地区：

Bengal, Punjab, and Assam.

孟加拉邦、旁遮普和阿萨姆。

The border took into account where Hindus and Muslims were majorities,

边界考虑了印度教徒 和穆斯林占多数的地区，

but also factors like location and population percentages.

地理位置以及人口比例等因素。

So if a Hindu majority area bordered another Hindu majority area,

因此，如果印度教占多数的地区 与另一个印度教占多数的地区接壤，

it would be included in India—

它就会被纳入印度——

but if a Hindu majority area bordered Muslim majority areas,

反之，一个印度教占多数 与穆斯林占多数的地区接壤，

it might become part of Pakistan.

它可能会归为巴基斯坦的一部分。

Princely states on the border had to choose which of the new nations to join,

被边境穿过的领地 不得不做出加入哪边的抉择，

losing their sovereignty in the process.

并在这个过程中丧失了主权。

While the Boundary Committee worked on the new map,

在边界委员会制定新地图的过程中，

Hindus and Muslims began moving to areas

印度教徒和穆斯林开始迁往

where they thought they’d be a part of the religious majority—

他们认为自己会成为 宗教多数的地区——

but they couldn’t be sure.

但是他们无法确定。

Families divided themselves.

家庭因此四散分离。

Fearing sexual violence, parents sent young daughters and wives

由于害怕性暴力， 父母把的年幼女儿和妻子

to regions they perceived to be safe.

送到他们认为安全的地区。

The new map wasn’t revealed until August 17th, 1947—

新地图直到 1947 年 8 月 17 日 都没有公布——

two days after independence.

也就是独立后的两天。

The provinces of Punjab and Bengal became

旁遮普和孟加拉邦成为

the geographically separated East and West Pakistan.

从地理位置上被划分为 东和西巴基斯坦，

The rest became Hindu-majority India.

其余的则成为了 多数为印度教徒的印度。

In a period of two years, millions of Hindus and Sikhs living in Pakistan

在两年的时间里， 生活在巴基斯坦的数百万印度教和锡克教教徒

left for India,

离开故土前往印度。

while Muslims living in India fled villages

而生活在印度的穆斯林逃离了

where their families had lived for centuries.

他们家族生活了几个世纪的村庄。

The cities of Lahore, Delhi, Calcutta, Dhaka, and Karachi

拉合尔、德里、加尔各答、 达卡和卡拉奇等城市的

emptied of old residents and filled with refugees.

原住居民被清空，到处是难民。

In the power vacuum British forces left behind,

在英国军队撤离后的权力真空期，

radicalized militias and local groups massacred migrants.

激进的民兵和地方组织 开始屠杀移民。

Much of the violence occurred in Punjab, and women bore the brunt of it,

大部分暴力发生在旁遮普， 妇女是首当其冲的受害群体，

suffering rape and mutilation.

惨遭强奸和残害。

Around 100,000 women were kidnapped and forced to marry their captors.

大约有十万名妇女被绑架 并被迫与绑架者结婚。

The problems created by Partition went far beyond this immediate deadly aftermath.

分治造成的问题远远 超出了这种即时的致命后果，

Many families who made temporary moves became permanently displaced,

许多临时搬迁的家庭 永久地流离失所，

and borders continue to be disputed.

而边境争议仍在持续。

In 1971, East Pakistan seceded and became the new country of Bangladesh.

1971 年，东巴基斯坦脱离联邦， 成为一个新的国家——孟加拉国。

Meanwhile, the Hindu ruler of Kashmir decided to join India—

同时，克什米尔的 印度教统治者决定归并印度——

a decision that was to be finalized by a public referendum

这项决定将由穆斯林占多数的人口

of the majority Muslim population.

进行公投，最终确定。

That referendum still hasn't happened as of 2020,

直到 2020 年，全民公决仍未举行，

and India and Pakistan have been warring over Kashmir since 1947.

印度和巴基斯坦自 1947 年以来 一直在克什米尔问题上交战。

More than 70 years later,

70 多年后，

the legacies of the Partition remain clear in the subcontinent:

分治的遗留问题 在次大陆依然清晰可见：

in its new political formations and in the memories of divided families.

存在于新的政治形式中， 更在分裂家庭的记忆中。