Lecture Notes: Partition of India in Print Media and Cinema - Cartographic Lines and Map Making

Introduction

• Focus on cartographic lines and politics of map-making.
• Discussing Baudrillard's view on maps as referenced through Borges' idea of map making as a 'mad project'.
  • Simulation precedes the real.
  • Maps create a reality by preceding the territory.

Cartography and Deconstruction

• Cartography involves representation of geographical features via maps, charts, models, etc.
• Maps are influenced by biases, agendas, necessitating deconstruction.
  • Maps hold power that requires examination.
• Cultural and social influences impact map making.
  • Maps are not neutral or disinterested creations.

Maps and Nation States

• Map making consolidates people into a nation, aligns with Benedict Anderson's concept of nation as an imagined community.
• Historically linked with colonialism and imperialism.
  • Strategy tool for imperial power.
  • Example: Africa depicted for imperial commerce and military conquest.

Partition of India Context

• Partition announced on June 3, 1947, border publicized on August 17, 1947.
  • Initial period marked by chaos and liminal existences.
• Historical context: Radcliffe line drawn without local insight.
  • Army cartographers influenced partition line.
  • Resulted in mass migration, separation of families.
  • Illustrative example: Film, Begum Jaan.

Political Context and Power

• Idea of Muslims as a separate nation emerged in 1888, crystallized with Pakistan's creation in 1947.
  • Maps played a role in enabling this transformation.
• Contention over India-Pakistan borders led to wars and occupation of Kashmir.
• Maps translate imperial, political, and religious ideas into geographic realities.

Radcliffe Commission

• Sir Cyril Radcliffe, unfamiliar with India, drew borders.
  • Considered neutral but elitist process.
  • Influential groups had more say, marginalized groups like Dalits were ignored.
• Radcliffe relied on inadequate surveys and statistics.
  • Mountbatten's decision to keep borders secret added to confusion.

Public Response and Aftermath

• Local leaders and public suggested maps to political leaders.
  • Confusion and violence ensued post-partition.
  • Ethnic and communal groups used violence to claim lands.
• Movement of religious minorities across borders.
  • Borders marked using bodies as boundaries.

Symbolism and Legacy of Maps

• Maps symbolized British imperialism, applied from a distance.
  • Maps produced power but ignored common people's aspirations.
• Nationalists adopted British maps uncritically.
  • Maps continue to influence national identities and conflict.

Modern Implications

• India-Pakistan border still contentious.
  • Maps on platforms like Google reflect local nationalisms.
• Reality and simulacrum: Maps reflect collective fantasies as reality.
  • Critique of Anderson's imagined communities vis-à-vis pre-existing modular forms from the West.

Conclusion

• Maps suppress alternative identities in favor of a singular national identity.
• The lecture reflects on how maps influence politics, culture, and personal identities.