How Partition reshaped the Capital — and its soul

A look at how an influx of people reshaped Delhi’s map, culture, and economy, leaving the city forever transformed by their resilience

- Somya Lakhani

In August 1947, writer and playwright Bhisham Sahni boarded a train from Rawalpindi to Delhi -not to relocate, but to witness history. Jawaharlal Nehru was to speak in Delhi at the stroke of midnight as India became free. Sahni’s plan was always to return home to Rawalpindi, where he lived with his parents, wife and their one-year-old daughter, Kalpana.

“He stayed in Delhi for a few days, but when he decided to return, he realised that he had missed the final train to Pakistan. Riots had erupted everywhere; communication and rail services had collapsed. Our relatives lived in Delhi, on what is now known as Amrita Shergill Marg; they put charpoys around the house for displaced friends and family and people stayed there briefly, including my father,” recalled Kalpana.

‘And just like that, rather reluctantly, Delhi became Sahni’s home.

It was an accident shared by millions of others who fled newly-formed Pakistan, often believing the move was temporary. Some, like the grandfather of this author, believed it was only a temporary measure ~ so all furniture in his home in Dera Ismail Khan was covered with sheets so dust wouldn't settle before they came back from Delhi - a strange city where no one spoke their language.

They never returned.