What is better than a book than lived experience, I decided to ask my grandparents about what the deal was.
Background: Both were roughly teenaged at the time of Partition. Resided in modern day Pakistan, were farmers who farmed land apparently allocated to them by government?
Have not visited South Asia in years, regularly consume news from that area, generally involves regularly learning about high profile crime and drugs incidents (relevant later).
Highlights, some bits were contradictory but they are elderly and memory not sharp so since I'm not interrogating them I didn't try and reconcile.
- Didn't dislike the Brits
- Liked the idea of self-determination
- Disliked Gandhi (distrusted), like Bhagat
- Liked the relative calm back then, said it was cool seeing people with nice clothes and jewelry walking around without fear.
- Nostalgia for that since now they feel crime is a massive problem, likely exacerbated by their media consumption
- Disdain for modern legal systems, they felt crime wasn't an issue back then because serious crime would result in communal lynches. And now think crime is rampant (media probably)
- Lived in village communities of farmers, effectively making them peasant farmers I suppose
- Aware of British atrocities of renown, likely unaware of most going-ons for obvious reasons
So a bit contradictory it seems, they have strong disdain for crime as well as Modi so that creates a sense of nostalgia for perceived better times.
Aware of British crimes, pro-Bhagat but also strands of nostalgia.
I'm guessing from where they were, whatever wealthy Brits were trotting about didn't cause them any grievance causing a positive view seemingly at odds with the rest. Really coming across as "simple folks" living away from wherever was bustling in every sense, so rich people were probably a novelty and poor information flow meant the local experience painted their entire view. And then contrasting it with the modern media they consume, they feel life has gotten worse and more barbaric.
Not an uncommon view among the older people in general, but as an aside I feel that is due to the immediate media bombardment you just didn't have during the "good old days".
