The 1947 Partition: How a Province Was Split in 48 Days

In 1947, Cyril Radcliffe, a British lawyer who had never set foot in India, was given just 48 days to draw a line that would divide Bengal and create two new nations. This episode traces the bewildering speed and human cost of that partition. We follow the Boundary Commission's chaotic process, the impossible choices faced by Bengali families, and the lasting scars that still shape the region today. Drawing on the work of historians like Joya Chatterji and Willem van Schendel, we explore how decisions made in a few rushed weeks—often by officials who knew little of local geography—reordered the lives of millions. From the Ganges delta to the streets of Calcutta, we look at the maps, the committees, and the individual stories of loss and resilience that define this rupture. If you've ever wondered how a province with a shared language and culture could be split so abruptly, this is the story of that line on the map, and the people who lived through it.

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