Human Cost of Migration in the Light of Coronavirus Pandemic and Partition 1947

Authors

  • Bhavya Assistant Professor, English & Communication Studies, Department of Applied Sciences and Humanities, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW), Delhi, India.
  • Komal Guest Faculty, English & Communication Studies, Department of Applied Sciences and Humanities, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW), Delhi, India.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56062/

Keywords:

India’s Partition 1947, Pandemic, Migration, History, Trauma.

Abstract

The Partition of India embroiled itself as an event that caused enormous suffering to those who faced it. The sour traces of the ambush in the form of burglary, communal killings, dishonouring of women, and mass exodus are hard to forget. The long journey by foot in the summer heat, hunger and thirst, constant fear of an attack by people of opposite faith, separation and death, to name a few, were the dreaded consequences of the journey from one side of the border to the other. The enforced migration has significantly prolonged adapting to the colossal history of separation from one’s land, home, work, family and identity. The advent of the Corona Virus Pandemic pictured an analogous situation. It returned as a blunt reminder of the history of migration years ago, in 1947. A close examination of the dismal migration scenes during the Partition and the Pandemic gives us an understanding of the anguish and misery people had to go through in the Indian context. This paper seeks to look upon the sights of migration as a curse on the country’s inhabitants because of the innumerable human lives it costs.

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Published

2026-07-25

How to Cite

Bhavya, and Komal. “Human Cost of Migration in the Light of Coronavirus Pandemic and Partition 1947”. Creative Saplings, vol. 5, no. 7, July 2026, pp. 53-63, https://doi.org/10.56062/.

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