First History Lessons: The Partition

First History Lessons is a series of three books published under ‘Revisiting the Craft of History Writing for Children’, a project by the Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (IDSK), Kolkata. Explaining complex themes in history to children, the series was funded by Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (RLS). Published in March 2023, the books in this series are: Itihase Hatekhari: Desher Bhasha (The Languages of Our Country), Itihase Hatekhari: Desher Manush (The People of Our Country) and Itihase Hatekhari: Deshvaag (Partition).This book is the third document in the series, and aims to promote historical consciousness and encourage critical inquiry into the past. It has been written by Anwesha Sengupta, a teacher of history at the Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata. Arunava Sinha has translated this book into English from the original Bengali. The illustrations have been created by Ranjit Chitrakar and Sirajudaulla Chitrakar, patachitra artists from the West Midnapur district of West Bengal.This book explores significant historical events – focusing on the 1947 partition of the subcontinent and the creation of two separate nations: India and Pakistan. It also studies the 1971 partition which led to the creation of Bangladesh. The book delves into the multifaceted history of the Indian subcontinent, including British India and the pre-British era, highlighting the reigns of iconic figures like Babar and Akbar...