Haunted by Partition, why Punjab needs a new revolution – resistance spirit to sustainable future

The partition of India in 1947 marked both freedom and devastation for Punjab. While the country gained independence, millions of Punjabis were displaced from their homes and lands. This forced migration left deep scars on the region's history and political memory. The central government now observes August 14 as a day to remember the horrors of partition.

Despite this painful legacy, the generation that followed their displacement did not simply bear the burden of loss; they also carried nostalgia for the canal-colony settlements of western Punjab that they had to leave behind.

The spirit of resistance and rebuilding is deeply ingrained in Punjab's political memory, a legacy of earlier agrarian struggles. The Pagdi Sambhal Jatta movement, led by Shaheed Bhagat Singh's uncle Ajit Singh, was a prominent example. Ajit Singh, a key architect of the farmers' agitation against British agricultural laws, led this movement in 1907.

He was imprisoned for nearly four decades by the British but continued to inspire farmers through his oratory skills. His slogan, Pagdi Sambhal Jatta, continues to resonate in Punjab and raises questions about what resistance should confront today: not colonial rule, but the depletion of Punjab's key resource of water.