1940s: The end of British colonial rule of India comes in 1947. India is split, with two regions of Pakistan divided by India. Muslims are to live in Pakistan; Hindus and Sikhs in India.

Today: Celebrations of the partition—though not of its violence—take place in 1997 as fifty years of Indian and Pakistani independence are commemorated. Yet even in the celebrations, there is disagreement. Bangladesh marks its anniversary of independence not from 1947 but from February 21, 1952, called "Martyr's Day" to commemorate the first people to die in eastern Pakistan's struggle for nationhood.

1940s: Immediately after partition, those responsible for it declare its success, whereas those who actually live through it suffer immeasurably. It is not until the 1970s that the true story of the partition and its aftermath is widely known.

Today: There is still a division between people who believe that partition...