Echoes of partition: Generational trauma in South Asian families

The Partition of India refers to the division of British India into two independent nations, India and Pakistan. It was part of the decolonisation process following World War II. Pakistan was created as a separate state for Muslims, while India remained a secular nation with a Hindu majority.

The British exploited religious divisions to maintain control. They often favoured minorities, especially Muslims, in administrative roles and military recruitment, preventing unity between Hindus and Muslims against colonial rule. Over time, this deepened mistrust between communities, making it harder to foster a shared national identity.

The early 20th century saw a rise in Indian nationalism, but the movement was not unified.  

The Indian National Congress (primarily led by Hindus) pushed for independence, while the Muslim League, under Muhammad Ali Jinnah, felt that Muslims were not fairly represented in Congress or India’s future vision.  

Jinnah feared Muslims would become a permanent minority in a Hindu-majority India.

The British ruled India for nearly two centuries. The people were suppressed, exploited, and many lived in conditions akin to slavery under the British Raj. India was not just governed, it was plundered. Indians were treated as second-class citizens in their own homeland, and their wealth was used to fund the British Empire. Farmers were forced to grow crops for British industries, leading to famines, while grain was exported to Britain.

Indians often worked dangerous, underpaid, or unpaid jobs, including railway construction, plantation labour, and service in the British army. They were abused, separated from their families, and lived under near-slavery conditions.  

British laws protected colonial officers, not Indians. Even highly educated Indians were denied high-ranking positions. Racial discrimination was deeply embedded; British officials saw Indians as “uncivilised” and unfit to govern.

Millions were born into oppression, unaware that India belonged to them or that they had any natural or human rights. The British system kept them silent, powerless, and obedient.  

Yet, even in the darkest times, brave individuals resisted. Figures like Mangal Pandey and Bhagat Singh became symbols of defiance, demanding freedom, justice, and dignity for all.  

They paid a heavy price. Executed by the British, accused of “misleading the people,” these heroes were punished not for lies but for the truth, that India belonged to its people.

Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (AKA Amritsar Massacre)

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, occurred on April 13, 1919, in Amritsar, Punjab (now in India).

Thousands of Indians (men, women, and children) had gathered peacefully at Jallianwala Bagh, a walled public garden, to protest colonial policies, including the Rowlatt Act, which allowed imprisonment without trial.

Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, a British officer, led the massacre. Upon learning of the gathering, he brought 50 soldiers, blocked the single narrow exit, and without warning, ordered them to open fire.

For 10 minutes, soldiers fired 1,650 rounds into the densest parts of the crowd.  

Many tried to flee or hide; some jumped into a well in the garden to escape, many drowned, others were shot mid-air.

Official British reports claimed around 379 deaths, but Indian estimates put the death toll over 1,000, with many more injured. Among the victims were babies, toddlers, the elderly, and the disabled.

Today, Jallianwala Bagh stands as a national memorial, a symbol of colonial cruelty, injustice, and Indian resilience.

The Great Partition

The Indian National Congress, led by Gandhi and Nehru, called for independence and unity.  

Meanwhile, the Muslim League, under Jinnah, argued that Muslims would not be safe in a Hindu-majority India and demanded a separate state - Pakistan.

The Partition didn’t just divide a country, it fractured the very soul of a nation. It became one of the most traumatic events of the 20th century, with deep and lasting consequences.

As new borders were announced, around 15 million people were forced to migrate, Muslims to Pakistan, Hindus and Sikhs to India.  

Most had no warning and little time to prepare. Families left behind homes, land, businesses, and ancestral memories, often with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Refugee trains and caravans were ambushed. Entire trains arrived at stations filled with corpses.

These stories didn’t end with those who lived through them. Children displaced by Partition carried the trauma throughout their entire lives. The impact ran deep, and the trauma was often unspoken but not unfelt.

Women and children were the most vulnerable. Many families were permanently displaced, their loved ones lost without a trace. The emotional and psychological damage was often indescribable, too vast for the human mind to process or recover from.

Many lost children were sent to orphanages or adopted into families, not always safe or loving. Some were trafficked into slavery or sex work, with no escape.

Partition resulted in one of the largest and bloodiest mass migrations in history. Over 15 million displaced. Over a million dead. The violence included communal killings, rape, abductions, family separations, and the complete loss of identity.

Current challenges in South Asian communities

Today, we recognise many cultural challenges in South Asian communities, but tracing their origins can be difficult.

While Partition survivors experienced PTSD, nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, and hypervigilance, their descendants often inherited trauma responses without ever facing the original violence.

Generational silence has created emotional repression. Many survivors never spoke about what they endured, creating discomfort with vulnerability and emotional expression in their children and grandchildren.

Even those who rebuilt their lives carried internal worlds filled with fear, mistrust, and insecurity. These emotional patterns were passed on, shaping how families functioned.

Examples of inherited trauma

• Hypervigilance — Constantly scanning for danger, even in safety. This survival instinct creates overprotectiveness and fear-based parenting.  
• Overprotective parenting — An excessive need to keep children “safe,” often limiting autonomy, travel, dating, and social interactions.  
• Mistrust of outsiders — A deep fear of people outside the community or systems of authority, rooted in betrayal during Partition.  
• Fear-based decision making — Choosing “safe” careers, marriages, and paths to avoid threats to family security or image.  
• Avoidance of vulnerability — Emotions are seen as weakness, leading to emotional suppression.

Common phrases reflecting generational trauma

• “What will people say?”  
• “Don’t trust anyone.”  
• “Stick to your own kind.”  
• “Keep your head down and get on with it.”  
• “We’ve been through worse, this is nothing.”

How the partition still affects younger generations

Even generations who did not witness Partition often experience its psychological effects.  

Many South Asians today report chronic anxiety, overthinking, restlessness, and a persistent sense that something bad is about to happen, even when life appears stable.

Guilt for wanting more

If survival and sacrifice defined previous generations, exploring identity, emotions, or dreams can feel selfish. Saying “no” to family feels like betrayal.  

Young girls are raised to be obedient, to never question in-laws or husbands, and are often denied a sense of autonomy.

Navigating the path forward

Understanding these patterns is the first step in breaking them.

When younger generations realise that their anxiety or perfectionism stems from inherited trauma, not personal flaws, it opens the door to healing.

Through therapy, open dialogue, and reflection, many are rewriting their narratives. They are learning that safety doesn’t come from control, but from connection, presence, and self-trust.

How counselling can help

There is growing awareness around healing generational trauma, which often exists beneath the surface.

Counselling provides a safe space to explore inherited beliefs such as:

• “My needs don’t matter.”
• “I’m responsible for everyone’s happiness.”
• “I feel guilty when I rest or say no.”

Therapy can help trace these thoughts back to their roots.

Inner child work is especially powerful. It reconnects individuals with their authentic selves, allowing them to heal past wounds and move toward healthier, happier lives.

Counselling can help you:

• heal the inner child who wasn’t seen or emotionally nurtured  
• learn emotional regulation and self-soothing  
• relate to yourself and others from a place of security, not survival

Healing generational trauma isn’t about blaming parents. It’s about understanding what shaped them, so we can free ourselves.

A legacy that lingers

The Great Partition ended decades ago, but sadness and grief remain in families and generational memory.

Partition is not just a historical event, it’s a legacy of pain, sorrow, and unresolved trauma. It echoes through generations still searching for safety, identity, and healing.

In the end, it wasn’t just land that was divided; people, identities, and generations left to carry the weight of stories too heavy to speak.