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From the arrival of the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama on the shores of western India in the 15th Century to establish links with spice traders, and the later arrival of the British East India Company in Bengal, the beginnings of the extensive trade links with India we see today, were established. Today India is renowned for its rapid development and the growth of its high tech industries and is increasingly attractive to foreign investment. It is home to a diverse population of over one billion people and is the worlds largest democracy.

However the country has undergone many changes to become the nation it is today, most notably the alteration of its territory during the quest for independence in the 1940s which lead to the creation of the modern day countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The changes implemented during this particularly turbulent period are still felt today and have altered the social dynamics and geography of the country.

Key questions

Why was the 60th anniversary of the partition of India and Pakistan marked in the UK in 2007?

What was the relationship between the British and the Punjab?

What can different sources tell us about partition?

What are the views on partition by people today?

Factsheets

These fact sheets provide background information to each of the key questions. They can be used together with the associated downloadable activities to investigate each area.  ​

Downloadable activities

The downloadable activities used with the associated factsheets can be used in the classroom to investigate each area.

An education pack exploring the Punjab and its past has recently been developed. The pack entitled Pictures of the Punjab contains activities for students from the ages of eight to 12 and can be downloaded in sections.

The Society's exhbition The Punjab: Moving Journeys explores the complex history of the Punjab region, spanning India and Pakistan, and the impact of migration by successive generations of Punjabi people. The exhibition reveals the reasons for migration, regionally and internationally, from the late 1800s onwards. The contemporary significance of these journeys  is revealed through the perspectives of  UK-based community groups with links to the Punjab in both countries. 

Links

This theme was developed with support from the UK Punjab Heritage Association, the Muslim Womens Welfare Association, Cartwright Hall Young Ambassadors and the North Hertfordshire Sikh Education Council. Workshops were conducted with these groups exploring some of the themes raised within these resources.

Downloads

File nameFiles

File type

Size

Download

Teacher's Notes - Key Stage Three

.doc

83 KB

Teacher's Notes - Key Stage Three

.doc

110 KB

Teacher's Notes - Part one

.doc

147 KB

Activity Sheet - Different Sources

.doc

50 KB

Activity Sheet - Interview Guidance

.doc

46 KB

Activity Sheet - Planning your Webpage

.doc

78 KB

Activity Sheet - Web Quest

.doc

52 KB

Blank World Map

.doc

1 MB

Britain and the Punjab Factsheet

.doc

6 MB

Climate and landscape of the Punjab Fact Sheet

.doc

74 KB

Image information

.doc

313 KB

India Country Factsheet

.doc

1 MB

India pictures of the past images

.pdf

1 MB

Pakistan Country Factsheet

.doc

1 MB

Pictures of the Punjab - Activity four

.pdf

309 KB

Pictures of the Punjab - Activity one

.pdf

108 KB

Pictures of the Punjab - Activity three

.pdf

30 KB

Pictures of the Punjab - Activity two; part one

.pdf

318 KB

Pictures of the Punjab - Activity two; part two

.pdf

175 KB

Pictures of the Punjab - Archive map of India

.pdf

1 MB

Pictures of the Punjab - Brief History of India Timeline

.pdf

25 KB

Pictures of the Punjab - Image Cards

.pdf

1 MB

Pictures of the Punjab - Introduction

.pdf

21 KB

Pictures of the Punjab - Peoples Exhibition

.pdf

190 KB

Punjab - Moving Journeys Factsheet

.doc

2 MB

Punjabis in the British Army Factsheet

.doc

865 KB

Student Activity Sheet - Make your own map of India

.doc

41 KB

Student Activity Sheet - Make your own poster

.doc

51 KB

Student Activity Sheet - My map of India

.doc

3 MB

Student Activity Sheet - My map of Pakistan

.doc

42 KB

Student Activity Sheet - My map of Pakistan (1)

.doc

275 KB

The Punjab - A Basic Map

.doc

2 MB

Two Views of Partition Factsheet

.doc

223 KB

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