Historian Mridula Mukherjee was born in Delhi three years after Partition. Her parents, professors from Lahore, had relocated to Delhi and started teaching. The initial years were challenging for both the city and the refugees, as they were still adjusting to the changes brought about by the mass migration. Partition had a significant impact on Delhi, disrupting all plans for the nation’s capital. Delhi experienced one of the largest migrations of people across borders during this time.
Mukherjee’s father taught at Camp College, which offered degrees affiliated with Panjab University. The college held evening classes to accommodate the refugees who had left everything behind and could only attend classes after working during the day. Mukherjee’s mother became a schoolteacher at a municipal school near Gole market, as it was the only job she could find during the turmoil.
The sociolinguistic composition of Delhi underwent a radical and rapid change during this period. The city expanded beyond the existing Shahjahanabad area of Old Delhi and the British enclave in New Delhi. Between 1941 and 1951, Delhi’s population increased by 90%, primarily due to the influx of refugees from Pakistan. Settling and integrating these individuals into the city and the country posed a significant challenge.
According to census records, Delhi’s population grew from 238,000 in 1911 to 696,000 in 1947. The census reported that 459,391 displaced people moved to Delhi in 1947, nearly doubling the city’s population. The meticulously planned New Delhi, designed by British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, quickly turned into a refugee camp. The government tried its best to provide resources such as ration, food, medicine, and tents, but they were limited.
Delhi had been planned as a city for the urban elite based on British and American design philosophies. However, the sudden influx of hundreds of thousands of people posed a major challenge. The government established a Ministry of Refugees, which later became the Ministry of Rehabilitation, to address the needs of the refugees. The government treated the task of accommodating refugees as a “national emergency.”
Refugee colonies were constructed to provide housing for the displaced people. By December 1950, the Ministry of Rehabilitation had built accommodation for 100,000 refugees in 21 colonies, including Azadpur, Rajinder Nagar, Patel Nagar, and Shakti Nagar. Fifteen more colonies were added by 1955 as refugees continued to arrive.
The government allotted a total of 70,000 plots across these colonies to displaced people, charging a nominal rent. An additional 10,000 plots were allotted free of cost to those who were poor. The government’s acquisition of large land parcels in the early 1900s made it possible to develop these colonies.
These refugee colonies, with their U-shaped developments and parks in the middle, became the template for subsequent neighborhoods in Delhi. They were built by the same urban planners who shaped the city in the 1950s and 1960s. Lodhi Colony and the villages in Nizamuddin and Jangpura also saw an influx of refugees who moved into empty flats or built homes.
The establishment of these colonies and the integration of refugees into the city were significant challenges for Delhi. However, they also shaped the city’s demographic and cultural landscape. Today, many of these areas are well-known neighborhoods in Delhi, reflecting the history of Partition and the mass migration that followed.
In conclusion, Partition had a profound impact on Delhi, throwing all planning for the nation’s capital out of gear. The influx of refugees from Pakistan led to a significant increase in Delhi’s population and the creation of refugee colonies to accommodate them. These colonies became the foundation for subsequent neighborhoods in Delhi and shaped the city’s demographic composition.
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