Lessons for Today’s India — Why 1948 Still Matters | Ajay Date

The violence of 1948 in Maharashtra is not widely remembered today. In the aftermath of Gandhi’s assassination, Brahmin families—teachers, priests, farmers, professionals—suddenly found themselves targeted in a wave of anger and organized hatred. Homes were burnt, livelihoods destroyed, and lives shattered. And yet, for all its devastation, this chapter of history was quickly buried, rarely acknowledged in official records or public discourse.

Why revisit it now? Because history is not just about the past. It is a mirror, and if we dare to look into it, it reflects back truths we still need to face.

One of the clearest lessons of 1948 is how fragile peace really is. Communities that had coexisted for generations turned hostile almost overnight. Suspicion and resentment, when stoked by political opportunism, proved enough to unravel decades of trust. That is a warning we cannot afford to ignore: harmony, if taken for granted, can vanish in an instant.

But alongside stories of brutality, 1948 also gave us stories of courage and compassion. Villagers who refused to betray their neighbours, Patils (the village head) who stood against party orders, women who risked everything to shelter children—these acts of humanity shine even brighter against the darkness. They remind us that kindness is not weakness but resistance, a force strong enough to defy mobs and protect lives.

The political element of 1948 is equally sobering. The violence did not emerge from nowhere. Leaders, driven by ambition or vengeance, exploited grief and anger. They weaponized caste identities, turning difference into justification for hate. If that sounds uncomfortably familiar, it should. Even today, politics can thrive on division. When identity becomes a weapon, society pays the cost. Recognizing these patterns is essential if we are to avoid repeating them.

There is also the lesson of memory itself. The reports that documented the violence of 1948 were buried. The media did not amplify the stories. Families carried their grief silently. But silence breeds amnesia, and amnesia allows repetition. To remember is not to reopen wounds—it is to protect against new ones. That is why telling these stories now matters.

So what does 1948 teach today’s India? That hate spreads like wildfire if unchecked, but unity is a stronger firebreak. That compassion is not optional—it is what holds society together. That politics of division may win short-term battles but leaves behind long-term scars. And most importantly, that memory is justice, because forgetting only strengthens those who thrive on erasure.

The choice before us is the same as it was then: do we turn away, or do we face history squarely and choose differently? The people of 1948 who stood against hate show us the way. They prove that even in the fiercest flames, humanity can survive.

The Agnitandav may belong to another time, but its lessons belong to us. If we remember them, perhaps we can ensure that no community in India will ever have to live through such a fire again

• Discover more untold stories of courage in Agnitandav of 1948.

• What lesson from 1948 do you think matters most for today’s India? Share below.