At midnight on August 14, 1947, the Indian Independence Act came into being, effectively ending 200 years of British colonialism and splitting the country into India and Pakistan.
“As from the fifteenth day of August, nineteen hundred and forty-seven, two independent Dominions shall be set up in India, to be known respectively as India and Pakistan,” the Act states.
But why does Pakistan celebrate its Independence Day on August 14, a day earlier than India?
According to historians, it was all down to the schedule of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last viceroy of British India. As India decided to hold celebrations at midnight on August 14, it would have been impossible for Lord Mountbatten to attend two events to hand over power on the same day.
A solution was found by advancing Mountbatten's visit to Karachi, the capital of Pakistan at the time, where, on August 14 he transferred power to Pakistan's founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah at the Constituent Assembly.
“Tomorrow the government of the new dominion of Pakistan will rest in your hands,” Lord Mountbatten said in his speech. “Tomorrow two new sovereign states will take their place in the Commonwealth. Not young nations, but the heirs to old and proud civilisations, fully independent states, whose leaders and statesmen, already known and respected throughout the world; whose poets and philosophers, scientists and warriors, have made their imperishable contribution to the service of mankind.”
The next day, in independent India, first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru made his famed Tryst with Destiny speech at the stroke of midnight above the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in Delhi.
“Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially,” he said. “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.”
What happened on August 14, 1947?
Despite the historic moment of independence, the division of India in 1947, known as the Partition, was followed by widespread violence between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs, as millions migrated between the newly created states largely based on their religion.
It's thought that about 10 million Muslims left India during this time, while a similar number of Hindus were displaced and came to India. Hundreds of thousands died in the ensuing violence.
The scars of the partition created great hostility and distrust between the two nations, some of which still exists today.
Celebrations in the UAE
The Consulate General of India in Dubai has organised several events to mark Independence Day. A cultural event called Amrit Kaal was held over the weekend at Glendale International School. The event featured essay writing, speech and drawing competition for students, as well as an exhibition depicting the history and facts about the Indian flag.
A blood donation drive was also organised on Sunday.
On Friday, on India's Independence Day, the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi will also host a celebration, at 7.15am.
Meanwhile, the Embassy of Pakistan in the UAE organised what it called "the largest Pakistan Independence Day celebration in the world" on Sunday at Expo City Dubai.
More than 60,000 attendees pre-registered for the event called Jashn Azaadi Pakistan, the embassy said.
The day-long programme featured live performances by singers Sahir Ali Bagga, Natasha Baig and poet Yousuf Bashir Qureshi. Popular Pakistani actor Humayun Saeed also attended the celebrations.
A two-day celebration called Jashn-e-Pakistan is also planned for Saturday and Sunday. To be held at the Pakistan Association Dubai, the event will feature musical performances and poetry recitations.
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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