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The ending moments of “Ms. Marvel” episode 4 are a punch to the gut for many South Asian viewers, especially those from Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi backgrounds. We see friends hug each other goodbye. An aging father reassures his son that he should leave without him. A young girl asks her mother if there will be a place for them. Cloth bags hold a lifetime’s worth of possessions. And just when it becomes too brutal to watch, there’s an aerial view of a train station that is teeming with more people than trains can ever harbor, with some clamoring to climb to the top, some standing by to etch one last glimpse of their loves ones into memory. Others remain stranded, all while the steam engines roar, threatening to leave millions behind.
This isn’t a fictionalized story fabricated to serve a narrative — but a reality experienced by millions of South Asian people. The British colonization of India began in 1757 following the Battle of Plassey and lasted nearly 200 years until India’s liberation from the British Raj in 1947. The British rule culminated in bloodshed, unimaginable violence, and what is widely known as one of the most significant refugee crises in history. Soon after independence from the Crown, India was divided into two independent nation-states: a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan. Communal violence ensued, and people belonging to the two communities were driven to escape to regions that protected them based on their religious identity. It didn’t end there; the undying tension between newly-independent India and Pakistan led to warfare, border altercations, and military stand-offs. The Partition continued to impact the two countries, and in 1971, the secession of East Pakistan formed the independent state of Bangladesh. The Partition of India uprooted millions of homes and divided families forever, causing forced displacement and long-lasting apprehension and fear. Its nightmarish depiction in “Ms. Marvel” is heartbreaking to watch.
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