New Delhi: The Partition of the erstwhile undivided India was one of the most important moments in the history of South Asia, whose aftereffects can be felt for generations to come. The Partition changed the map of Asia and the political dynamics of the continent altogether, with the neighbouring countries India and Pakistan going to share an interesting and intense relationship in subsequent years.
The Partition also led to the division of assets between the two countries, as both were trying to strengthen their arsenal on every front to counter the challenges of the newly acquired Independence. Everything from finances to defence personnel to even the furniture of the government offices was divided between the two nations. During the process of division, an interesting problem arose regarding a certain elephant.
Partition and the settlement of an elephant
The division of assets was not only confined to humans and non-living objects but also extended to animals. According to the research paper ‘Breaking up: Dividing assets between India and Pakistan in times of Partition’ by Anwesha Sengupta there was an elephant named Joymoni who also became the subject of the Partition. The elephant belonged to Bengal’s Forest Department and according to the estimates during the division of assets, it was stated that the value of Joymoni was equal to a station wagon. After that, it was decided that the tusker would go to East Bengal (later Bangladesh) and West Bengal would get the equivalent vehicle.
The rise of problems
But during the Partition of India, Joymoni was in Malda, a city and also a district in West Bengal and while it seemed easy to allot the elephant to East Bengal, a new problem arose. First, the elephant’s attendant and the mahout chose to stay in India. As a result, the East Bengal administration had to send a mahout, an attendant and a forest guard to take the elephant there.
Then came a second problem. After the three arrived from East Bengal in June 1948 to take the elephant there, the question of payment for the maintenance of Joymoni between August 15, 1947, and June 1948 arose. The collector came up with the logic that the government of East Bengal (which was allotted to Pakistan) should make a payment for the elephant since it was their property and Rs 1900, while also detaining the three people sent by East Bengal.
On the other hand, East Bengal claimed since the elephants had been used by Malda during that period, the expenditure should be on the administration of the region. While there is no mention of what ultimately happened to Joymoni, in the end, even the diplomatic officers had to get involved and the problem was probably solved by those at the highest level of bureaucracy.
The Partition also led to the division of assets between the two countries. Everything from finances to defence personnel to even the furniture of the government offices was divided between the two nations. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
