Shattered lands — Sam Dalrymple on the five partitions of British India - ABC listen

Over five decades, one single, sprawling dominion, from Yemen to Myanmar, became twelve modern nations. This is the story of how the actions of politicians in London and revolutionaries in Delhi, princes in remote palaces and soldiers in trenches, redrew the map of British India, uprooting millions, and leaving a legacy that explains much about the region today.This conversation was recorded at the Ubud Writers Festival in Bali, Indonesia.SpeakersSam Dalrymple Author, Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern AsiaCo-founder, Project DastaanFilmmaker, Child of Empire, Lost MigrationsHusnara KhanomPoet, writer, and researcherCreditsNatasha Mitchell, PresenterClaire Slattery, ProducerCarey Dell, Sound EngineerDavid Le May, Sound EngineerImage Details73rd Carnatic Infantry. painted by Major Alfred Crowdy Lovett, (1862-1919) from the book ' The armies of India ' by Major George Fletcher MacMunn, (1869-1952) Publication date 1911 Publisher London, Adam and Charles Black(Getty images)Program:More from Big IdeasColonialism, History, Government and PoliticsGet the ABC listen appTake your favourite podcasts and radio with youThree Nobels! Are we backing young minds today to pull off what Brian Schmidt, Peter Doherty, Rolf Zinkernagel did?Published: WedWed 11 Mar 2026 at 5:00amThe secret of how to topple tyrants and dictators — and crimes against humanity under the microscopePublished: TueTue 10 Mar 2026 at 6:00amABC National ForumPublished: MonMon 9 Mar 2026 at 12:00pmAntisemitism's religious rootsPublished: MonMon 9 Mar 2026 at 4:00am