India & Independence

Celebrating the birth of a nation

/ read / August 15, 2018 / Spotlight

As Independent India turns 71, we look back at the movements that won us our freedom, the struggles that have held us back and the symbols that give us strength. We journey with Delhi as it steps from the medieval world to the modern; we see India through the eyes of historical map-makers; and we dismantle the myths that shroud memories of the Partition. Join us as we celebrate our hard-won freedoms this Independence Month.

India before Independence: Smaller struggles for freedom

The leaders, battles and victories of the Uprising of 1857, aka India's First War of Independence. Accompanied by rare archival material from the Sarmaya collection

Mapping the Motherland

Learn how maps over the centuries reveal different perspectives on India, from the spiritual to the pragmatic

5 Myths About the India-Pakistan Partition of 1947

It's acknowledged by historians as the largest mass migration in modern times—why then do we know so little about the 1947 India-Pakistan Partition?

Delhi: Evolution of a City

Presenting rare and precious glimpses of our capital as it evolved from the medieval to the modern era

Indian Art Breaks Free

While a new nation was finding its feet in 1947, a small group of artists was formulating its visual language. Meet the Bombay Progressives in the Sarmaya collection