Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition

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By Nisid Hajari ’90

Published Jan. 21, 2016

The liberation of India and the birth of Pakistan were supposed to be the answer to the dreams of Muslims and Hindus who had been ruled by the British for centuries. But in the summer of 1947, some of the most brutal and widespread ethnic cleansing in modern history erupted on both sides of the new border, searing a divide between India and Pakistan. From jihadi terrorism to nuclear proliferation, the tale told in Midnight’s Furies by Nisid Hajari ’90 explains many of the headlines we read today.

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PAW's July/August 2025 issue cover, featuring a photo of people dressed in orange and black, marching in the P-rade, and the headline: Reunions, Back in Orange & Black.
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On the cover: Wilton Virgo ’00 and his classmates celebrate during the P-rade.