There are several historical events that I would like to change, but if I had to change one occasion, that would be the separation of India into two countries, i.e. India and Pakistan.
In 1947, British India was split into two independent countries: India and Pakistan on religious lines, and this led to colossal immigration (15 million people moved between countries). Communities that co-existed for hundreds of years were separated. Thousands of Muslims moved to East and West Pakistan, and at the same time, thousands of Hindus and Sikhs moved to India. This event created massive turmoil as these immigrants had to leave everything behind. Their lives changed dramatically as they had to leave their property, heirloom, and ways of life. Some people even lost their lives during immigration.
Even now, people can feel the effects of partition. Indian Muslims are still suspected as allies of Pakistan, and Kashmir remains a hostile region. To prevent all these past horrors, had I been allowed to rewrite history, there would be no partition, and India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh would remain as one country.
If India were not partitioned, there would be no Indo-Pakistan conflicts, and the Kashmir state would be in harmony. Both India and Pakistan have spent tremendous money on defence and purchasing nuclear weapons to attack each other. This spending can be drastically reduced and spent on other important causes like healthcare or the welfare of the poor.
Hindus and Muslims will be much more tolerant. Hindus will be able to pay pilgrimage visits to Pakistan, and Pakistanis pilgrims can freely visit dargahs and other Islamic monuments in India.
On a lighter note, Indians would have the entire Kashmir to spend their holidays at, without the fear of terrorism looming upon them. Another plus point would be that there would be no more Ind-Pak cricket matches. Face-offs on cricket fields between India and Pakistan are enjoyed by millions of people and watched worldwide. Although these nail-biting matches will be missed, it would be interesting to see them play together as one country on the field.
Films like "Border" and "LOC" would not have been made in the film industry, and the related genre would not have been as popular. Pakistani performers would have had more opportunities to work on important Bollywood projects.
The most important aspect would be that millions of people would not have gone through the trauma of leaving behind their home and losing their family members during immigration. Considering all the reasons mentioned above, if I had to change history, I would keep India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as one country.
