India, Aug. 17 -- In July 1947, Cyril Radcliffe, a British lawyer, was given the responsibility of making an impartial decision on the partition of India. He had never travelled to India before and was given just five weeks to draw boundaries that would affect the lives of millions of people for generations.

The border that separated India and Pakistan is known as the 'Radcliffe Line', dividing 175,000 square miles (450,000 sq km) of territory inhabited by 88 million people. Interestingly, the demarcation line was published only on August 17, 1947, two days after India and Pakistan officially celebrated their independence.

To avoid disputes and delays, the division was carried out in secret. The final awards were ready by August 12 but ...