Lahore Memoirs

It was a time when Toba Tek Singh (A character of Manto's story) came alive within me. I and Rajeshwar Ojha (a friend) cried, "we are neither in India, nor in Pakistan". 

Yes, it was that time during my journey to Pakistan when I was crossing Wagah border on foot and was standing between the gates of Pakistan and India.

I got the opportunity of being one in a ten member Indian delegation to participate in a convention at Lahore on Relaxed Visa. This delegation included the name of film maker Mahesh Bhatt as well but he was not able to make it. It also included a Magsasay awardee Dr Sandeep Pandey. Nasir bhai, Sirish Agarwal, Shehla Ghanim, Anil Mishra and Rajeshwar Ojha as other members of the delegation.

Pic: Left to Right: Rajeshwar Ojha, Sirish Agarwal, Anil Mishra, Indian Border Guard, Ravi Nitesh

With the security checking and immigration that happened on both sides of border, we reached at the waiting lounge on the Pakistan side. Here I had my first communication. First and an everlasting one…

'Please keep it with you as you may need it on the way as well,' remarked the person at the immigration center and handed over a water bottle to me. It was his additional courtesy after providing me a glass of cold water on my demand. I did not expect such generous behavior from security personals ever. 

The way from immigration of Wagah to Lahore was quite similar to any Indian highway where villages are situated alongside roads. Beautifully decorated trucks were also there. A beautiful canal met with us while entering in Lahore and we moved parallel with it. All the way, our host, Ms. Saeeda Diep ji told us many things about Lahore, on the other hand, our Indian friend Anil started reading urdu banners and hoardings.

On reaching hotel, we got to know that there was a shutdown strike in Pakistan and so we were told to stay in the hotel only but we enjoyed our hotel stay as well. We found that almost all Indian channels were broadcasted on TV, but we preferred to watch the Pakistani TV channels. After few hours watching television, I started talking to the room service person in general to know his perspective. This was the second encounter wherein a Pakistani, a young waiter told me that how much he is passionate to visit India, especially for Taj Mahal. He told me that his native home is at approx 6 hours distance from here, but in spite of being a 3 hour distance to Amritsar, he can't cross the Wagah. 

The convention was on next day, but we all made a call to Aapa (we fondly called Ms. Saeeda Diep "Aapa") that we would also like to help in organizing convention, as a host and not be just a guest. In the evening, we were in a ball room of a hotel where the conference was planned. 

We started doing arrangements, Hindustanis and Pakistanis were getting mixed in decorating the hall, some were pasting the posters, others were decorating table linings with Indo-pak flags, another group was holding a string for hanging peace messages beautifully calligraphed on piece of clothes. 

Pic: Messages of Peace in string and volunteers (Indians and Pakistanis) at work

During all this work, we started working with different people with whom we were not introduced first and so they were unknown about our identity as Indian. Until the time they thought that we are Pakistanis, we were working fine, but during the work, we talked as well and when they came to know the place where we hailed from, they were visible shaken and started feeling guilty. They said that we handed over the work to you while you are our guest. This togetherness of working made many of us known to each other. After the work, we returned to hotel late night, dropped by local friends who volunteered for the conference. At night, roads were similarly silent and beautiful as we have in India.

Pic: Raza Khan, A Pakistani volunteer during decoration of Indian and Pakistani flags 

The morning experience for my fellow Indian friends was amazing. They narrated that in the morning they went to a tea stall near the hotel and had tea. There, they inquired about some nearby place to visit and got an offer from a taxi driver to show them a good place within 15 minutes. They visited places like Badshahi Mosque and on return, the taxi driver did not accept even a penny with saying that “you are an Indian and so our guest, i cannot take anything”.  

On the day of conference, we welcomed all participants, made more friends and came to know about their work. We also witnessed the diversity and modernity of Pakistan through people. Movaizz, Rohulla, Kaleem, Taimur and Shahid were few of them. Shahid Pasha was so passionate about Bollywood that he remembered many celebrity’s parental place in Pakistan and he claimed to have more than twenty five thousands Indian songs in his personal collection. The conference itself was a full phase of learning and understanding. We heard historians, educationists, activists and politicians. After the conference, we had a long chit chat with Ashraf, Atiqua and Raza over society and politics and developed a bond.

The evening was filled with Liberty chowk market, where we enjoyed the famous Bundu Khan's kabab. During shopping in the market, my local friend Ovais told a shopkeeper that I came from outside, and he replied that yes, he can understand that I came from Karachi. It was another thing that made me felt that really we are not only same by heart, but even by look. 

Pic: Liberty market, Lahore, Pakistan

I also enjoyed visiting Badshahi Mosque, Ravi river and Tomb of Allama Iqbal. I found example of communal harmony when I first witnessed Gurudwara before the Badshahi Mosque. 

Last day, before our departure, there was a lunch with volunteers and hosts where we all enjoyed the vegetarian food in Pakistan. The certificate that had to be given to volunteers was also written by me. I saw many paintings, cards, posters in the room. All of these paintings were crying to let them meet with neighbors, to be set free like birds. I was feeling the same, praying the same for me.

Pic: Hindustani and pakistani together during get together before departure from Lahore

The departure was very emotional. None of us wanted to go back so soon as we did not know that when will we meet again. 

There were only tears in our eyes, no words to speak. Aapa was waving her hands till the time we went away and crossed the border again.

It is one of the best experiences that I have had in my life. This experience has changed me, my thinking and has only encouraged me more to work to improve the relations, to make people realise that people on both sides are same. People on both sides desire for peace and friendship. I am happy that Zindagi Channel will be able to contribute to this by bringing in stories from Pakistan. It will be able to become a medium for people to realise for themselves that how similar our lives are. I am sure that Zindagi Channel will not only present stories but through them, will be able to weave new ones.

Hum dono hi mulqon me, ek doosre ke liye mohabbat hai,

hum umeed karte hain, ki yeh mohabbat badhtee rahegi, fizaon me ghulti rahegi..

jaise jaise..Zindagi ki kahani chaltee rahegi...........

(This post is written for Zindagi Indiblogger Meet #JodeyDilonKo)