To love and peace!
The war between the two neighbors has always been the highlight of living in the subcontinent ( as formerly known). Be it with the ammunition or the words. The flying pigeon with a "fuck off India" tattooed on it or an attempt to ward off Pakistani actors from India. Not to forget the incredible memes circulating in the social media. How do they even think of these? I quietly wonder. I also wonder if things will get any better anytime soon or the hostility is never ending.
In the midst of this anarchy, i have a story to tell. A story that will redefine this rivalry and may just make you think that things aren't too bad after all.
My father received a letter recently from one of his acquaintances. The letter was from India. It was from a guy named Harinder who was in the quest of finding his 90 year old father's family friends who got separated at the time of independence. Fortunately, the letter reached the right place. It was my family they were looking for. Uncle's friends (my grandparents) did not live to witness this amazing day but uncle decided to come down anyways.
That letter is in itself a tale. A written example of the phenomenon that good things always stay. Love and friendship is beyond time. It remains part of your memory irrespective of how old you may get. If you felt it once, you will feel it for the rest of your life.
The letter contains bits and pieces of the time uncle lived in the region. From the description of his birthplace, to his first home. His school to his friendship with my family then. What amazed me the most was the clarity in the description after all these years. The yearn to come back and relive the moments, to just walk through the streets again. He specified the names of places he wanted to see which to his good luck, still existed. His description of how he was friends with my family and how my family decided to stay back in the newly independent Pakistan, is impeccable suggesting after all these years, sentiments failed to fade away despite the animosity and distance.
He, accompanied by his family visited Pakistan recently and lived his dream. Never too late, they say. If there is anything to learn from this account, it is the pure essence of love that once bind the two nations as one. It still exists in the hearts of the common people who once lived together and i refuse to accept that it hasn't been passed on. If only, we can start expressing that to each other and end the war built upon malice and bitterness. Here's to good times with you, neighbor!
In the midst of this anarchy, i have a story to tell. A story that will redefine this rivalry and may just make you think that things aren't too bad after all.
My father received a letter recently from one of his acquaintances. The letter was from India. It was from a guy named Harinder who was in the quest of finding his 90 year old father's family friends who got separated at the time of independence. Fortunately, the letter reached the right place. It was my family they were looking for. Uncle's friends (my grandparents) did not live to witness this amazing day but uncle decided to come down anyways.
That letter is in itself a tale. A written example of the phenomenon that good things always stay. Love and friendship is beyond time. It remains part of your memory irrespective of how old you may get. If you felt it once, you will feel it for the rest of your life.
The letter contains bits and pieces of the time uncle lived in the region. From the description of his birthplace, to his first home. His school to his friendship with my family then. What amazed me the most was the clarity in the description after all these years. The yearn to come back and relive the moments, to just walk through the streets again. He specified the names of places he wanted to see which to his good luck, still existed. His description of how he was friends with my family and how my family decided to stay back in the newly independent Pakistan, is impeccable suggesting after all these years, sentiments failed to fade away despite the animosity and distance.
He, accompanied by his family visited Pakistan recently and lived his dream. Never too late, they say. If there is anything to learn from this account, it is the pure essence of love that once bind the two nations as one. It still exists in the hearts of the common people who once lived together and i refuse to accept that it hasn't been passed on. If only, we can start expressing that to each other and end the war built upon malice and bitterness. Here's to good times with you, neighbor!
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| An extract from the letter |
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| An extract from the letter |
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