When Borders Blur!

Recently I read in the newspaper about the Pakistani Hindu refugees who have escaped the country in a hope for a life in India.  It makes me sad to read about their pitiful conditions and I can’t stop thinking why can’t we live peacefully. Why does the religious sentiments still exist? These questions always haunt me.  Pakistan is my neighbour country and there are lot of things I don’t know about it.  Why am I not inquisitive about its culture?  Is this because of bloody murky history involved between these two countries and the unforgettable effect it left on the people from both sides of border?

When I was invited for the Pakistani cultural night organized by Pakistani students in MIT, I instantly bought the ticket. I thought this would be the great opportunity to experience their culture.  This was a perfect occasion to flaunt our beautiful traditional dress i.e. Salwar Kurti.  Of course most of the Indians and Pakistani were in Salwar Kurti as we rarely get the chance to wear them here. Night began with their national anthem and instantly I stood to show the respect.  While paying homage, I thought things would have been different if whole population of Pakistan and India would have felt the same for their national anthem.  A short video was played to show Pakistan, their culture, its people and pride.  I could see the admiration in student’s eyes for their country. 

Few Pakistani songs and ghazal were played by the students too.  People could not stop themselves from humming the same.  People were singing in chorus Pakistan zindabad and that strong feeling of love overflow all over.  I wondered at that moment if we Indians have the same feeling for our country.  After this, we had scrumptious food and of course kheer added more sweetness to that night. A great performance of Bhangra added more delight to the event. Until that day I didn’t know people are crazy about bhangra in Pakistan too.  Night ended with splendid fashion show. I was captivated to see beautiful design and contemporary style.  In their feedback form I could not resist myself writing Pakistan Zindabad at the end.  It was altogether a great experience and I wish to see its beauty through my own eyes.