Argument at Wagah on Wagah

Argument on Wagah

by K. Rajbir Deswal

While driving past Amritsar to Wagah, we had thought we would experience all that should be different. People, soil, food, dwellings, crops, language, etc. Also, we’d thought everything should look, as between worst enemies, torn and divided: culture, community, ancestry, history and religion. But that was not to be.
We had heard about the drill at Wagah and the sentiments attached to the event. A colleague in my office had once told me, “One is very enthused and enough prepared to die for the country at that moment, Sir”. The Indian side shouts “Vande-Matram, Bharat Mata ki Jai and Hindustan Zindabad”. The other side says, “Pakistan Zindabad, Paaindabad. Lowering of the flags on both sides is followed by a common drill in which the Border Security Force men and Pakistani Rangers “outstep” each other with overt and aggressive, macho display of strength.
Well we reached the Wagah border with barbed fencing leading from both sides. The strong iron-gates were painted in tricolor scheme on “our” side and green & white on “theirs”.
Crowds of people having patriotic blood flowing through their veins had gathered on both sides. Each half was charitable but only to itself in shouting slogans. It was here that I felt there existed two countries, two people, two communities, two entities.
But still carried away by my fondness and respect for our mutual bonhomie with Pakistan, the tales of which I had heard from my father and grandfather, I began cheering even the “other side” when they sought response to their sloganory exhortations. Suddenly then, I felt a tapping on my shoulder by “someone”. I turned back and looked someone with whom an argument ensued reflexively.

“Why are you cheering them?”
“There is nothing wrong in that”
“Are you one of those?”
“And are you someone different?”
“Don’t know they’re separate now?”
“Do rivers stop entering this side?”
“Political rhetoric is long dead”
“So will be peace-willing generations!”
“Khushwants, Nayyars, Asma Jahangirs?”
“Yes. Precisely. So let’s cheer each other.”
“Don’t you hear they swear by Allah?”
“Large number among us also does that.”
“They’re under seize and are tensed.”
“That’s why they deserve our cheers!”
“Emotional fool! Go your way”

Having been thus rubbished, I realised that “someone” was none else than my own flawed self. But what I had been looking in that crowd, even after the event of retreat drill, was the face of a child called Noor. Remember she had a successful heart surgery in Hindustan some years back. I am sure the likes of her would be the new generation in Pakistan.
The Retreat left me more hopeful. Emotional fool. Did you say that? No. Now it is “someone” again at it. Damn him and hail peace!

This middle was published in The Tribune on November 28,07.