Train to Pakistan 2004: Passage To Pindi

Thank you for the compliments. The offline eMails I get seem to indicate that simply almost nobody, including native Pakistanis from the English media there, have done any ``I travelled by train/bus`` kind of blogs or articles on Pakistan in a while. In fact, as a matter of fact, I already having a lecture invite on this for the next weekend 15-16 May`04, now all I need is a visa, for Multan. And permission to go there by air till Lahore, and thence on my own steam. I have this crazy idea that I may want to go till Multan by 3-wheeler . . . seriously. And I may route Lahore to Multan via Karachi and Pindi and Peshawar, after all, I don`t know Urdu and am to be excused, no?

Urstruly double ji 14 - thank you. I hope this will help you understand us better, too. Hinduism is a non-centric religion, mainly about seeking knolwedge, and sometimes I think you would make a good Hindu, since you now know so much about us . . .

All - the bonded labour I saw were, in my opinion, speaking a version of Rajasthani. Points - the term ``Ram Ram Saa`` as well as the type of turban they had on, though their kurta seems to have evolved closer to the Pakistani/Punjabi ``kameez``. By the way, when I asked around in Delhi after returning, I was told that the ``dhoti`` was worn by people of all three or four major religions pre-1947. When did this sartorial evolution to shalwar-kameez take place, then, and how did it miss or byepass the trouser-shirt which we in India seem to have adopted?

Kaurasuch ji - the evolution of Christianity in undivided Punjab was documented well before 1947, and to some extent, unlike in many other parts of India, these were not ``rice Christians`` too.

Ankit ji - yes Sir, I did go off the beaten path a bit . . . and will do so again in my lifetime. Some of those experiences can be found in the interacts, sort by interactor . . . my greatest discovery was how there is a dearth of research material from the English language media in Pakistan on the subject . . . luckily I met some Urdu journos otherwise who knows, this would have been one more ``I drank so much booze and made great poodle-love on Amazing Rug`` kind of experience? And there is no way Lahore can be compared to Delhi. Sorry, but true. The dust on the train coming in to Lahore is still in my throat, my nostrils. I have been nice about not pointing out some home truths about Mogulpura, but I want some answers from the Great Lahorians on this DUST.

Sucheta ji - wildernest-goa.com is in swapnagandha, actually this is the tri-junction of Karnataka, Maharastra and Goa, and interestingly there is an enclave of Goa inside Karnataka so . . . yes, do go there. Less than an hour from Dabolim by road. Ask for SUMMIT from the bar-tender and be accepted into the magic club.

hamidm2 sirji - ``kokum`` is the bark of a tree native to the Sahyadris, please ask any Marathi or Goan or Konkani person in your vicinity (non urban non cola non burger type if possible) potent enough in its own right. Kokum juice can be pre-ferment and post ferment. The one we mix in the beer to name it a ``Summit`` is post ferment and induces great intelligence, and if you throw in a piece of the bark itself, well first it sinks to the bottom and carbonates itself through the slower carbonation of the beer and then it starts rising and floating and sinking again and the colour is South Pacific sunset on humid days with slight breeze, OK, you get the drift? The trick is to drink this with somebody you have known for atleast 10 years, and in a swimming pool. Your mango suicide sounds interesting, shall report back, only 2 oz soda but?

dostmittar ji - yes, the bus gets royal treatment. I don`t think the normal savari train ever gets ``People Like Us``, but there is hope.

Mubakr 6 ji - well, you know what, I regret not meeting up with chowkies in Pakistan too, and shall remedy that some day soon. I used to dream about driving Delhi to Islamabad via Amritsar/Lahore, now I look forward to via Srinagar. If you want to visit Amritsar, then get hooked on to the Sikh Jatha trips . . . or start suing the Pakistani Government to push forward the ``non-relative visa`` to visit places of ``historical significance``, and then once you are in India, travel by unreserved trains.

Nooralain 2 - thank you. I think one reason I could observe so much was because I was not driving a car, or being driven in one.

More as it evolves . . .

malik

your travelogues are quite interesting.

Veereshji

Very interesting read.

How some things dont change even when you go into an `enemy country`. This `we are the same people` stuff is looking all the more plausible to me now.

Looking forward to the `to be continued`. Did you venture out to some small towns to see how it may be different from a big city like Lahore. {Sorry if I called Lahore a big city. You seem to rub it in by comparing it with Amritsar every time:( }

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hamid:

thank you so much for the recipe of the manly mango suicide. i think i`m going to go to my neighborhood bar, and have the bartender put it together for me. : )

i must be a man afterall.

force 10, indeed !

…….…loved your write-up but please stop complaining about a 2000 rupee bottle of royal stag …. in islamabad, when the assembly is in session and the boys are in town, a bottle of red label goes for 10,000………. but, allah kay fazal say, there is no shortage of anything in the islamic republic of pakistan as long as you have the money and the right cell phone numbers ……… or you could have simply hiked up to the mazaar of bari imam a few miles away and shared some bhang with the malangs – they are a friendly bunch and always willing to share their heavenly concoction for a couple of bucks ………

……….but honestly, no self respecting sailor, not even a paki, would fess up to drinking some sissy drink called summit -” 2 parts beer and one part fresh kokum juice”…………kokum?…. What the heck is that !?? ………… next thing you will be talking about how to how to make a perfect mimosa: let’s see now - champagne first or the orange juice? ……oh dear, what a dilemma !…. vereesh mian, real men do not mix anything in their beer other a jigger of irish whiskey or vodka to make a boiler maker – now that is a real sailor’s drink …….. and if you have to go native here is a recipe for the Manly Mango Suicide:

- 8 oz Mango Puree
- 1 shot(s) Vodka
- 1 jigger(s) Silver Gin
- 1 jigger(s) Whiskey
- 5/8 shot(s) Tequila 1800
- 2 oz Club Soda
- 1 pinch(es) Sugar

………a force ten will seem like a gentle summer breeze after one of these ………

Veeresh,
Nice read. Can you also confirm romair...that the good people of `pindi-lhore` are changa-er, chitta-er, sohna-er and generally more wholesome than our panjus in `amarsar-loodhianaay-jlndr`!

Mitter saab has confiremed that P-panjus are height-ier than I-Panjus.

veeresh:
I am glad that we took the Lahore Bus and missed all the ``fun`` at the railway border. I guess the Bus gets the VIP treatment by the customs-immigration people.
Enjoyed the piece!

Kaurasach:
The bonded hindus you read about are, I believe, in Sindh. I think that most of the surviving Hindus and Sikhs in the Lahore and surrounding areas became Muslims (high castes) or christians (low castes).

my parents came from majeetha, near amritsar. a cousin of mine went to majeetha a few weeks back, came back to tell with wet eyes how the old of majeetha still remember hanif, nazir and taya badshah. would i ever be able to see the home where my father was born? would i ever be able to make a sikh my blood brother? could there ever be an old hindu women to act my mosi? would i ever lose my heart on a beautiful non-muslim girl and both would stand for eachother? would i ever be able to come to lahore, the big town, for my daily job with a tiffin in my hand with paratha and last night`s salan with some achar? would i ever be able to buy the bangles for my non-muslim girlfriend? would i ever fight with a muslim class fellow to defend my sikh blood brother...

all that my taya badshah could do...i cant do!

you have stolen too much from me, politicians, generals and God...now please let me live with them as nice neighbors and friends...let me live with them you fucking jinnah and nehru...you silly advani and qazi...just let me live with them...please.............................................................

how bad veeresh that i missed you in islamabad. i wish if you had written to me on my email at hotmail or i wish if i had seen the unplugged buk buk when you were here...too bad!!!

Veeresh Hi

Thanks for the explanation of the Goa connection. I understand it perfectly - just have this enormous empathyhy with Goa, although I am not a GOAN by birth.

Anyway, am abit confused here - is Swapnagandha and Wildernest the same place??? The wildernest site looks very tempting and I really am looking forard to visiting it.

Cheers

S

Veeresh,

To hear about the bonded laborer`s with rings around their neck was most depressing.
Pakiland seems to be worse than Bihar.

We should have an exchange program where we allow these laborers to come into
India and in return ship the 80Rs coffee drinking, JKLF loving, India bashing, India`s
freedom abusing bombayites into the Land of the pure.

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veeresh:

what an informative read! i like your reportage, because unemotional as it intends to be, there is so much in the facts that you`ve presented, and how you`ve presented them.

looking forward to more,
n~

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