Going Home to Lahore, and a World Left Behind

Re: # 14
A member of the parlimentary delegation from India to Pakistan who happens to be from Hyderabad, Deccan was surprised to see very few in Burqa in lahore and karachi. There were more women in Burqa in hyderabad he felt! Another comment from his was that quite a few of the Indian gentlemen felt kind of odd to be speaking to some of the women members of the Pakistani Senate (I think) who were smoking away during their discussions. Finally, it is an open secret that Sexual harrassment in the office place is the worst of its kind in Islamabad.
PRK.

Jang/19, no Sir, not Bendre at Wagah but if you would look at the lyrics again carefully, then some amount of leg-pulling by the Indians.

atut ung and all that, see? Or actually, see the movie again.

#18.. hmmm maybe a concert with sonali bendre doing the item number at wagah?

jang/17, I been there, and apart from the standard ``Hindustan zindabad`` and ``India! India!! India!!!`` kind of chants, one patritotic India song that takes off and zaps the crowd is the ``Hume-Huma`` anthem from Bombay (the movie).

These are the opening lyrics, as sung in Hindi, by Remo Fernandes:-

````Yaariye

Ek ho gaye hum aur tum to ud gayi neendein re
Aur khanki paayal masti mein to kangan khanke re
Humma humma humma humma humma
Hey humma humma humma humma humma

Ye pehli baar mile tum pe ye dam nikle
Tum pe ye jawaani dheere dheere ma dham machle re
Humma humma humma humma humma
Hey humma humma humma humma humma````

Get the drift?

no food street and cocoos?
{
Then a man began to lead the Pakistani crowd in feverish chants of ``Allah Akhbar! Pakistan Zindabad!``
}
wonder what were the kafirs shouting? vande mataram? sat sri akal? anyone else visiting wagah know?

diwali is the baniya new year. diwali coincides with the completion of main harvest (kharip growing season), the garanaries are full and baniyas open new accounting books, and marriage season starts 11 days after diwali.

Nice article as i heard almost the same emotions and feelings when my parents visited Indian Punjab last year. Both, Abbu and Ammi, migrated to Pakistan with their families when they were 10 and 4 years old respectively.

Another article of the same. I guess whenever Chowk thinks the responses are declining, they put back some old one on Ind/Pak.

Nice article.

But a few core issues of interest are still to be resolved.

1. How many Dunkin Donuts are there in Lahore?
2. Does Lahore look like Singapore?
3. What percentage of men on streets were bearded and how many of them had kalashnikov in their hands?
4. What is the Burqas per capita in Pakistan? Is it lesser than Indian Army men in Kashmir/capita in India?


Let`s start another thought provoking discussion over it. Chowk Admin needs it again and again. :)

The punjabi mafia strikes again!.Please ,are there any `mohajir familes` from other parts of india and pakiatan who can relate their `reunion` experience?.Oh, i forget, others take their new identities seriously and blend in to their new surroundings, show loyalty to their adopted nation and lead productive lives.And, how , these punjabis wax eloquent about a cantonment town by the name of Lahore.I rather read about the NPT.

I`m not sure but I think Samina posted this once in her i-log. Irrespective though, it`s a pleasure to read again.

We all have our own individual perspectives on the Partition. Some say it was imminent and necessary, others see it as a brutal rupture in their emotional landscape. Whatever the case may be, it shouldn`t impede us now from relating to each other as human beings. There is still a lot of promise for a deep and lasting friendship, as this series of articles has shown. Let`s not let that run to waste.

Parag, nice article.

well.........glade you visisted lahore and walked through the lahore streets.......
but i am confused whats the tragedy.......can i get to know......if you dont mind........
thanks

Re: # 7
Hindu New Year starts on Baisakhi i.e.1st of Baisakh in but the traditional Hindu financial year starts on Diwali(time to change the wahi-khaata)

this cross-cultural tourism hopefully heralds something our children will hold in awe

``...as our family was celebrating Diwali, the Hindu New Year.``
Not sure if Diwali is the New Year for Hindus, or at least for all Hindus. In Maharashtra, the new year falls on Gudi Padwa (April 9 this year). In Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Ugaadi the New Year fell on April 9. The Tamil New Year is always on April 14 (since Tamils follow the solar calendar). Bengali Boisakh is in April as well. I am guessing that Hindus in other states have their own calendars. The govt and most companies follow Apr-Mar financial year since the new year starts sometime in April for most people.

Would the author care to elaborate?

oh!no! O God! not again....


Is there an algorithm in chowk software that recycles the same old stuff again and again......or are you guys having fun

Parag Khanna

Thanks for this article. I am a sukker for Nostalgia. This does not cost anything and releases some good chemicals into the body.

nhk

Chowk-staff,

I wonder when enough is enough? The same story is repeated over and over again - families driven out of their homeland because of partition want to see the land of their forefathers after six decades, go to Pakistan, Saidan Shah, Lahore, Badshahi Masjid, ``Jinde Lahore nahin Dekheya o janmeya nahin``, concession to Indian visitors, Wagah ceremony, Ketas Raj... The fact that this one is not written by a Chowk regular adds insult to injury. And why is the visit to food street missing from these memoirs?

Is someone visiting Karachi, Delhi, Agra, Peshawar, Bangalore, Kolkatta or Mumbai? Please do and post something, anything, if only do remind the Chowk staff that there is a word called excess in English language.

Thank you for a very simple and uncomplicated report.

But in context with the last line, what`s the tragedy?

Chances are that if the Partition of 1947 had not happened, your family would have still been in or around Lahore. On the other hand, thanks to 1947, you are now in Umrika. And writing for the NYT, no less.

And the other query I have is this:- why was Partition not discussed in your family? Why was it a subject not to be brought up?

Please forgive me for asking these very personal questions, but I hope you will appreciate that they are relevant.

veeresh

Diwali is the Hindu New Year ???

Glad that you had an overall positive experience.