Accidental Blogger

(Indians and Pakistanis light candles at a border town, jointly commemorating the independence days of both countries. Photo: Times of India)

India and Pakistan celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of their independence this month – India on the 15th of August and Pakistan, a day earlier on the 14th.

Sixty years ago, the ancient land of India was partitioned to form two brand new countries – India and Pakistan, under circumstances that can only be described as a nightmare. Since then the two nations have gone their different ways, choosing their philosophies, allies and enemies to best suit their own interests. But all through their separate existence, neither can forget about the other’s looming presence across the border. (Pakistan was further broken up in 1971 into Pakistan and Bangladesh.) The neighborly relations between India and Pakistan can be best described to include an uneasy truce, continued low level hostility and in the past six decades, four full fledged wars.

There are several sides to the story of India’s partition and fingers can be pointed at those who were responsible – and there were many. But there is no doubt that what lay at the heart of this unfortunate event was suspicion, greed, intolerance, unseemly hurry at political power grab and above all, the abysmal lack of imagination on the part of political leaders on all sides. Britain, whose departure from India precipitated the partition along sectarian lines, played a particularly harmful role. It was a spiteful act disguised as a concession to peace that resulted in the arbitrary carving up of a nation – like a benevolent and tired elder handing out candies to howling children. Well, the children are still howling and peace remains a precarious commodity in the subcontinent.

As the BBC reports in an article aptly named Partitioning India Over Lunch, not much thought, vision, compassion or statecraft went into formulating the momentous decision that condemned millions to a grisly and uncertain fate. It was the action of a tired, lazy and callous colonial power which didn’t much care what it left behind after 200 years of occupation.

While the above story examines the past, in an address to the Indian Parliament, Prime Minister  Manmohan Singh looks forward to India’s future.

Although there is very little in the way of bi-lateral relations between India and Pakistan besides cricket matches, the occasional war and regular border skirmishes, the two countries continue to perform a quaint ceremony that takes place every day at sundown at the border town of Wagah located on the western boundary of India. The daily ritual is a popular attraction for local and foreign tourists and a party like atmosphere prevails on both sides of the dividing line. Readers who have never been to either India or Pakistan, may not know about this tradition.  If you think you might enjoy watching grown men strutting around in turkey-tail headdresses lowering their respective national flags at the end of the day with military precision and dancers’ choreography, do check out the video – it is quite interesting. (Indian soldiers wear khaki uniforms and their Pakistani counterparts are in black.)

Sixty years after the India-Pakistan partition, the Wagah border is still the only road link between the two countries. Alistair Leithead reports on the mixed legacy for those living in the border zone.

The soldiers are more than 7ft tall (2.13m) if you count the huge fan-shaped headdresses they waggle at each other like peacocks, just inches apart either side of the India-Pakistan border.

For 45 minutes every sunset they high kick, stamp, speed march and shout their way through a choreographed routine that ends in the lowering of both flags and the slamming of the border gates.

The "retreat ceremony", the traditional way to end hostilities for the day, is a lot less aggressive than it used to be – and any tension is cheered away by the baying crowd of thousands who pack the stadiums on either side every night.

At least now the posturing border guards, yelled on from the stands by chants of India and Pakistan, afford themselves the briefest of handshakes.

Divided communities

After the ceremony the crowds stand within touching distance of each other, but the two countries are not supposed to be on speaking terms.

"Best wishes from India!" says one man.

But he is warned that too much interaction is banned and over the line a whistle is blown. A soldier pushes the crowd back with his hand, a gun firmly held on his shoulder.