Le Monde - A Poetic Travail » Wagah Border

Customs Area at Wagah border

Cuckoo — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 09:13:18 +0000

Other posts on Wagah border can be read here and you can read anecdote of Amritsar trip here. Please read them in sequence to enjoy it fully.

Customs area at Wagah border doesn’t look like a sophisticated one we are normally used to see. Despite all hoardings and notices, it’s a crowded place especially during beating retreat ceremony. The only people who do not enter the gates are the vendors selling eatables and drivers of different vehicles.

That does not mean there is no checking. Security is as alert as anywhere else. I would say army’s presence makes it even better.

This tourist complex named ‘Aman Umeed’ (Peace hope) with all amenities is inside the complex.

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The Retreat Ceremony at Wagah Border

Cuckoo — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:45:02 +0000

Contd from To Wagah Border

[Once done, we could hear the announcements and the cheering inside the stadium.]

It had started !

We ran.
Without bothering about anything in the world. The whole of half a kilometer. Without stopping.

The stadium was jam packed; there was no space even to go up the stairs. I pushed, squeezed and slowly made my way up there.
There I was. Every single obstacle that we crossed was worth the moment. The ceremony had just begun.

This was after the ceremony

Have you ever watched a live cricket or hockey match between India and Pakistan in a stadium ?

I have.
The whole aura of hooting, shouting, jumping and pumping, passion & patriotism running at all time high is nothing compared to what I had experienced the day I was at Wagah border, just a few meters away from Pak territory.
It was well-known neighbour rivalry like Israel-Palestine, Australia-New Zealand and of course India-Pakistan at its best but in a healthy manner.

I never knew the magnitude of this place in terms of popularity. I was imagining myself going there like a film star and chatting and dancing with Indian soldiers the way they show on TV channels. And if they allow me, I would go and shake hands with Paki soldiers as well.

But no, I was so very wrong. Instead of a few gun toting, hawk-eyed soldiers guarding a deserted gate on India Pakistan international border, what I found was truck loads of alert but friendly army men guiding a strong 10,000 crowd to the stadium packed to beyond its full capacity !!

When the sun decides to say goodbye to a peaceful day its time for the reunion, which transcends the boundaries, that man has laid. A long white line, borne with partition of Indian empire, defines the border between the neighbours and two heavy gates, about two meters apart, stand across either side.
The retreat ceremony is performed in a perfectly coordinated daily ritual for almost 60 years. It takes place with the Border Security Force (B.S.F.) on the Indian side and the Sutlej Rangers on the Pakistan side putting up a well co-ordinated and spectacular display which can be compared with the changing of royal guards in London.

It starts with the sound from the bugles blown together from both sides, the thump of heavy boots, glowering looks, aggressive snorts, chanting of “Bharat mata ki jai” and “Vande Matram” provoking an equally patriotic response from Pakistani crowd in the form of “Pakistan Zindabad” across the border.

The Indians play war music, the Pakistanis play religious music. The Indian crowd of around 10000 sings and dances irrespective of age, caste, creed, status or gender. Pakistanis, much less in no. stay in their seats, men on one side and women on the other. The gate separating them is called Baab-e-Azadi (Gate of Freedom).

At the far end is the Pakistani gate and beyond that the Pakistani crowd

The rituals are performed with utmost duty.
Then silence falls.

Only the clacking of boots and the snorts of the soldiers can be heard. Carefully folded, the national flags are carried away by marching soldiers.

The gates are slammed shut and on both sides, a trumpet announces the end of the spectacle. Both officers return to the white border line and a final martial handshake without exchanging a single glance is watched by thousands each evening. They show their anger and their determination, but it always stays formal.

The silence was killing. We didn’t know what to do. Many of the people had come there more than once and so they gestured, started moving.

We followed with heavy heart. Why do we have wars ? Why do we have boundaries ?

P.S.- We had shot more than 80 snaps inside the stadium but ‘force’ of the crowd was such that most of them have blurred effect. But I promise to post some of them in one of the posts.

Note:-1. The duration of ceremony is 45 minutes.
2. Best time to reach the stadium is around 2 to 3 PM, well before the ceremony starts. You’ll get a good seat for a better view.
3. Avoid taking valuables with you, you can not take them in.
4. Since you can not carry your cell phones, try to be together with your dear ones. Once lost in that crowd it is difficult to find one another. No amount of shouting can help you. In our case, we knew what we’d do in case we lose contact.

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To Wagah Border

Cuckoo — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:06:22 +0000

Contd from Golden Temple.. ..

[We saw all kinds of people at the temple, all with a different hope and faith. Our next stop was Wagah border.]

As I have mentioned earlier, the city of Amritsar is very small. The distances are very less; in my language walkable. You hardly see a taxi there. Shared autorickshaws are available for Rs 5/- only for a distance of upto 2 Kms. From the Golden temple, we took an autorickshaw for Bus depot. No, not the sharing one.

The bus to Wagah border via Attari was at every half an hour. Earlier, we were suggested by our hotel people to hire a private taxi which would have costed us around INR 2500/- . It being a budget travel, the suggestion was ignored very conveniently.

It was 4:30 when our bus started moving. It went through fairly well maintained roads, surpassing the small towns and fields, stopped at midway stops taking locals on board. In no time the bus was fully packed. The distance of 28 kms looked much more.
We wanted to reach there before sunset to see the ever inspiring flag ceremony. We were told the bus goes right upto the Wagah border gate. When the engine stopped finally; I, the optimist, was still hopeful that it’d go further as I couldn’t see any gate or army men there.

No. that was not the case.
We had to get down and since we were the last to do so, all the shared autos had already left for the border. We asked a rickshaw puller about the distance. “Paas hee main hai” (It is very near). Since there was no other mode available and we were running short of time, we engaged him for Rs 20/- . It was another thing that his definition of ‘near’ was 2 kilometers.
As luck would have it, chain of his rickshaw was also ‘derailed’ mid way. Wow ! We are being tested for our nerves.

With high anxiety level, eyes fixed on the setting sun, holding Rs 20 in hand to save some precious moments and I was ready to jump off the rickshaw. Probably I was in half standing position. Later PP said, it would have been nice to capture me in video.

Anyway, we were dropped at a place which looked like a large picnic spot with tens of tourist buses and private cars parked on either side of the road. A scene similar to outside a stadium where Indian cricket team is going to play a Twenty-20 match. Crowded, disciplined but in a hurry as if they’d miss the start of that match.
We realized we were still more than half a kilometer away from the entrance gate. With all kinds of hawkers on the way, we reached the entrance. Hundreds of people were walking in.

No, not so soon we were going to enter. Stopped at the entrance. Ok, so except for our cameras we can not carry anything, not even our cell phones or mineral water bottle !! Armymen, I love you for being strict on this.

But places like this also encourage and flourish illegal business. There were illegal keepers of our valuables, of course with support from the system.
There were two guys each with two sacks. They took our belongings which contained all important docs, credit cards, passport, cash, cell phones etc and gave a two inch receipt. In goes my handbag in that sack and I move towards the queue for security check.
Once done, we could hear the announcements and the cheering.

It had started !

To be contd.. ..

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A Single Village in two countries

Cuckoo — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:03:56 +0000

You must have heard of Wagah border. Do you know this famous border or line divides the village Wagah into two ?

Milestone says in Punjabi : Wagah border 2 KMs

The village was unified before India Pakistan partition in 1947. And then the controversial Radcliffe Line was drawn dividing the village into two. Today, the eastern half of the village remains in India whilst the other half is in Pakistan.