Nonagenarian gets emotional after visiting childhood home in Pakistan for the 1st time in 75 yrs
Premium- When I crossed the Pakistan-India Border and saw the signs for Pakistan and India, I got sentimental, she said
In an emotional moment, a 92-year old Indian citizen Reena Varma recently visited her childhood home in Pakistan for the first time in 75 years. The family of five siblings fled to Pune shortly before the partition in August 1947. Even though Varma travelled to Lahore earlier, she never got the chance to visit Rawalpindi, her hometown in her early years.
"My dream came true," she uttered on visiting her home.
Crossing into Pakistan by road last week after decades of attempts to get a visa, she felt a wave of emotion. "When I crossed the Pakistan-India Border and saw the signs for Pakistan and India, I got sentimental," she said, speaking during a stop in Lahore. "Now, I cannot predict how I will react when I reach Rawalpindi and see my ancestral home in the street."
The Lives of millions were disrupted in 1947 when they were forced to move to a new place after British Indian colonial administrators ordered the creation of two countries, one mostly Muslim and one majority Hindu. Since then, the two countries fought three wars and relations still remain tense.
Varma says even though she was a child then she remembers those tumultuous days clearly. "Initially we could not understand what happened," she said, adding her mother never wanted to believe that the two countries had been divided.
"She kept saying we will go back to Rawalpindi soon, but ultimately she had to accept the reality that India and Pakistan are two separate countries," she said.
Varma has been trying since 1965 to get a visa for Pakistan, finally succeeding this year when the Pakistan India Heritage Club and Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar helped with the process.
Varma is being hosted by Imran William, the director of the India Pakistan Heritage Club, which works to highlight the shared heritage of citizens on both sides of the border and reunite family members separated by partition.
"India and Pakistan are two separate countries but we can bring peace between them through love and people-to-people contact," William said.
(With inputs from agencies)
Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less