Way back in 1974, I was an undergraduate student studying in RSD College in the border town of Ferozepur, Punjab. One of the students’ clubs, Youth Forum, once organised a picnic trip to Hussainiwala border. We rode our bicycles, carrying lots of food and games. After we had our lunch, one of our friends announced that he would like to take a walk and watch from our side of the border what the soldiers were doing on the other side. After a hearty meal, no one was inclined to go with him. Some of us also suspected that it was just an excuse to go away and relieve himself!
Hours passed by and our friend was nowhere to be seen. We got worried and fanned out looking for him. To our immense relief, we saw him running towards us.
“What took you so long? You almost killed us with anxiety,” our leader cried out.
“Nothing… ‘they’ caught me and threatened to take me to their officer if I did not do their bidding,” the friend responded.
“What did they ask you to do?” someone asked.
“Well, they asked me to dance while they sung Bindiya chamkegi, payal chanakegi! After that we had tea together and then they let me go,” the friend replied.
Most of us didn’t believe his story and thought he was making it up to hide the embarrassment of an upset stomach.
Many years later, we came to know the he had became a strong advocate of people-to-people contact and cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan.
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