With Love, From India: Growing Up With Stories Of Partition

By Mansi Tandon:

It’s been decades since we have been celebrating our Independence day with extreme pride; pride about our rich cultural heritage, pride about our uniqueness in the world and last but not the least pride about our family values which separate us from the west. On the other side of “Line Of Control” there has been a similar scenario, similar celebrations and a similar reason to celebrate.

The struggle for a free nation was a common aim, it still is; it’s just that now we are fighting against our own evils. The date 15th August 1947 means much more than a reason to celebrate independence to me and to all those Indians who once were Pakistani. I am amongst those very few Indians who have not grown up listening to fairy tales from their grandparents but to the shocking and tearful stories of partition. I have a dual identity and I am very proud of it. It was an extremely difficult decision for we Lahori families to leave behind everything except our faith and move on to a completely new place where we would have nothing but some fond memories of Lahore, which we cherish even now. It is rightly said by someone” jine Lahore na vekhaya o jamaya hi nahi” which means those who have never seen Lahore are not really born.

Lahore was a beautiful city where Hindus and Muslims lived together in harmony. I had never been there physically but I feel it’s presence in and around me because that’s where my roots are from. I have immense love for Pakistan irrespective of what our present relations are and will always have as we were once the same country. The need of the hour is to bring that place back in existence. Let’s pledge this Independence Day that we will build many more such Lahores and bring the lost love back between both the country’s, which has to begin with each one of us changing our mindset.