As part of his backpicking trip through North India, blogger K Street Journal visits the Attari-Wagah border. Here is what he saw-
Up from the air, minutes before landing at Amritsar, all I could see was lush green fields till where my eye could reach, the irrigation channels and of course, the distant snow-capped mountains of the Himalayan range. That’s how Punjab makes you fall in love with it at the first sight. Amidst colorful turbans and a sweet language, I commenced my Punjab expedition.
My trip commenced from Amritsar, 2nd largest city of the state and closest urban dwelling to Pakistani border. The main reason for including Amritsar in my itinerary was to watch the Retreat Ceremony at Wagah border, which is just about 32 Kms from the city on its outskirts.
For the first time I set foot on the soil of Punjab that afternoon when I landed at Amritsar on the eve of Indian Republic Day. First thing I did after dumping my rucksack at the hotel was to head to the border. One can reach the border in shared jeeps which ply from outside the Golden Temple, the way towards the border from the city was once a part of the Hippie Trail, and it’s surrounded on both sides by beautiful lustrous fields. This land, as I mentioned, is considered as India’s most fertile land. Also as one moves towards the border, one can listen to Lahore’s FM stations without static. Here on an Amritsar station you have playing Sahotas Brothers ‘Teri Meri Gal Ban Gayi’ and on a Lahore counterpart, Saieen Zahoor’s ‘Allah Hoo’.
Sad that Lahore being mere 23 Kms away, one can’t visit the city because of the imaginary line that divides the two countries.
The two days I was at Amritsar, I went to the border on both. Being there is a hair raising experience. Little kids all dressed up perform on patriotic numbers such as Lata Mangeshkar’s Vande Mataram, Yeh Desh Hai Veer Jawaanon Ka etc. before the actual flag lowering ceremony commences. Being there can bring out the feeling of patriotism in a cold person like me too. The pomp and piety may seem pointless but it’s a distinctive, long running tradition and what fun it is. Here we shout ‘Hindustan Zindabad’ and ‘Vande Mataram’, there they respond by ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and ‘La ilaha illallah’ (though some douchebags on Indian side shout Pakistan Murdabad); here we play ‘Jai Ho’ and there they play ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’. It’s basically where the two countries are displaying their might in a mild manner without any accompanying taboos. It all seems so innocuous considering the long standing enmity between the two countries.
The exercise then takes form of a dance fest where only women are allowed to come down on the boulevard and dance on Bollywood numbers.
The Indian BSF start off the ceremony with two women soldiers parading towards the gate and doing the clichéd foot thumping act amidst the cheers of the crowd. This is unique on the Indian side because the Pakistani counterpart Sutlej Rangers employs no women for this act. Then begins the actual flag lowering ceremony where BSF soldiers in funny headgears do a disciplined parade towards the gate, slump it open, likewise on the Pakistani side, do the same foot thumping, groin crunching act, shake hands with the corresponding soldier from the Sutlej Rangers, lower the flag, fold it respectfully and shut the gate close with a bang.
Read more from K Steet Journal here.
For more on travel and food in Amritsar, read here.
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