My two cents about this article are...
I felt this article was written by someone who does not have any close pakistani friends and I thought Vir Sanghvi is a learned man.
I dont think there is much difference between Indians and pakistanis and i am not talking about Punjabiz from both sides yet.
Innocent lives have been lost on both sides of the border in the last few years. It is unfair to name call the other country because terrorists have no name. It is absolutely irrational to say all the pakistanis have changed in the last 60 years when they are also fighting the same enemy as we are, everyday ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
If you talk with any Pakistani they will be glad to tell you how much they love Bollywood. Their love for Shahrukh, Amitabh, Aamir, Madhuri, Kajol, Rani, Salman, Dharmendra is not based on religion, but based on same preferences as those of indians. Dont be surprised by the fact that they love Mohammad Rafi as much as they love Mukesh and Lata. They marvel at the genius of Sachin as much as they appreciate the skill of Wasim. In the article the opinion of a politician, Imran Khan, cannot be considered as a general opinion of the masses. If that is the case then we sure have our share of Togadia, Modi, Thackeray, Tytler and Rahul Gandhis.
As far as my history knowledge is concerned pakistan came into existence as a Muslim state and all the Muslims of Punjab left for Pakistan and all the Sikhs, Hindus moved to Punjab, India. So to expect a Hindu or Sikh to be successful in a Muslim state is a far fetched thought.
Vir Sanghvi mentioned that with the advancement in technology the North South divide has bridged. Well I think as they say, "what you dont know doesnt hurt you"; with the advacements in technology and increased interaction with the South Indians I have realised how different we are though we live in the same country. Apart from having the same central government and same central rules there is nothing that is similar. Let me try to list the dissimilarities.
We dont eat the same kind of food. We dont listen to the same music. We dont speak the same language. We dont worship the same Gods. We dont have the same political parties. We dont even follow the same movie stars. We dont behave in public in similar manner Apart from every other conceivable difference in mentality.
And for Pakistani punjabiz I can say that, it is heartening to see that they love Jagjit Singh as much as we love Ghulam Ali. Punjabis all across the world think Nusrat is one of the greatest singer ever. Punjabis from both sides have this desire to visit Lahore and Amritsar everytime they go to Wagah Border. Punjabi boys think that girls on the other side of the border are prettier. We share the same jokes, same food, same language, same dress sense, same values.
I think 60 years is too less of a time to divide people with a boundary line.
Regards,
Ajj Kaim
2 comments:
mausam....
happy b'day dear!
I could not agree more. I work with a Pakistani Punjabi.. and there is no difference b/w us. We are all the same - line or no line.
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