We go for a visit to the India-Pakistan
border closeby at Suchetgargh. Here we find a camp of the BSF (Border Security
Force) and we’re told to be as silent as we can, because the ‘other side’
starts firing bullets on any sign of provocation. We speak to the officials and
tell them about our campaign and the whole message of peace and harmony, and
they very graciously agree to take us across to the border. They were very
appreciative of the efforts we were making through this campaign and it was
sooooo encouraging to have their support.
Before going across, they show us a
whole gallery of the equipment they have and all the training procedures they
go through. Our team gets a first hand look at what the protectors of our
country face and we are all in awe at their bravery and inspired by their
devotion to the nation. Our full hearts salute goes out to these courageous and
bold soldiers.
There’s even a special letter from Ms.
Indira Gandhi in this room of achievements.
We are then escorted towards the border.
They open this huge gate on which the Indian Flag is painted and walk us across
a 100 meter or so stretch of road where there’s a barrier (The kind that’s at
roadway tolls and raises to let the traffic through). There is a small soldier station on either
side of the barrier. On the left, there’s the Indian Flag painted on the
station above which it’s written – Proud To Be Indian. On the other side is the
Pakistan Flag painted above which is written – Muslim Hain Hum Watan Hai Sara
Jahan Humara. Behind the Indian post, there’s a triangular kind of a stone on
which is painted 919/India. We’re told that this stone is actually the marker
of the boundary between India and Pakistan. The number is just a serial number
like on any milestone and they show us the rest of the series, towards the
right. One of the stones is even swallowed up by a tree and you can see the
bricks from under where the trunk separates.
It’s a tremendous moment standing there,
in between both countries, with nothing but peace in your heart. India and
Pakistan have gone through so much bloodshed, which just should not have been.
It was a quietly intense feeling being here. Now..
As we were leaving, we came across this
stone sign on the side of the road. “Kashmir
se Kanyakumari tak Bharat ek hai.” (From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, India is one). It
was one of those moments where you don’t know what to say.. It’s like one of
those ‘Ah’ moments you get, when you
read something that is profoundly true, and you realize it’s true because you’ve
witnessed it. That one line summarised the last 2 months of our lives filled to
the brim with rich experiences, and it all came together when we read that
sentence. It was very powerful feeling that suddenly coursed through our veins.
Couldn’t think of better timing to see this..
In the evening, after the Ash Wednesday
Mass, we have our program at St. Mary’s Garrison Church in Satwari. One of the
politicians of the state graced the occasion as our chief guest and watched
intently as our girls presented the Mother Teresa Prayer Dance and the dance on
environment conservation. When he spoke, he mentioned how much these simple
dances made such an impact in spreading the message. And his appreciation for
our team was overwhelming. He saluted us for the effort of travelling the
country for this message and actually called us “Bina vardi ke jawan” (an un-uniformed solider). He really had such
high regard for the whole program and the team. Made our whole team feel very
special.
This was our last program from ‘K’ 2
‘K.’ Tomorrow, we depart for Delhi for the 3 day Youth Festival. It’s such a
strange feeling. It’s real. The whole yatra was real. But now that it’s done
it’s almost a little unbelievable that it happened.
Surreal.
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