My Trip to Pakistan

Trips are known to make or break relationships. This one did both... It broke some of us and made us even thicker friends. A dream trip that brought us to wonderfully sweet people who were so in love with India... The year was 2004 and the occasion was World Theatre Festival organized by the Rafi Peer group. The Peerzadas are a family highly respected in the theatre world, keeping alive the traditions set by their father Rafi Peer who along with our Raj Kapoor made the film ‘Neecha Nagar’...

So, 33 countries had participated and there were 10 teams invited from India. We were lucky, as we got the approval from our government and Visa to participate that year. Our theatre teachers were extremely well-read people. You had to see the kind of excitement the trip was generating in us all. Incidentally, my grand-parents had left everything behind and travelled from Sindh. My father’s elder brother was a teenager then. He had to take care of the whole family while their father was not heard of for two years. Their prayers were answered and he rejoined them.

Today, as I recall how my uncle wanted to travel to his homeland a few years ago along with many of us, his children and sisters, it pains that he himself is unwell and so are the conditions/ political climate.

Anyway, praying for the safety of humanity, let us indulge in some pleasant nostalgia.

It was the first week of cold Lucknowi November in 2004. We travelled by train with all our heavy props, to Amritsar. Extremely fortunately, courtesy Atamjeet Sir, we even got to stay at the private dormitories in the Golden Temple itself.

We had wonderful ‘langar’ at the Golden Temple and went out to try thick Amritsari milk getting boiled in huge clay pots in the busy road-side bazaars.

I vaguely remember, in the girls’ room only one young man of our team was allowed to sleep and there was some funny scuffle between him and one of my girl friends over the visit to the bathroom in the middle of the night, courtesy the delicious but thick milk.

Finally, came the morning of travelling to Lahore, Pakistan. The distance should get covered in half an hour, but it takes between 12 to 24 hours. The train waits until each and every person with visa boards the train. That day also the checking was extremely thorough. The visa officer and inspectors interviewed everyone individually, just before boarding. I was also asked why I had written on the form ‘Calcutta’ instead of ‘Kolkata’.  To which I answered, “Jab saare bhookhe-nango ko khila denge, aur koi kaam nahin bachega, tab likh denge, ‘Kolkata’!”/'When all hungry people are fed and clothed, I will write Kolkata', and he smiled.

The Sun had set. It was dark and hot in the train as we still waited for it to start. Our beloved music composer, Late Ravi Nagar was egged on by our Mridula Ma’am to sing. He had the most beautiful voice and in no time, Indians and Pakistanis alike, thronged to the windows, those who could not get inside the crowded compartment! Amid thunderous applause, he sang one sufi song after the other.

The train started (as opposed to ‘leaving’ which signifies speed) and we said hello to our fellow Pakistani travellers who had to travel back, the same evening of the morning they had arrived in India. They had been invited under a cultural exchange programme for few days but their visa had been stamped wrongly due to some glitch and so they all had to travel back that very day!

They were still trying to make us feel welcome to Pakistan. They told us how they loved our tv serials. We told them how we love their classic tv plays. One man suggested I should try ‘Kaphoore’ (fried goat-testicles) at the Lahore bazaar/ Chowk... Although he behaved very decently, I do not think that suggestion was very gentlemanly of him.

And yes, horsemen followed us on both sides so the train snailed on, as per the formers’ leisurely trot.

So we reached Lahore at around dawn. After some minor checking which happened in a few hours, we stepped out of the platform and were greeted by really smartly dressed, handsome young men, MBAs... A very pleasant sight indeed; they were coordinating the event, getting us and our luggage settled into buses and then the hotel.

We told one of the organizers, Mr. Usman Peerzada that our stage enclosure was very close to the road and the auto-rickshaw horns would really disturb the performance. He said, “Theek hai, Paanch baje ke baad rickshe nahin challenge”! /'Alright, after 5 pm rickshaws will not ply here'.

Using Stand up Comedy lingo- On the first evening we bombed and on the next one, we killed!

To be continued...