[Reader-list] Student ties trump Indo-Pak tension

[Yousuf]

Student ties trump Indo-Pak tension
1 Jan 2009, 0512 hrs IST, TNN

MUMBAI: Perhaps it's a sign of better things to come. Indian teenagers who were in Pakistan at the time of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai said students from both countries grew closer even as the two countries were beginning to prepare for war. The Indian students, who were in Lahore to attend the Lahore University Model United Nations, say their view of the neighbouring country changed dramatically after the interaction.

Shouryendu Ray, an 18-year-old from Mumbai, landed in Pakistan a little over an hour before the terrorists struck Mumbai. "I was having dinner when I heard the news. I was worried sick about my family back home," he said. "I was so disturbed by the attacks that I thought I wouldn't attend the first session of the model UN the next morning," he added. But thanks to the warmth and support shown by the Pakistani students he was staying with, he changed his mind.

Nineteen-year-old Shruti Ojha, another Indian delegate at the model UN, said, "I was anti-Pakistan even before the terror attacks. I thought that after the attacks, I'd face a great deal of hostility in Pakistan. But I was surprised at how well everybody treated me."

Ray recounts his experience of shopping in Lahore. A watch which cost Rs 5,000 caught his eye. The shopkeeper was so delighted to learn that Ray was Indian that he sold him the watch at half-price, and wouldn't let him leave without a soft drink.

The elderly rickshaw driver who ferried the Indian delegates around Lahore said it was his dream to visit India. The students recalled that he told them, "Even if I can't come to India, I'm glad I've at least been able to show Indians around."

Ojha, too, spoke of the affection showered on her in Pakistan. When she was readying to leave, Sana Maqbool, a Pakistani student who shared her dormitory, gifted her a ring as a memento.

If the Indian students brought back stories of warmth and affection, they also left behind some of their own. Tajwar Awan, a 20-year-old student at the prestigious Lahore University of Management Sciences, said she had thought all Indians were anti-Muslim until she had the opportunity of interacting with Indian students at the Model UN. "I was extremely worried about the Indian students after the terror attack," said Awan, speaking to TOI from Lahore.

The bonds between the students on both sides of the border continue despite stark contrasts in political views. Ray said a Pakistani friend recently left him a note on Facebook, asking why India was violating Pakistani airspace.

"Why does the Indian press blame all India's problems on Pakistan?" asks Turab Hassan, a 19-year-old management student from Lahore. He's a member of Seeds of Peace, an international organisation that works with children from countries that are in conflict with each other.

Hassan, who visited India in 2006, and who recalls seeing the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, said he was disturbed to see images of the hotel on fire. "Terrorism is a problem faced by both India and Pakistan," he said, and added, "It's frustrating to see the way the Indian press has been attacking Pakistan."

Ray and Ojha expressed similar concerns about the Pakistani press, which they said blamed India for the crisis. "The Pak papers were actually trying to justify the terrorist attack on Mumbai," said Ray.

Friendships, however, trumped political differences. Hassan said he anxiously phoned all his Indian friends to ensure they were safe after the attacks. Indeed, many Indian students said they received a flurry of calls and emails from Pakistani friends after the terror attacks. "I've been in touch with many students in Pakistan after 26/11," said Samyak Chakrabarty, a Jai Hind College student who has worked closely with the UN. Chakrabarty has organised Model UN sessions in Mumbai, which were attended by several Pakistani students.

anahita.mukherji at timesgroup.com