March 29, 2024

All that flutters: at Wagah Border

This is the second part to All that glitters: Amritsar photoessay

A photoessay on the Wagah Border circus – or ceremony, if you will.

Flag-sellers at the main gate, 7 and 8 year olds talking of comptisun between India and Pakistan… The feeling is like that of being in a mela in any town in India, stalls selling snacks and cold drinks, DVDs of the ceremony, whistles and drums, plastic knick-knacks…

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Squeezing myself into a tiny (non-existent) gap in the “ladies gallery” while the husband remains standing at the back till the end… Thousands visit Wagah border everyday, and on weekends and holidays, the crowd is unmanageable…

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Kid playing with her tricolor flag, and proud mothers in the background…

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The show at Wagah – hysterical emcee and Bhangra dancing included… nothing like the sober, dignified ceremony I had imagined…

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The parade finally begins – and what an anti-climax it is, after all the fun and games…

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The gate closes for the night… this side India, the other Pakistan – and what is the difference?

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A thousand hands break into applause at the end of the ceremony – for the viewers, a sense of exhilaration at having watched something spectacular (if bewildering, for the likes of me) and for the soldiers at the border, it is all in a day’s work.

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4 thoughts on “All that flutters: at Wagah Border

  1. I cant tell you how much I’ve enjoyed soaking in your blog. Really! I stopped by for a quick glance and lingered … and lingered. Great stuff!

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