Continuing the ongoing email exchange between a Mumbaikar and a Lahori

From: Chintan Girish Modi  (Date: Sun, Jul 22, 2012) Subject: The next in the Aman Ki Asha series To: Shiraz Hassan Dear Shiraz

Chintan Girish Modi

It’s a treat looking at all the pictures of Lahore that show up on your Facebook wall. They remind me of my time there, help me stay connected to that experience, and also spark off ideas about places I’d like to visit next time. One of my favourite lines from the first set of letters in this Aman Ki Asha exchange was your words: “I hope that we shall walk together through these streets of Rawalpindi and Lahore, soon.” I totally agree with you about the importance of people-to-people contact between Pakistan and India, over the Internet and in person. Such interaction is a powerful space for prejudices to melt away, or at least be challenged significantly. It’s sad, however, that most exchange programmes I know of are restricted to people from Delhi, Lahore, Mumbai and Karachi. What about people from other cities, smaller towns and villages? Do they have enough opportunities to participate in such exchanges? I’m afraid not but I would like to be proven wrong. By the way, this week, I get to meet a dear friend who is traveling from Lahore to attend a conference in Bangalore, being organised by the Hri Institute for South Asian Research and Exchange. Salima Hashmi from Pakistan and Shahidul Alam from Bangladesh will also speak at the conference. You can imagine how excited I am. Harsha Bhogle must have been thrilled to hear from you, and see pictures of his ancestral home in Anarkali, Lahore. I love your idea of creating a collaborative cross-border photo archive. I’m already thinking of people who could contribute. I have some Sindhi friends here in Mumbai who are keen to learn more about their Sindhi roots, having heard so much from their parents and grandparents. I hope they get to travel to Sindh sometime. Incidentally, have you read Rita Kothari’s book ‘Unbordered Memories: Sindhi Stories of Partition’? I bought a copy recently, and look forward to reading it. Oh, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is showing her film ‘Saving Face’ in Delhi and Mumbai. I have read so much about her and the film that I can’t wait for the screening. She will be in discussion with Ashvin Kumar and Kiran Rao, both celebrated filmmakers. On that note, I remember you met filmmaker Onir of ‘My Brother Nikhil’ and ‘I Am’ fame at the Social Media Mela in Karachi recently. How was that? So much to share and discuss! I don’t think we’ll ever run out of things to write to each other about 🙂 Love and Khuda Hafiz Chintan From: Shiraz Hassan (Date: Mon, Jul 23,2012) Subject: Hello!! To: Chintan Girish Modi Hello Chintan! I was waiting for your email and it’s nice to see your message in my inbox. Hope everything is fine at your end.

Shiraz Hassan

Dear friend, people to people interaction is very important. People of India and Pakistan are facing these restrictions and hurdles for the past 60 years – for how long will we have to suffer? Look at Europe, these nations fought two world wars, and now they are bound in one union, European Union. For their economic survival they united and are now known as well developed, progressive states. I hope the South Asian nations will also emerge as progressive states. You are right, most of the exchange programmes are limited to Karachi, Lahore, Mumbai, Delhi etc. Once again there are a lot of issues in this matter. But I am hopeful that these programmes will reach other towns and cities also. As I told you I was in Lahore last week. Lahore is the cult

New Anarkali there is a small market known as Pan Gal

ural capital of Pakistan and one never feels bored there. I watched a theatre play “Pownay 14 August” written by Anwar Maqsood. It was a well knit, satirical play, comparing Pakistan 65 years ago to now. Harsha Bhogle was absolutely delighted when he got pictures of his home. He tweeted (@bhogleharsha) – “isn’t it incredible that from 1946 to 47 my mother and her family had lived in Lahore? Overwhelmed by the response from people there”. Did you visit Anarkali while you were here in Lahore? Anarkali is known as the heart of Lahore. I feel it is one of the best cultural and historic places of Lahore. From one end to the other of Anarkali you can see hundreds of colours of Lahore. And you know what, at the end of New Anarkali there is a small market known as Pan Gali. This market is known for Indian products – cosmetics, clothes, soaps, shampoos etc. All kinds of Indian products are available here. I forget to tell you that Ramzan has started, a holy month in which Muslims fast. One can feel the spirit of Ramzan in Rawalpindi and other cities of Pakistan. Tell us something about Ramzan activities in Mumbai. Regards, Shiraz

Shiraz Hassan is an Islamabad-based journalist from Lahore and aresearcher. Chintan Girish Modi is a schoolteacher, writer and researcher in Mumbai