A PhD candidate undergoes a life-changing transformation in the process of doing her research on media and Indo-Pak relations

By Nidhi Shendurnikar Tere

As a nationalist, patriotic and proud Indian, Pakistan hardly figured in my list of concerns a few years ago. I neither despised it, nor was curious about it. The only time I thought about Pakistan was during an India-Pakistan cricket match.

I rooted for the Indian team, prayed for its victory (even visited the nearby temple). At that point of time, I found nothing more humiliating than India losing in a cricket match against Pakistan (a victory of course meant jubilation!). Thinking of Pakistan as an arch enemy, cricket was nothing less than war and losing to Pakistan unacceptable to me and others of my age.

The only other reference to Pakistan was through news about bomb blasts and terror attacks in India. I began associating Pakistan with terrorism, chaos, anarchy and everything that was anti-India. Too nave to explore anything beyond the mainstream discourse, my idea of Pakistan remained limited and heavily skewed.

This began to change after 2011. It happened through a gradual process even without my knowing. Set for a PhD in Political Science, I was mulling over my topic of research. After many brainstorming sessions with my to-be-supervisor, we decided to work on an issue related to South Asia (which is also his area of specialisation). That is how I started working on India-Pakistan relations and the Media’s role.

Initially, I was sceptical about the entire project. Researching on India-Pakistan was not easy, it was considered to be controversial and even my parents wondered about my choice of topic. To this day, a mention of India-Pakistan raises eyebrows; some question the utility of carrying out such a research, some advise caution, some consider me brave, some express outright displeasure, while others remain unperturbed.

The research process required me to undertake a thorough study of the confrontational past of the relationship. I realised that without interacting with Pakistanis my research would be one-sided and of no consequence. My quest for the archives of Pakistani newspapers took me to Delhi and Chandigarh and I began looking for Pakistanis who could help me in the process. Unaware that this would be the beginning of a transformative journey, I befriended many Pakistanis on Facebook and networked with them. This opened a new window frame for me. As our interactions swelled, friendships developed that positively affected my attitudes and perceptions of Pakistan. I realised there was much more to Pakistan – a side undiscovered, ignored by the popular political and media discourse in my country.

It was indeed a different Pakistan that I discovered through a string of interactions where I found Pakistanis to be warm, caring, reciprocative and more than willing to discuss various issues related to my research.

I first chanced upon Rehman Ilyas (Founder, Romancing the Border), interacted with him and ended up contributing a piece on Indo-Pak friendship as a testimonial (‘Let us be friends who respect each other’s differences’, published in Aman ki Asha in 2012).

As I began writing more and more on Indo-Pak issues, I discovered many peace-building groups on social media (Aman ki Asha, Aaghaz-e-Dosti, Romancing the Border, Friendships Across Borders: Aao Dosti Karein). In the beginning of this year, I was selected for a year-long peace building initiative by The Red Elephant Foundation.

My Pakistani friends introduced me to a Pakistan that I had not known of. A Pakistan with breath-taking natural landscapes, a Pakistan where people lived with dreams and aspirations similar to that of Indians, a Pakistan with striking resemblances in culture, food, festivals, music; a Pakistan whose young citizens valued education, progress, development as much as Indians do; a Pakistan where citizens condemned violence, terrorism as much as Indians did. A Pakistan that did not hate India but looked up to the values upheld by Indian democracy and secularism.

Much has changed in the three and a half years since I began this research, made possible thanks to a deep intellectual engagement with people from across the border. So far I had heard tales of friendships narrated by my teachers with friends in Pakistan. Now I have my own stories to tell. A perspective that was amiss earlier was gifted to me through the process of research. This year may witness the culmination of my research (hopefully); however the process, the journey and the friendships will continue. I have always believed in the transformative and healing power of research – that as a researcher one has to successfully imbibe within oneself.

The short term goal of engaging in a research project is to derive conclusions by seeking answers to certain questions; the long term goal is to offer a more holistic and comprehensive perspective. A life changing vision is what this research has left me with. At this point of time, it feels difficult to describe and explain what I encountered within the boundaries of terms like ‘methods’, ‘hypothesis’, ‘conclusions’.

To confine it within the boundary of a 250 page thesis is certainly a task that I feel less prepared for. Can friendships be ever bound into page limits, chapters and conclusions? Today, I strongly believe and wish to reinforce that I cannot let love for my own nation be construed, limited and narrowly bracketed into hatred and antagonism for the ‘other’. It is research that brought me to peace-building and I hope to stay ingrained in it forever.

The author is a Political Science doctoral candidate at The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat, and a research fellow of the University Grants Commission working on India-Pakistan Conflict Mediation and Role of Media