War and Peace at Wagah border


War and Peace at Wagah border
The Wagah flag-lowering ceremony: playing to the gallery.

By Saurab Chhachhi

It is 64 years since the Radcliffe line cut through the village of Wagah in Punjab, the east going to India and the west to Pakistan. Events at the Wagah border reflect the tensions and hostility since partition as well as the aspirations of ordinary people for peace and friendship. On August 14-15, 2010, I was at the Wagah border where I witnessed two ceremonies: the official Beating of the Retreat (lowering of the flags) by the Indian BSF (Border Security Force) and the Pakistani Rangers which is held everyday since 1959 and the midnight candlelight vigil held every August 14-15 by peace activists from both sides.

5pm-7pm:

At dusk I sat down in the front row of the stands facing two gates – the side I was on said INDIA and the gate on the other side said PAKISTAN. On the Pakistani side loudspeakers were blaring with patriotic songs and people were waving huge flags and dancing to mark their independence day. On the Indian side a group of students were performing a play (it was basically a man shouting at the top of his voice) interspersed with patriotic songs.

Finally the bugle rang and the parade began on both sides, synchronised with each other. Two women (for the first time this year) marched at a fast pace across and saluted the Commander, positioning themselves at the corner of the Gate. They were followed by six-feet tall border guards speed-marching with extended arms, stamping on the ground and then giving a high kick. It was quite incredible – each time they raised their legs they almost hit their heads! Then followed a peculiar ritual almost like a dance – goose-stepping, then a series of jerky head and shoulder movements full of aggression.

At regular intervals slogans were raised. As one side shouted Zindabad (Long Live) the other side would shout Murdabad (Death to) in reaction. The gates were opened, the flags of both countries were lowered for the day and after a brief handshake, the gates were closed.

I found the whole ceremony quite absurd. The soldiers looked like roosters dressed on one side in brown and red and the other side in black and white, with plumbed turbans. Their strutting and preening made me want to laugh. However it was not really funny since the ritual was also the assertion of territorial control and power, and the body movements conveyed aggressive threats.

Though the aggression has been toned down (earlier the soldiers showed clenched fists and made contemptuous gestures with their thumbs), we could see that thousands of people (it is estimated that 15,000 come everyday to witness this ceremony from both sides) were being instigated into hatred and competition. It is ironic that this ceremony is actually planned by both sides and they practice together – yet the message that is sent is of war and enmity.

11pm -12am:

In contrast to the cacophony of the evening, the border was quiet as 50 peace activists walked towards the gates with candles, shouting slogans of peace and friendship – “PakHind awaam dosti zindabad” (Long live Pakistan India people’s friendship), “Jung nahi aman chahye, bomb nahiN roti chahye” (We don’t want war, we want peace; we don’t want bombs, we want food). The flickering candles placed on the gates sent out rays of hope in the dark.

This vigil has been organised for the last 15 years by well-known journalist Kuldeep Nayar. This year it was special due to a peace caravan organised simultaneously from Mumbai to Wagah in India, and Karachi to Wagah in Pakistan by Dr. Sandeep Pandey (the social activist and Magsaysay award winner) from India and my father Karamat Ali (founder of the Pakistan Peace Coalition) among others. They included Mahesh Bhatt (the Bollywood film director), Aitzaz Ahsan and Iqbal Haider (leaders of the lawyers and human rights movement in Pakistan) and Kamla Bhasin (a well known Indian feminist/songwriter who was one of the first to build bridges between Indian and Pakistani women).

It was very moving to hear Iqbal Haider’s emotional appeal as he repeated in front of the gates: “Darwaza khol do, logoN ko milne do” (open the gates, let the people meet). However the people from the Pakistani side were unfortunately not allowed to come across the border this year.

The guards who had been performing the parade earlier were also there. Ironically when we asked them about the India-Pakistan situation, they said that they wanted the conflict to end so we could live like normal neighbours. As part of this vigil thousands of people had gathered at Attari (a nearby village) under a tent where singers, artists and poets from both countries performed around themes of peace between the two countries.

Inspiration for hope:

Although I had seen the beating of the retreat in 2001 (when I was eight) – from the Pakistani side – I found the experience this time very disturbing, as I now understood its meaning and implication. I found it quite frightening the way people could show so much hatred and animosity towards one another and how the ridiculously choreographed ceremony orchestrated a sense of jingoistic nationalism.

Since my father is from Pakistan and my mother is from India, when I see this kind of hatred I feel as if I belong to No Man’s Land (the sliver of earth between the gates) as depicted in Sadat Hasan Manto’s brilliant story ‘Toba Tek Singh’.

At the same time I think that there is great inspiration and hope in the growing peace movement and initiatives like the peace caravan where activists planted peepal trees (symbolising wisdom and peace) along the border in soil mixed from both countries this year.

As these peepal trees, under which Buddha, the expression of compassion and ahimsa (non violence) achieved enlightenment, grow, I believe and hope that we Indians and Pakistanis can follow in his footsteps.

A shorter version of this was printed in the writer’s school magazine.

Changes in the Wagah ceremony

The announcement that both sides had agreed to tone down the aggression in the Wagah ceremony was widely welcomed, although there were those who expressed regret that the show would no longer be as ‘sensationalist’. According to the new agreement, soldiers would reduce the aggression of their gestures and smile rather than maintain belligerent facial expressions.

Later, Pakistan rangers withdrew the announcement, saying that there was some confusion about this announcement; they would do the handshake but make no other compromise on the other movements. Furthermore, Is all this aggression and display of jingoism really necessary?

Brig. (rtd) Rao Abid Hamid, a retired army officer who supports peace between India and Pakistan says:

The ceremony conducted on both sides of the border is contrary to the accepted norms and military drill and etiquette.

It portrays the participating troops in a negative light and shows them as delinquent and ruthless. This is a far cry from being disciplined, well-trained, honourable and chivalrous, which should be the hallmark of any good army.

It quite unnecessarily adds yet another unfortunate dimension to the normally raging fire of hate and mistrust ignited by the interested quarters.

The exaggerated foot stomping, furious swing of arms and distortion of facial expressions are major features of this contrived ceremony. It has reportedly led to mild-to-severe damage to joints and the knees of the troops participating in this ugly and disquieting display by representatives of two of the world’s supposedly finest armies.




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