Indian, Pak women hold interactions at Kartarpur corridor

Tribune News Service

Ravi Dhaliwal

Batala, February 22

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” This was the motto of a group of 150 women, aligned to the Inner Wheel Club (IWC)-District 307, as they travelled to the hallowed Sikh shrine at Kartarpur Sahib, across the international border, to keep a date with their counterparts from Pakistan.

The women belonged to Punjab and J&K while the Pakistani women, who were a part of the IWC-Districts 327 and 342, hailed mainly from Islamabad and Quetta.

While the Indian delegation was led by IWC-307 Chairman Dr Satinder Kaur Nijjar, the Pakistanis were led by Zara Dass and Sadaf Sajeel.

Dr Nijjar was the fulcrum around which the proceedings revolved. She was instrumental in conceptualising and planning the entire tour. The Indians presented their guests with 250 reading glasses. Traditional Phulkaris were also handed over to each member of the Pakistan troupe.

“We had been planning this tour for the past several months and were in touch with the Pakistanis through social media sites. In a world of virtual interaction, particularly in a pandemic-hit world, in-person meetings are rare. Pandemic or no pandemic, for Pakistanis and Indians to meet with each other is even rarer. We are happy that we were part of this meeting. We got to know more about their culture. Actually, I always wondered why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on earth. Then I asked myself the same question. And then it occurred to me and my Inner Wheel colleagues why not invite women from Pakistan to Kartarpur Sahib,” said Dr Nijjar.

She added that it was indeed surreal to see the familiarity that had developed after staying for just a couple of hours at the shrine. “This reflected in how the participants greeted each other,” said Mona Suri, District Secretary of IWC-307.

Suri added, “By organising this tour, I think we have done our bit to improve the friendship between the two countries. You neither choose the day you enter the world nor do you choose the day you leave. It is what you do in between that makes all the difference. We at the IWC wanted to make a big difference and that is why we are planning more such tours in the future.”

“Once my colleagues and I decided that the show must go on, there was no looking back,” said Dr Nijjar.

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