The Wagah Border - the beating retreat ceremony is a spectacle to witness. Amritsar was never a part of my plan in this trip but when I reached Chandigarh, I just made a slight detour to experience this. A lot of it seems unnecessary jingoism to me but I can't deny the fact that it is entertaining.
Amritsar town to Wagah border is a good 30 Km ride. I was cruising along on my motorcycle and it started raining. Raining is a mild term I use, it felt more like a heavy artillery shelling. Drenched to my balls, I reach the border. The rain had stopped now but the wet clothes I am donning do not bring any cheer. The optimist in me tries to find a silver lining in this cloud. The rain may at least ensure lesser rush for the ceremony and finding a good spot to watch the ceremony should be easier. The thought brings back the smile on my face.
Well, not for long because this was the sight at the entrance
The optimist in me again tries to find a silver lining in this cloud. With such crowds, the sloganeering war from both sides would be a fun spectacle. I clear my throat. However soft spoken I am, today I have to shout. I have to shout for my country. I along with my countrymen have to drown out the voices coming from the other side. After some 10 minutes of jostling through this heavy crowd which could put peak hour Mumbai local train crowd to shame, I finally reach the seating area
The crowd was maddening. I don't think I'll be getting any seats on this side of the gate.
I gaze over to the other side and it disappoints me
The rows are all empty on that side. It seems that the Pakistanis do not love their country as much. Although I don't blame them for that. Nothing worthwhile about that country. But these many empty seats. For a moment I wished I was on the other side just to cheer them up.
On the other hand, the Indian side feels like a carnival. Shouts of 'Hindustan Zindabad', 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' drown out any voices if at there were any from the other side. To give you a glimpse
There is some music and dancing involved
There is some shouting involved. Sometimes one doesn't even know what is being said
Finally the start of the ceremony. It is heartening to see women lead the ceremony on the Indian side
If you have reached till this point you must definitely watch this video by East India Comedy where stand up comedian Atul Khatri explains the Wagah Border spectacle. It couldn't have been described better :)
About Me:
A 7 month motorcycle ride that took me to every state in India, parts of Nepal and Bhutan and one town in Burma. These blog entries are inspired by this trip. Stories about people I met, stories about places I saw. Things that intrigued me, things that amused me. They say traveling changes you, they say traveling inspires you and they say a lot of other stuff. I don't know. I think a gun on the head is a better way to change people. I just hope that my travel stories entertain you
Right now I am in the process of writing a book based on this trip and figuring out the difference between a writer's block and procrastination.
Right now I am in the process of writing a book based on this trip and figuring out the difference between a writer's block and procrastination.
You can find more information on my Facebook page and Instagram account
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