Yesterday, while I was having dinner with my mum, a sudden sound, loud one that was only a whisper a while ago startled us. It was from our neighbors, the middle-aged couple just next to our home who daily bad mouthed one or the other living being had zeroed on my dad today. They were doing all sort of gaali-galauz to my father over a piece of land that lay between our homes. Every fortnight there will be quarrels over who owns it. In fact it will be fueled when someone places some thing on that piece of land; history will be evoked, dead forefathers will be brought from the grave, the battle will be on. But now they had crossed the line (did they?) by foul mouthing my dad… And thus began a battle at night that will end past midnight with a hoard of spectators around!

Pause a bit. Now imagine if something similar happens to you, that your neighbor starts to bad mouth about your home, your people. Won’t you be agitated? Won’t you go fight them? Or will you keep quite? Will you just ignore? And if you do, how many times will you ignore? One, two, three, how many? Well, think about it. And while you do just that, remember India and Pakistan, the erstwhile neighbors separated by fate are doing just that since ages. And as a responsible neighbor I have problem when someone shouts slogans against my neighbor, even if it is someone from my immediate family. I strongly believe in peace and any thought of potential bloodbath worries me. And sloganeering against your neighbor is just that. Now I know Pakistan has done lot bad stuffs from war to infiltration to bomb blasts on our soil but aren’t we constantly trying to indulge with them?

Let’s get back to my story above. Imagine while my dad goes there and tries to calm down our neighbors by bringing some sense into their claims, I or my brother starts bad mouthing them, that we do a round of provoking sloganeering. Will what my dad is doing hold legitimacy then? Won’t they call it our hypocrisy that my dad is just trying to be nice when he is letting his son do what is opposite of what he intends to achieve? Now that’s exactly what our PM Narendra Modi is set to achieve (?) and how with ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ we are sabotaging his efforts. I was among the many who praised Modi when he landed in Lahore to wish Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif, a Happy Birthday! But I also raised my apprehensions that if Modi doesn’t stick to what he just started when he’s back in opposition then India would be a big loser. My apprehensions were going by Modi’s stand on Pakistan when Congress was in power and his party, the BJP was in opposition. Looks like Modi has lot to do while in power itself to sail smooth on his path of peace with our neighbor. He needs to rein in his own subjects, his own men like my father needs to rein in his children.

I need not tell people about the cost of having a bad neighbor or should I better say a stained relationship with a neighbor given neighbors tend to have good relationships with other people, other nations. Somewhere we both have wronged and to bring peace, we both need to perform ground work, we need to show we mean what we speak before a mic and camera. We need to work beyond what’s being captured on camera and what is said to be on cover page of a national daily.

I have problem with ‘Pakistan Murdabad’ as much as I have problem with ‘Hindustan Murdabad’. I want to be a good neighbor as much as I want my neighbor to be a sane and good one. Pakistan needs to take care of terrorist activities on their soil and we need to take care of the fringe elements on our soil. There is too much of negativity and hate on both sides, it is time we both stood together on wider issues that concerns us both, it is time we sang Aman Ki Asha, together. It is Time.

P. S. The story that I began with, well it was just a story. On lighter note, will I be called anti-national for opposing ‘Pakistan Murdabad’? Will I be booked for sedition? I’m worried but not enough to curtail the freedom to speak my mind. Hope you will appreciate it rather than call me a ‘moron’. I’m tired of hearing just that. Those who refer India as ‘Bharat Mata’ or ‘Mother India’ must also know a mother’s heart, about compassion — don’t just say it but believe in her. She won’t wither over few slogans! Jai Hind, I know you want to hear that!!

Thanks for reading so far. If you liked what you just read then do please press that green heart and share with your network! Happy Reading!