Cross-border wives feel the one-day gap
- By Mohammed Anas
New Delhi: Those who migrated from India to Pakistan and vice versa at the time of Partition are no longer troubled by the question of which country they owe their allegiance. They are sure of their roots and identity. But what about women who got married on the other side of the border after Partition? Have they come to terms with the country of their residence, which shares more animosity than pleasantries with their country of birth? Is August 14 more important to them than August 15?
“During the 16 years of my educational life in Pakistan every year I was reminded of the importance of August 14, the Yaume-e-Azadi. While for the last 16 years I prepare my children for the school function on August 15, the Independence Day. For me the difference of one day no longer matters as the spirit of celebration prevails among my children,” says 45-year-old Manjuma Ashraf, who hails from Karachi and is married to Moinuddin Ashrafi of Delhi.
Manjuma admits that being educated and brought up in a country makes it a little difficult to settle in another. “But thanks to the similarities India and Pakistan share in terms of culture and traditions, that eases the settling-in part for married women like me,” says Manjuma, a housewife.
One of her counterparts in Pakistan doesn’t feel the same. Islamabad-based Ruwaida Khanam still considers herself an Indian. Ruwaida, a movie-buff, was a schoolteacher in Delhi before her marriage to Shakir Akhtar of Islamabad in 1993. She says, “Though I respect the nationalistic feelings of my in-laws and the importance of August 14 in Pakistan, I still feel like celebrating freedom on August 15 when I listen to patriotic songs on All India Radio.”
Ruwaida is also happy with the open transportation between India and Pakistan. “Now I frequently visit Delhi and watch the latest movies released there. Moreover, every August I5 I try to watch a patriotic Indian movie. This time my brother has promised to send me a CD of Mangal Pandey — The Rising, which I plan to watch this Independence Day with my in-laws who are also fond of Indian films and don’t mind me being more an Indian than Pakistani,” says Ruwaida.
But Karachi-based Zameena Begum, who also hails from Delhi and was a schoolteacher before her marriage, differs from Ruwaida. She reveals, “When in India I was incharge of the Independence Day celebration ceremony in my school. Now I play the same role in a school in Karachi and host the Yaum-e-Azadi function on August 14. There is hardly any difference in listening to the praises of Jinnah, Nehru or Gandhi.”
While for Sadiqa Khatoon, another Indian married in Pakistan and a hardcore cricket fan, Independence Days no longer hold importance. “Except if there is a cricket match between India and Pakistan on August 14 or August 15,” she says.