awayfromnepal

the journey back home has started
slowly slowly
the content of the backpack has reduced
only the necessary things are left over
some clothes, some soap, a book, a towel
traveling forces one to give up belongings, favorite dresses, attachments
giving away things that are closest to you -so that it hurts a little bit :
the best way to feel light and free and happy to have nothing in particular

Amritsar the first stop on the way back
Amritsar, close to the border with Pakistan, known for its golden temple, holy place for Sikhs
from the Kumbh Mela to this place
only the kind of the religion is different
all the rest is there : the charity, devotion, the masses, the offerings, the merging of daily and holy life
a tiring experience but who cares being tired when home is coming closer?

From Amritsar it is 40 kms to the border with Pakistan
There a very strange event happens every evening at sunset
On both Pakistani and Indian sides there are tribunes for public
I was sitting on the Indian side
Last night, just like every night, there was a ceremony
celebrating and increasing nationalist feelings
First a whole bunch of Indian women (and a few tourists) stand in the middle
when the Bollywoodmusic starts they start to dance and laugh and have a party
The Pakistani`s are now only swaying their flags
India has more fun
India-Pakistan 1-0
After the party the real battle starts
A handful of guards throw their legs in the air and walk with their arms swinging dangerously back and forth
On the Pakistani side the same thing happens
A man with a microphone and running shoes runs around like an Indian with a microphone and running shoes and encourages people to clap their hands, shout and sing louder than the Pakistani`s
He puts the microphone in the mouth of a guard who starts to make a sound as long as his breath allows him to
after that the guard swings his leg over his head
the same roaring sound is heard on the other side when the Indian is already finished
So Pakistani`s have a longer breath (or they begin to roar later)
In any case, cheating or not: India-Pakistan 1-1
Now all the guards start to swing arms and legs again in the direction of the Pakistani side
The gates are violently thrown open from both sides
One guard from each country has the dangerous task to shake hands
They do
They shake arms and shoulders and heads, would be a more proper description of the shake
The public loves it
The man with the microphone shouts HINDUSTAN, the public shouts something back which I don`t understand because I don`t speak hindi
Pakistani`s also have a microphone and shout Jeera Jeera Pakistan in it
The gates close
One guard has some problems with the rope of the Indian flag
but no problem
What can go wrong
we are all having fun
My attention wanders away a bit in all the mixed feelings I`m having
and then the ceremony has ended
Pictures were taken, people laughed, shouted, had a great time
I couldn`t help but think of Gandhi`s biography and his life he devoted to teach people that differentiation is stupid, that divisions between casts, religions, colours, sexes is senseless
I could see the fun of it for a few seconds when those guards started to roar in the microphone
but the overall feeling was sadness
sitting on a tribune only for foreigners
next to that a tribune only for women
close to the guards some rows only for very important Indians
two tribunes for men
then two gates
one with India written on it
one with Pakistan
and on the other side
the same division
A sad, funny, childish happening that doesn`t hurt anyone of course
but only because Gandhi is already dead
he would`ve undertaken a fast in order to teach the people again and again that categorizing people only leads to suffering and violence
Especially here in Amritsar where thousands of people were killed in one day by a British officer in the months before the Partition happened
They were non-violently gathering during a protest against the British rule, just standing on a square
The officer ordered his men to open the fire
Just like that
That is what happened in Amritsar
not such a long time ago
A city with a beautiful golden temple and charitable sikhs
and a dark past

Back to the plan
The next stop will be Lahore
From there most probably a plane will be taken to Tehran
if I am granted a visa and if a plane is available
let`s see
Let`s first see Lahore
because planning two steps in advance has proven not to work
having an idea and following that idea without knowing how it will turn out
that has proven the best way of traveling

The current idea is a strong one and the only one : reaching home
hopefully in a few weeks
over land (mostly)
Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and then through Europe

You will hear from me soon