Are we really so different?

If there are any two nations in the world sharing common interests, its India and Pakistan. The relationship of Pakistan and India has been considered ‘complicated’ due to various political and historical events. These countries were once united but were separated in 1947 and the new nation of Pakistan occupied its place on the world map. Since then the two nations have fought three wars and have been involved in military standoffs. The general populace of both the countries possess hatred and contempt towards each other. According to a 2014 ‘BBC World Service Poll’ 17% of Indians view Pakistan positively while 49% view Pakistan negatively. While on the other hand 21% of Pakistanis express positivity towards India and the remaining 58% express negativity towards India. The bitterness towards each other can be seen clearly.

 While we have developed immense hatred regarding each other, we don’t realize that we share similar interests, goals and passions. We are like a married couple who always squabble on different matters but always have each other’s back. These small resemblances somehow unite us. The lingua franca of both nations is basically the same. Urdu which is the national language of Pakistan is an amalgamation of Hindi; the official language of India, Persian, Arabic and Turkish languages. The major difference between the two languages is that Hindi is written in Devanagari script whereas Urdu is written in Perso-Arabic script so people can understand each other with words. Punjabi another major language is also spoken in India and Pakistan, again the difference between Pakistani Punjabi and Indian Punjabi is the script. Indian Punjabi is written in Gurumukhi script and Pakistani Punjabi is written in Shahmukhi script.

 Apart from the languages God has blessed us with beautiful landscapes. The sight of sheer, snow-capped mountains meeting with the azure sky is common in the North of both countries. The Hunza Valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan is a popular tourist destination because of its alluring scenery, tall mountains, viridescent grasslands and lakes as blue as a Lapis Lazuli surrounded by white daisies and the sun shedding its light on these gifts of nature. A similar breathtaking view can be seen in the Ladakh Valley in the Jammu-Kashmir region of India as the steep mountains stand amidst the blue bodies of water. Everything about these places is spellbinding and captivating.

Ladakh Valley Jammu and Kashmir, India

Hunza Valley Gigit-Baltistan, Pakistan

 While we are showered with these beautiful sceneries we also have the same fashion sense. The national dress of Pakistan is ‘Shalwar Kameez’ for both men and women. ‘Kameez’ is a long shirt worn on the top half and ‘Shalwar’ acts as the jeans or pants in the Pakistani culture. The women wear the traditional ‘Dupatta’ around the neck to distinguish it from the men’s clothing. Women in India wear ‘Sari’ in daily routine but Shalwar Kameez is worn on weddings and other functions. Similarly Pakistani women wear Saris on weddings. The men in both the countries normally wear Shirts, T-shirts and Jeans but Shalwar Kameez is worn formally and occasionally mainly on weddings. The women of the countries possess an undying love for jewelry such as necklaces, earrings and rings and wear it daily. Weddings hold special significance among the people. Marriages are celebrated for weeks consisting of numerous functions. People love to shake a leg as they rejoice and celebrate.

A Pakistani Wedding stage!

An Indian Wedding stage!

 Sports is a major part in the culture of Pakistan and India, cricket is popular with the public. When the two teams play against each other there is so much enthusiasm as it is a matter of national pride. The Pakistani and Indian cuisines are famous for spicy flavors, the main ingredients of these cuisines are chilli, green cardamom, black cardamom, nutmeg, cloves and mace. The Indians and Pakistanis would put their lives at stake in order to eat tasty food. We relish our scrumptious food as we devour a mouthful of it. We adore music which after food and shelter is an essential part of our lives. Qawwali which is Sufi devotional music is cherished and liked by the people of India and Pakistan. Wedding songs are also popular. We have experienced natural disasters and terrorism is a major threat, we are patriotic. We believe in hospitality and guests in our country are welcomed with captivating smiles and tender hugs. Whenever I come across the words ‘India’ or ‘Pakistan’ my mind is occupied with only one question that are we really so different?