The closing border

My days of relax had definitely, momentarily finished, as in on day we left Mc Leod, got to Amritsar, saw the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh (a small park where, in the nineteen hundreds, about 2000 Indians were killed and wounded while peacefully demonstrating against a law that allowed the British to imprison, without previous trials, Indians suspected of sedition), the closing border at Atari (Indian-Pakistan border), booked a train for the next day to Delhi, and saw the Golden Temple at night. But everything was worth it.

As I said, we had a rickshaw that would take us the 30km that separated Amritsar from the border to see the flamboyant spectacle of its closing ceremony. Fancy military suits on both sides, though I would stick to the Pakistani uniform, march from one side to another in strong gestures and a sense of pride.

But the show itself starts way far from the border, where buses, cars, taxis and rickshaws arrive letting a flow of Indians and foreign tourists. At both sides of the road you can get popcorn, peanuts and other snacks, drinks, etc. You get harassed by tons of kids trying to sell you postcards, DVD's and Indian flags. And once you're finally there, you actually feel like in a stadium, being seated in stands. The party has already began outside, but in there, Indians dance energetically to their rhythms while kids run up and down waving the national flag and the guards do warming up exercises. Everyone claps, sings and cheers to Hindustan, while foreigners watch stunned at the show.

A look at the other side of the border shows you the same kind of picture. And suddenly, everything starts.

Soldiers march toward the gates. Open them. Afterwards, officials meet and, energetically, shake hands, not knowing if it's just acting or if there is really a strong animosity between them. Soldiers keep on marching back and forth while trumpets sound from time to time. And finally, they lower their flags, slowly, slowly, so that neither flag is higher than the other, and so, ending the show.

But it will be back the next day.