1 00:00:01,880 --> 00:00:05,359 Speaker 1: A quick note about this week's episode. All three interviews 2 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: featured were conducted in variations of Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi. 3 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: They have all been translated into English and voiced by actors. 4 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: Warning the following episode contains sensitive material. Living in Texas 5 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: the majority of my life, I've unfortunately become quite accustomed 6 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 1: to hearing stories about families being torn apart because of 7 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,840 Speaker 1: a border. While the situations of the Indian Pakistan border 8 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,879 Speaker 1: and the US Mexico border vary in many ways, the 9 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,879 Speaker 1: heartbreak of being separated from your children, your parents, or 10 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 1: other loved ones are synonymous. We've briefly touched upon these 11 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: grave circumstances and previous episodes of this podcast. Today, I 12 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: want to introduce you to a man who was instrumental 13 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: uniting family split up by Partition. One of these reunions 14 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: was between two brothers who were separated during Partition and 15 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: only saw each other again this year. It had been 16 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: seventy four years from I Heart Radio, I'm Nahasie's and 17 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 1: this is Partition. A podcast will take a closer look 18 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: into this often forgotten part of history. Numerous children who 19 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: survived ninety seven were abandoned, lost taken to religious retreats 20 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: like ashrams, or they woke up in a hospital bed 21 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: with no idea where their families were, whether they were 22 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: alive or not. Authur Uvashi Battalia wrote in great detail 23 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:18,080 Speaker 1: about the lives of women in the other side of Silence, 24 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:21,360 Speaker 1: but she also devoted many pages in her book about 25 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:30,400 Speaker 1: the children of Partition. Sabbatry mcjohnny, a record collector with 26 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: the United Council of Relief and Welfare, described a time 27 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 1: when a large camp closed down in Lahore. At the 28 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: time a few months after Partition, she was with the 29 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: School of Social Work in Delhi. Shortly after the camp 30 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:55,359 Speaker 1: closed down, they received information that there was some dozen 31 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: children who had been left behind who seemed to belong 32 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:04,679 Speaker 1: to no one. What was to be done with them. 33 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: Many children grew up in orphanages or homes for the destitute. 34 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: Others made their way through life on the streets, and 35 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:22,519 Speaker 1: some had the privilege to be adopted into homes. Brutalia 36 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: mentions workers at the Gandhavan, Nita Ashram and Jilan there 37 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: recount that in a two year old child was brought 38 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: to the ashram, no one knew who she belonged to 39 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: or where she came from. At the time the book 40 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: was published, she was fifty two and still living there, 41 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: a child of history without a history. This sentence is 42 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: one that I keep coming back to. This woman would 43 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: be in her mid seventies now. Is she still alive? 44 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: Did anyone come looking for her? Was she able to 45 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:59,160 Speaker 1: find any closure or peace? Who knows if she's even 46 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: there anymore. This is a devastating story, but, as we've learned, 47 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: far from unusual. In January, I had a friend sent 48 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: me an article from the Washington Post about two men 49 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: named Sadiq and Sica who met after seventy four years. 50 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: I was captivated in their reunion video. Siica is already 51 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: waiting for his brother, and Sadik is approaching with his family. 52 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: But you can hear someone saying, look there, that's your brother. 53 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,039 Speaker 1: After all of these years, it has finally worked out. 54 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:44,600 Speaker 1: Go run and hug him. The brothers have a teery embrace, 55 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:49,280 Speaker 1: and the younger brother, Sika, is comforting Sadiq. He tells him, 56 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:53,360 Speaker 1: we are alive, so we can be together again. Sadik 57 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: Givesica a floral garland, a welcoming gesture in South Asian culture. 58 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: The video of the his brothers. Reuniting gave me the 59 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:09,280 Speaker 1: full range of emotions happiness, anger, sadness, longing, annoyance, you 60 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: name it. It was such a beautiful and touching moment. 61 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 1: But when you think about the many arduous steps it 62 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 1: took for these siblings to meet, it's hard to ignore 63 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: the continuous policing of our borders. Nasir Dillo is someone 64 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 1: who's desperately trying to change the status quo Nasir Lis 65 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:28,719 Speaker 1: and Fezzil bad and when he's not tending to his 66 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: real estate business, he helps partition survivors find people they 67 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: once knew and have now lost. What started out as 68 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: a Facebook page created in transformed into a major online 69 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 1: community with over six thousand subscribers and almost one hundred 70 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:48,360 Speaker 1: million views. Nasir is a prime mover behind the Pakistani 71 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: YouTube channel Punjabi Lahare. The channel hosts an array of 72 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: content from reunions and oral histories to the impacts of 73 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:00,120 Speaker 1: the recent floods. On this channel, Nasir post interview the 74 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 1: people affected by partition. Although it started as a way 75 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: to simply document these stories, it has evolved into a 76 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 1: way for long lost family members separated in to reconnect 77 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: with one another. The channel might post an interview and 78 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:17,719 Speaker 1: viewers who might know the family members comment and try 79 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 1: to facilitate a connections. You have channel Cube. When I art, 80 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: people asked us why we created this channel and what 81 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: the purpose was. I used to talk to my grandfather 82 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 1: about his village in India. I asked how the village was, 83 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:47,480 Speaker 1: how are the people, how are your friends? My elders 84 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:51,720 Speaker 1: used to say people were very nice in their village. 85 00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:57,599 Speaker 1: Wanting to hear stories and experiences from others, connected with 86 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: people from India through social media from about the Hindu 87 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,280 Speaker 1: and Sikh communities. He has a Sikh friend named Booping. 88 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 1: They're saying Lovely living in nak Nanasia, a holy site 89 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: for the Sikhs which is now located in Pakistan. When 90 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: Lovely came onto the project, they got more exposure because 91 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: the door opened up to meet a lot more people 92 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: since many pilgrims traveled to nick Nanasya from India. He 93 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: will get in touch with the people visiting officers from 94 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 1: the real estate. There was an elderly person by my 95 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: real estate office in fast Labad. He recognized Lovely was 96 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:43,280 Speaker 1: a seek and struck up a conversation about his time 97 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: in India. Lovely did an interview with the elder and 98 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: it went viral on YouTube and people really responded positively 99 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: to it. After the success of the first partition story, 100 00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: we started contacting people by phone living in the area 101 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: of Punjab in Pakistan regarding their history with partition. What 102 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: did they see with their own eyes? They quickly started 103 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: recording more and have been recording for the last seven years. 104 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: Nasir says, with the Facebook and YouTube pages combined, they 105 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 1: probably have around stories ms name. When people from the 106 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: Punjab side of India used to come to Pakistan, they 107 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:40,640 Speaker 1: used to recall that they lost a sister, a brother 108 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: or a friend. I never heard any complaints or animosity 109 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: among the different religions of people living in the area. 110 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:58,559 Speaker 1: They lived in love and as many conversations with his grandfather, 111 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 1: Nasa remembered him saying how much he wanted to visit 112 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: his old village again in India, but he never got 113 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 1: the chance. His grandfather passed away a few years ago 114 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 1: and he couldn't go because he couldn't obtain a visa. 115 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: I feel guilty that I never got to take him back. 116 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,680 Speaker 1: Punjabi La Hare has gained an immense following and because 117 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: of that, it's become a little easier for people to 118 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: find each other through the videos being posted. Coffee Logo. 119 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 1: It used to take a long time to find people 120 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: because whatever someone used to contact us about a missing 121 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 1: reality or a kidnapping. We used to do everything NASA 122 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 1: and Lovely had to record, upload an attempt to locate 123 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:08,440 Speaker 1: people themselves. Before that, we didn't have a community to 124 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:13,559 Speaker 1: assist with finding people. Now, as soon as we upload 125 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,520 Speaker 1: a new video, we get a through because we have 126 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: quite a few subscribers and people contact us or leave 127 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: notes in the comments. No Sir said it usually takes 128 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: around eight to ten days for someone to have an 129 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 1: idea to help solve where I loved one. Maybe around 130 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,760 Speaker 1: two hundred to two hundred and fifty people have met 131 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:40,160 Speaker 1: not only their blood relatives, but old friends and neighbors 132 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: through the channel. People that leave comments on the videos 133 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: and form groups. In Punjab they talk amongst themselves sanji 134 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:56,440 Speaker 1: south meaning people come together to join in conversations. We 135 00:10:56,520 --> 00:11:00,440 Speaker 1: hosted it online and people would come on from their homes. 136 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:04,199 Speaker 1: Because of this, people are starting to get in touch. 137 00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 1: The story of Sadik and Sica reuniting reach an abundance 138 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: of people across the globe and with it garnered a 139 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,400 Speaker 1: lot of media attention. Now with an even bigger audience, 140 00:11:17,559 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 1: Nasa says he has more than one hundred stories to 141 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:25,880 Speaker 1: work on, but's in the problems I think um one stories. 142 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: The problem is we can do the stories, but the 143 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:37,040 Speaker 1: issues getting visas for people to visit and if you 144 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,960 Speaker 1: can get assistance from the India and Pakistan government to 145 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:44,920 Speaker 1: verify their stories. I don't understand why there should be 146 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: any issue with the success of reuniting survivors, there also 147 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:57,480 Speaker 1: comes crashing waves of disappointment. Much like the woman who 148 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:00,480 Speaker 1: has lived essentially her entire life in the astra Um, 149 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:04,200 Speaker 1: not everyone has a happy ending. The serious suspects that 150 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:07,400 Speaker 1: some people have been denied visas because their story was 151 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:12,680 Speaker 1: not as high profile as Deak and sick Us. Absolutely 152 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:20,560 Speaker 1: the stories, John, would you look after listening to stories, 153 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 1: it feels like it is my story, all of these 154 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 1: partitions stories. When people are talking about partition, it is 155 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: really tough for them. It feels like it is my bust. 156 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:39,120 Speaker 1: If you can't help in some way, I feel sad. 157 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 1: He mentions one woman in particular, names Aldana Begum, a 158 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: famous poet. She visited Pakistan seven times to look for 159 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: her relatives. She died recently, never having found her family members. 160 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: Only a few days after her death, the Bunjabi la 161 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:10,080 Speaker 1: Our team was able to locate her family. Boni the 162 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:14,560 Speaker 1: people who sacrifice themselves, meaning the people who died, got 163 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:18,679 Speaker 1: hurt and suffered hard for India and Pakistan and left 164 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 1: their homes. The governments won't allow them to meet with 165 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:28,280 Speaker 1: their families. We are behind compared to other countries. There 166 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:31,600 Speaker 1: is so much hate. We need to get out of it. 167 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 1: We are going to stay in the past if we 168 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:38,160 Speaker 1: continue like this. Doesn't matter about the borders. It should 169 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:41,679 Speaker 1: be open so people can meet each other. You can 170 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:46,240 Speaker 1: travel to Japan, America, Canada and it's not as difficult 171 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:50,920 Speaker 1: as obtaining a visa to India or Pakistan. When will 172 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 1: they get their senses after the break? We'll hear from 173 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:26,560 Speaker 1: Saddi and Sica eight months ago where they're Sadiq and 174 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:30,200 Speaker 1: Sica reunited at the Karthurpork Corridor. It was a day 175 00:14:30,240 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 1: filled with laughter, tears, and most importantly, it was a celebration. However, 176 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:39,960 Speaker 1: what proceeded this day was over seven decades of separation 177 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: and unknown answers to a flurry of questions. In Poul, India, 178 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:49,720 Speaker 1: Sadique was a young boy around ten years old and 179 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 1: Sica hadn't even turned one yet. Their father was killed 180 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:55,720 Speaker 1: in the chaos and their mother took her own life 181 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: not long after a partition. They had a sister, but 182 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:02,920 Speaker 1: she passed away from illness and a refugee camp, so 183 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: he ended up walking in a caravan to Pakistan. I 184 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: arrived in fest Labat and settled in Jenna colony in Pakistan. 185 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: The government provided me with some rations. From there, I 186 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:32,640 Speaker 1: moved to a small village just to fifty five. We 187 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 1: got two acres of land from the government to farm. Meanwhile, 188 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 1: Sica was under the care of a poverty stricken uncle 189 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 1: in their village and was then given away. He was 190 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: taken in by the Saints, a family that raised him 191 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 1: as if he was one of their own. Since ICIca 192 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:53,000 Speaker 1: was so young, A lot of what he knows about 193 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 1: his life comes from the villagers of pool Wa. He's 194 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 1: had to piece together the earlier parts of his life 195 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: based on what others told him. Dr Jugs Are saying 196 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,600 Speaker 1: a farmer and friend of Sikas from the village was 197 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: quoted saying he was the one who was left behind. Yeah, well, 198 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:22,160 Speaker 1: don't vide the amaze. You didn't know. Well, my life 199 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 1: after partition was spent in poverty. I spent every day 200 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 1: doing labor. It was hard work tending to all the animals, 201 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 1: but I didn't mind so much because I had people 202 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: who protected me. They both started looking for each other 203 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,880 Speaker 1: at different points in their life. For Zadig, the older brother, 204 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 1: it was relatively quickly after making the track to Pakistan. 205 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:58,680 Speaker 1: You do men, Yeah, I started looking for Chica two 206 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: months after I had lived in Pakistan. I tried very hard, 207 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 1: but it was impossible, but little to no resources. Sika 208 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:13,800 Speaker 1: began his search for his brother when he was eighteen. 209 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:26,439 Speaker 1: Oh Shari, I used to ask Muslim families going to 210 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:30,840 Speaker 1: Pakistan to look for Sadik. I'd helped put some ads 211 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:38,080 Speaker 1: in newspapers and writing letters, but nothing was working. Both 212 00:17:38,119 --> 00:17:41,240 Speaker 1: brothers went on with their lives, but even as years passed, 213 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:44,440 Speaker 1: they never stopped attempting to find each other. And then 214 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:57,879 Speaker 1: fate intervened. In May, Dr Singh was visiting his daughter 215 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:00,080 Speaker 1: in Canada when he was showing a video from a 216 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:03,239 Speaker 1: YouTube channel. It was a video of Sadiq reciting all 217 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:06,280 Speaker 1: the details he knew about his brother and begging for 218 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:10,639 Speaker 1: anyone with any news to reach out. The circumstances sounded 219 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:13,600 Speaker 1: oddly familiar to doctor Singh and he had a hunch 220 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: that maybe the person this man was looking for was Sica. 221 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:21,199 Speaker 1: Dr Singh called Nasir, who had conducted the interview, to 222 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: get some more details. The very next day, Nasir and 223 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:27,920 Speaker 1: Sadiq found a man who lives with Sica, and all 224 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:32,640 Speaker 1: four of them began having conversations. In a matter of days, Friends, 225 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 1: villagers and family members began to collect all the necessary 226 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:40,400 Speaker 1: paperwork to apply for visas so Sadiq and Sica could 227 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:45,800 Speaker 1: meet at long last. However, the Indian and Pakistani government's restrictions, 228 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,600 Speaker 1: in addition to the coronavirus through a wrench in their plans, 229 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 1: and their reunion was put on hold indefinitely until they 230 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:59,200 Speaker 1: could physically meet, Video calls would have to suffice. There 231 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: was one way around fund it, though. The Carthurpark Corridor 232 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:06,120 Speaker 1: is a visa free crossing, so once COVID loosened its 233 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:09,880 Speaker 1: grip on the world, Sadik and Sica started making plans 234 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:11,919 Speaker 1: to meet at the Sikh temple in the middle of 235 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:18,080 Speaker 1: the crossing. They would meet on January each group began 236 00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:22,960 Speaker 1: to prepare in order to make the trip, so they 237 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:26,640 Speaker 1: expand fifty thou Pakistani rupees, which is a little over 238 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:44,880 Speaker 1: two U S. Dollars. I did. I had to sell 239 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,960 Speaker 1: my buffalo in order to get some money to travel there. 240 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:56,040 Speaker 1: I traveled by bus with all of my family, friends 241 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: and neighbors of Sicca also rented a bus to the corridor, 242 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 1: and both groups brought with them an array of gifts 243 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,720 Speaker 1: and food to give to each other. Sara union was 244 00:20:04,760 --> 00:20:08,199 Speaker 1: at the mercy of the temple's operating hours. Sadik and 245 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:11,120 Speaker 1: Sitka spent three hours together before they had to say 246 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:14,160 Speaker 1: goodbye again. Nasir said when it was time to leave, 247 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:19,160 Speaker 1: Sadik whendn't let his brother go. Since their initial meeting, 248 00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 1: both brothers have received the opportunity to travel to each 249 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 1: other's homes. On the Punjabula Hair channel, there is one 250 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: video of the brothers talking and laughing in a car 251 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: while Naser drives, and in another we see them celebrating 252 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:42,080 Speaker 1: near the border and the horror Pakistan. They love Pakistan. Yeah, yeah, 253 00:20:42,119 --> 00:20:47,520 Speaker 1: you paid in other pace, How is you get? I 254 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,600 Speaker 1: stayed in Pakistan for two months and one of Sadik's 255 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:54,679 Speaker 1: grandson is getting married, so I'm hoping to visit again 256 00:20:55,280 --> 00:21:09,159 Speaker 1: very soon. Well. I traveled to India in me and 257 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:15,720 Speaker 1: stayed for a couple of months. Hearing their story, I 258 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:18,960 Speaker 1: hope that India and Pakistan will allow other partition survivors 259 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 1: as well as other people to obtain visas so they 260 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 1: too can visit their roots and memories. Before Sadik and 261 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 1: I hung up the phone, he asked where in Pakistan 262 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: I was from. My dad was on the line to 263 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 1: assist me with these phone calls, and he said we 264 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:46,800 Speaker 1: were from Carachi. Sadik in return said the next time 265 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:53,960 Speaker 1: ruined Pakistan, please come meet us. My dad responded with inshalla, 266 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:57,439 Speaker 1: which means God willing. This was a phrase that my 267 00:21:57,480 --> 00:21:59,720 Speaker 1: parents said to me whenever they wanted me to stop 268 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,840 Speaker 1: asking about something when I was younger, and on some 269 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 1: occasions even now, instead of giving me a yes or 270 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:09,880 Speaker 1: no answer, this is what they would say. But here 271 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:13,840 Speaker 1: it was real, it was genuine. I could feel it. 272 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:18,600 Speaker 1: I've read, seen and heard countless stories of people wanting 273 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:21,320 Speaker 1: to visit their homes they left behind and thought they 274 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:26,000 Speaker 1: could visit, or their absolute exasperated grief when they describe 275 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:28,720 Speaker 1: someone who they have lost contact with and yearned to 276 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: see again with all of these stories, they say in 277 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,320 Speaker 1: shella or something to that effect. When it comes to 278 00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:38,520 Speaker 1: getting their visas approved to visit either India or Pakistan, 279 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 1: this phrase is really the only sense of hope they 280 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 1: can cling to. Next time, I'll take a deeper dive 281 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:52,760 Speaker 1: into how Partition is portrayed in film and television. What 282 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 1: content is accessible, Are there any good examples? What is 283 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:00,280 Speaker 1: the audience supposed to take away from these depictions h 284 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:04,520 Speaker 1: We'll talk to filmmakers and writers Chanty Dcor and Fatima 285 00:23:04,560 --> 00:23:08,639 Speaker 1: Ascar about their own creative work with partition, along with 286 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:16,240 Speaker 1: media they consumed on the topic. So literature really informed me. 287 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 1: And then I saw a documentary and it was a 288 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:22,560 Speaker 1: very journalistic, you know, give me the dates, give me 289 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,439 Speaker 1: the politicians name of what happened. And of course I 290 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:28,920 Speaker 1: watched it because I wanted to learn as much about 291 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: the politicians who were involved and so forth. But there 292 00:23:31,800 --> 00:23:35,560 Speaker 1: was really something lacking. It seemed really one dimensional around 293 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 1: these kind of almost arbitrary conversations between politicians, but not 294 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:42,840 Speaker 1: like what was happening in the hard and soul of 295 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: the people on the street. Until next week, I'm Naazie's 296 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:56,760 Speaker 1: and This Is Partition. Partition was developed as a part 297 00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:00,359 Speaker 1: of the Next Up initiative created by Anna Hosnier, Joel 298 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 1: Monique and Senia Median. Partition is produced by Anna Hosnier, 299 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,880 Speaker 1: Tricia muker Gee and Becca Ramos. It is edited by 300 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 1: Rory Gagan, with the original score composed by Mark Hadley.