POONCH, JAMMU, APRIL 17-It was reunion of the body and the soul of a kind. Probably an intoxicating and overwhelming experience for 76-year-old Abdul Majid Durrani, a resident of PoK, who visited Poonch after 59 years and danced to the beats of dhols to celebrate Baisakhi.
For seventy six-year-old Abdul Majid Durrani, and hundreds of revelers at Nangali Sahib gurudwara, this Baisakhi would remain etched in their minds and souls forever. Durrani, who is a resident of Hajira, which is now Pakistan occupied Kashmir, had come to Poonch after 59 years to meet his relatives and celebrate Baisakhi with them.
Abdul Majid Durrani enthralled one and all as he danced to the beats of the Dhol at the holy Nanagali Sahib Gurudwara, where a huge congregation had gathered to celebrate Baisakhi.
The unabashed joy with which the visitor from PoK danced mandated the crowd to join him and thus began a celebration, which can be described as nothing else, but a salute to spirit of secularism practiced by the people of Poonch and upheld by the Indian nation.
Reliving the old days, a visibly shaken Durrani, said that what he did today reminded him of his childhood days, when he visited Nangali Sahib with his friends and danced the entire day during Baisakhi. With tears in his eyes but smile on his face, he greatly appreciated the fact that Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims are celebrating Baisakhi together and this he said was the victory of human values.
“The secularism which is being practiced by the people of Poonch and all the Indians is exemplary and this brotherhood sets an example to the whole world,” said Durani. “Jo baat Hindustan main hai who wahan nahi. Jis tarha se log aaj mere sath nache aur unhon ne mujhe jo pyar diya who main kabhi bhula nahi sakta (The emotion that is in India, is not there. The way people hugged me danced with me and made me feel like one among themselves, is something I will never forget),” he said.
“It is only here that one can see people from all religions living together peacefully,” he said ruing that “this was not the case with PoK or entire Pakistan. In Pakistan people do not enjoy so much religious camaraderie and togetherness,” he further added.
Speaking about himself, Durrani revealed that he left Poonch for Paksitan occupied Kashmir in 1947, when he was just 16-year old. “I settled in Hajira and started living there after the partition but there was always a longing to visit Poonch, especially Nangali Sahib, of which I have fond memories,” he said.
The people, who were present at Nangali Sahib hailed the decision of the government in opening the borders as a result of which long lost relatives have been able to cross iron fences.
“We are secular citizens of a secular city and a secular country and we live here in peace irrespective of caste, colour and creed, and people will see that one day Pakistan will also appreciate and emulate our values,” was the punch line of young Ranjit Singh, who also danced merrily with the PoK visitors