The Hindu : Festive mood in Jammu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 15, 2004

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Festive mood in Jammu

By Luv Puri

RS PURA (JAMMU), JAN. 14. The decades of hostility between India and Pakistan took a back seat and the centuries-old bond came to the fore as people on both sides celebrated Lohri (festival of bonfire) here. A popular festival in northwest India, it has its counterpart — Bhogi, the first day of Pongal — in the south.

In a marked departure from the past, when people usually went to the interiors to celebrate, this year they were seen dancing along the border, almost at the edge of the zero line.

The festival marks the end of winter. Bonfires are lit and people sing and dance around it. And true to the occasion, there was bright sunshine in contrast to the chill of the past month. The continuous cross-border firing and the political uncertainty had robbed the festival off its charm. Courtesy the ceasefire, the festivities are now seeing a revival. Music filled the air. People, both young and old, danced the bhangra.

A resident said: "We were eagerly waiting for Lohri after the guns went silent here. I had an inkling that this year's Lohri would be a different experience for the present generation on both sides of the border, and things turned out exactly the same way". There was wistful recollection of past memories. An old man said: "I, along with my friends, who now live in Sialkot [in Pakistan], used to plan for this day a month in advance".

For the troops, it was an altogether different experience. Instead of the sound of gunfire, it was the drumbeats that they were listening to.

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Festive mood in Jammu