Jammu: Five elderly Hindus got hero's reception in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, where they visited their places of birth after a gap of six decades. As part of increasing interaction between the two parts of the State, bonded by a common language and culture, the Pakistan government allowed the group to make the visit.

Yuv Raj Gupta,Yash Pal Gupta, Raj Kumar Kohli, Shiv Das Sahni and Kulbhushan Kumar described their trip as an unforgettable, emotional experience. The hospitality, affection and respect they received were a lifetime experience.

The five, now in their late 70s, had left PoK in 1947 with bitter memories, having been forced to quit.

Many of their relatives were killed and they left their property behind. Now the treatment, particularly at Mirpur town, was a pleasant surprise. Their experience encouraged many similarly placed Hindus and Sikhs to undertake a visit.

Mr. Yuv Raj Gupta, a retired railway station manager, who headed the delegation said: "The simple lesson from our tour is that language and culture are the biggest bond. Both our hosts and we were overwhelmed by this reunion that we could not express our feelings in words. Part of our conversation was in the language of tears. Besides Mirpur, we visited the towns of Kotli and Bhimber. Everywhere we were mobbed by people, who vied with one another to meet and invite us to their place for dinner and lunch."

Mr. Kohli said: "The people of Mirpur were so moved that they even offered to gift a piece of land to whoever wanted to return and settle down there. It would take days to narrate and long space to pen our experience, which is treasured in our memory. It is not easy to pick and choose."

Honour at mosque

At Kotli, all the five Hindus were honoured in a mosque. Said Mr. Yuv Raj Gupta: "We were publicly honoured and asked to address the devotees. I was so moved by this unique gesture that during my speech I could not hold back my tears. While taking leave, I sought permission to touch the feet of a Sufi saint to express my gratitude. He said this practice was prohibited in Islam. I beseeched him that our faith enjoined upon us to show our devotion in this way. Thereupon, he made an exception in my case."

Mr. Gupta said that during a visit to his school, the pupils asked him to convey their goodwill and love to children living on the Indian side.

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