• Latest
  • Trending

Why Pakistanis are the most gracious people in the world

September 1, 2016
Exchange Rate

Foreign Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka; USD, GBP, EUR, SGD, CAD

August 12, 2022
Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

August 12, 2022
Foreign currency

Indian companies swapping dollar for Asian currencies to buy Russian coal

August 12, 2022
FILE PHOTO: The Netflix logo is pictured on a television in this illustration photograph taken in Encinitas, California, U.S., January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

Disney overtakes Netflix in race for subscribers

August 12, 2022
PNS Taimur

Pakistani warship arrives at Colombo Port

August 12, 2022
Notice for vehicle owners in Western Province

Notice for vehicle owners in Western Province

August 12, 2022
Billionaire Lee Jae-yong

Billionaire Samsung Boss gets Presidential Pardon in South Korea

August 12, 2022
In the 19 th.century, Indians needed written permission to sit in front of British officers

In the 19 th.century, Indians needed written permission to sit in front of British officers

August 12, 2022
158 academics in the West condemn violent assault on protesters in Colombo by security forces

A struggle that went awry

August 12, 2022
Gotabaya Rajapaksa

First pictures of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as he lands in Thailand

August 11, 2022
Mask. Image credits - Vera Davidova / Unsplash

As Covid cases surge, Delhi govt reintroduces Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks

August 11, 2022
Electricity

Power cut schedule today; Aug 12 in Sri Lanka

August 11, 2022
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Friday, August 12, 2022
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Exchange Rate

    Foreign Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka; USD, GBP, EUR, SGD, CAD

    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Foreign currency

    Indian companies swapping dollar for Asian currencies to buy Russian coal

    PNS Taimur

    Pakistani warship arrives at Colombo Port

    Notice for vehicle owners in Western Province

    Notice for vehicle owners in Western Province

    In the 19 th.century, Indians needed written permission to sit in front of British officers

    In the 19 th.century, Indians needed written permission to sit in front of British officers

    158 academics in the West condemn violent assault on protesters in Colombo by security forces

    A struggle that went awry

    Gotabaya Rajapaksa

    First pictures of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as he lands in Thailand

    Mask. Image credits - Vera Davidova / Unsplash

    As Covid cases surge, Delhi govt reintroduces Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    Foreign currency

    Indian companies swapping dollar for Asian currencies to buy Russian coal

    FILE PHOTO: The Netflix logo is pictured on a television in this illustration photograph taken in Encinitas, California, U.S., January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

    Disney overtakes Netflix in race for subscribers

    Billionaire Lee Jae-yong

    Billionaire Samsung Boss gets Presidential Pardon in South Korea

    Mask. Image credits - Vera Davidova / Unsplash

    As Covid cases surge, Delhi govt reintroduces Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks

    Bank of Thailand

    Thailand hikes rate for first time since 2018 to tame hot inflation

    Image: WhatsApp

    WhatsApp’s new update makes it easier to avoid your friends

    Tik Tok

    The top TikTok trends to try this week

    Snapchat. Image credits - May Gauthier @maygauthier / Unsplash

    Snap launches tools for parents to monitor teens’ contacts

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Thousands of users around the world report Google outage

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Marvel has unleashed the first look teaser of Black Panther 2.

    Black Panther Wakanda Forever: Marvel pays emotional tribute to Chadwick Boseman

    Stranger Things

    Netflix confirms ‘Stranger Things’ spinoff and play

    Kamal Haasan's Vikram is on a rampage.

    Kamal Haasan’s Vikram is the highest-grossing film in Singapore, UK and UAE

    Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

    ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ celebrates 25 magical years

    Salman Khan

    Plot to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan revealed

    Shah Rukh Khan's Jawaan, to be directed by Atlee, to scheduled for June 2023 release. (Photo: Twitter)

    Shah Rukh Khan announces new film ‘Jawaan’

    Chchutir diner Gaan by Bangladeshi singer Nondita

    Chchutir diner Gaan by Bangladeshi singer Nondita

    Song “Bechain Nazar Betaab Jigar”. Talat Mahmood. Film “Yasmin” 1955

    Song “Bechain Nazar Betaab Jigar”. Talat Mahmood. Film “Yasmin” 1955

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Cheeseburger. Image credits - Alamy / BBC

    McDonald’s puts up price of cheeseburger for first time in 14 years

    WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency

    WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency

    Sushmita Sen. Image credits - Getty Images

    Sushmita Sen: Why ‘gold digger’ jibe caused outrage

    Honey. Image credits - Mariana Ibanez / Unsplash

    7 unique health benefits of honey

    alcohol

    Alcohol is never healthy for people under 40, study finds

    world’s happiest countries in 2022

    List of world’s happiest countries in 2022

    Emirates

    Emirates statement on operations at London Heathrow

    The main aim of the team is to enable them to collect microplastics in deeper water and provide information to analyse marine pollution in real time. (File Pic)

    Chinese scientists develop robot fish that gobble up microplastics

    Bicycle. Image credits - Febiyan @febiyanr / Unsplash

    10 essential biking rules every cyclist should know

    Luggage. Image credits - Caroline Selfors @cselfors / Unsplash

    London’s Heathrow tells airlines to stop ticket sales as it caps passengers

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    FILE PHOTO: The Netflix logo is pictured on a television in this illustration photograph taken in Encinitas, California, U.S., January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

    Disney overtakes Netflix in race for subscribers

    Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 phones on Aug 10, 2022. (Photo: Samsung)

    5 things to know about Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 foldable smartphones

    Image: WhatsApp

    WhatsApp’s new update makes it easier to avoid your friends

    Snapchat. Image credits - May Gauthier @maygauthier / Unsplash

    Snap launches tools for parents to monitor teens’ contacts

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Thousands of users around the world report Google outage

    After buying Twitter, Elon Musk has now said he will buy Coca-Cola to put the 'cocaine' back in.

    Starlink: Why is Elon Musk launching thousands of satellites?

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Exchange Rate

    Foreign Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka; USD, GBP, EUR, SGD, CAD

    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Foreign currency

    Indian companies swapping dollar for Asian currencies to buy Russian coal

    PNS Taimur

    Pakistani warship arrives at Colombo Port

    Notice for vehicle owners in Western Province

    Notice for vehicle owners in Western Province

    In the 19 th.century, Indians needed written permission to sit in front of British officers

    In the 19 th.century, Indians needed written permission to sit in front of British officers

    158 academics in the West condemn violent assault on protesters in Colombo by security forces

    A struggle that went awry

    Gotabaya Rajapaksa

    First pictures of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as he lands in Thailand

    Mask. Image credits - Vera Davidova / Unsplash

    As Covid cases surge, Delhi govt reintroduces Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    Foreign currency

    Indian companies swapping dollar for Asian currencies to buy Russian coal

    FILE PHOTO: The Netflix logo is pictured on a television in this illustration photograph taken in Encinitas, California, U.S., January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

    Disney overtakes Netflix in race for subscribers

    Billionaire Lee Jae-yong

    Billionaire Samsung Boss gets Presidential Pardon in South Korea

    Mask. Image credits - Vera Davidova / Unsplash

    As Covid cases surge, Delhi govt reintroduces Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks

    Bank of Thailand

    Thailand hikes rate for first time since 2018 to tame hot inflation

    Image: WhatsApp

    WhatsApp’s new update makes it easier to avoid your friends

    Tik Tok

    The top TikTok trends to try this week

    Snapchat. Image credits - May Gauthier @maygauthier / Unsplash

    Snap launches tools for parents to monitor teens’ contacts

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Thousands of users around the world report Google outage

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

    Marvel has unleashed the first look teaser of Black Panther 2.

    Black Panther Wakanda Forever: Marvel pays emotional tribute to Chadwick Boseman

    Stranger Things

    Netflix confirms ‘Stranger Things’ spinoff and play

    Kamal Haasan's Vikram is on a rampage.

    Kamal Haasan’s Vikram is the highest-grossing film in Singapore, UK and UAE

    Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

    ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ celebrates 25 magical years

    Salman Khan

    Plot to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan revealed

    Shah Rukh Khan's Jawaan, to be directed by Atlee, to scheduled for June 2023 release. (Photo: Twitter)

    Shah Rukh Khan announces new film ‘Jawaan’

    Chchutir diner Gaan by Bangladeshi singer Nondita

    Chchutir diner Gaan by Bangladeshi singer Nondita

    Song “Bechain Nazar Betaab Jigar”. Talat Mahmood. Film “Yasmin” 1955

    Song “Bechain Nazar Betaab Jigar”. Talat Mahmood. Film “Yasmin” 1955

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Cheeseburger. Image credits - Alamy / BBC

    McDonald’s puts up price of cheeseburger for first time in 14 years

    WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency

    WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency

    Sushmita Sen. Image credits - Getty Images

    Sushmita Sen: Why ‘gold digger’ jibe caused outrage

    Honey. Image credits - Mariana Ibanez / Unsplash

    7 unique health benefits of honey

    alcohol

    Alcohol is never healthy for people under 40, study finds

    world’s happiest countries in 2022

    List of world’s happiest countries in 2022

    Emirates

    Emirates statement on operations at London Heathrow

    The main aim of the team is to enable them to collect microplastics in deeper water and provide information to analyse marine pollution in real time. (File Pic)

    Chinese scientists develop robot fish that gobble up microplastics

    Bicycle. Image credits - Febiyan @febiyanr / Unsplash

    10 essential biking rules every cyclist should know

    Luggage. Image credits - Caroline Selfors @cselfors / Unsplash

    London’s Heathrow tells airlines to stop ticket sales as it caps passengers

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    FILE PHOTO: The Netflix logo is pictured on a television in this illustration photograph taken in Encinitas, California, U.S., January 18, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

    Disney overtakes Netflix in race for subscribers

    Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 phones on Aug 10, 2022. (Photo: Samsung)

    5 things to know about Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 foldable smartphones

    Image: WhatsApp

    WhatsApp’s new update makes it easier to avoid your friends

    Snapchat. Image credits - May Gauthier @maygauthier / Unsplash

    Snap launches tools for parents to monitor teens’ contacts

    FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Google logo is seen in this illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

    Thousands of users around the world report Google outage

    After buying Twitter, Elon Musk has now said he will buy Coca-Cola to put the 'cocaine' back in.

    Starlink: Why is Elon Musk launching thousands of satellites?

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
NewsIn.Asia
No Result
View All Result
Home Around South Asia India

Why Pakistanis are the most gracious people in the world

Editor by Editor
September 1, 2016
in India, Pakistan
Reading Time: 4 mins read
4 0
A A
Share on WhatsApp

Harsh Mander/Scroll.in

My mother was forced to leave behind the city of her birth, Rawalpindi, when she was just 18 because of the tumultuous ruptures of Partition. She had never returned. When she was to turn 75, I thought the best gift I could give her was to take her, if it was at all possible, to the city and to the home in which she was born.

I emailed my friends in Pakistan tentatively with my plan. They were immediately very welcoming.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Just get her a visa, leave the rest to us,” they said. I applied for visas for my parents and the rest of my family. It seemed then a small miracle that we got these easily. I booked our flight tickets, and before long we were on our way.

A warm welcome

Our flight landed in Lahore, and our friends drove us from the airport to their home in Islamabad. I noticed that my mother was initially a little tense. Maybe it was memories of the violence of her exile; maybe it was just the idea that this was now a foreign land, and for many in India the enemy land.

I watched my mother gradually relax on the road journey to Islamabad, as she delighted in hearing my friends and the car driver speak the Punjabi of her childhood, and as she watched the altered landscape of her journey. Islamabad, of course, did not exist when she lived in the Punjab of her days.

In Islamabad, my friends invited to their homes many of their associates with their parents. They organised evenings of Punjabi poetry and music, which my parents relished. Our friends drove us to Murree, the hill-station in which my mother spent many pleasant summers as a child.

My mother had just one more request. Could she go to see the colony in Rawalpindi where she was born and spent her childhood in? My father also wanted to visit his college, the famous Gordon College in Rawalpindi.

Pakistanis welcome Indians with garlands and banners. Shop keepers would refuse to take money from visiting Indians
Pakistanis welcome Indians with garlands and banners. Shop keepers would refuse to take money from visiting Indians

A homecoming

My mother recalled that the name of the residential colony in which she lived as a child was called Gawal Mandi. My friends knew it well; it was now an upmarket upper middle-class enclave.

When we reached there, my mother tried to locate the house of her childhood. It seemed impossible. Everything was new: most of the old houses had been rebuilt and opulent new structures had come up in their place.

She located the building that had housed their gurudwara. It had now been converted into a health centre. But we had almost despaired of actually finding her childhood house. We doubted if it was even standing all these years later.

We were leaving when suddenly my mother pointed to the filigree work on the balconies of one of the old houses. My mother said: “I remember it because my father was very proud of the designs. He said there was none like it in the neighbourhood.”

Taking a chance, we knocked tentatively on the door of the house. A middle-aged man opened it, and asked us who we wanted to meet.

My mother said apologetically, “We are so sorry to trouble you, and intrude suddenly in this way. But I lived as a child in Gawal Mandi, before Partition, when we had to leave for India. I think this maybe was our home.”

The house owner’s response was spontaneous and immediate. Before long my mother conceded that this was indeed her home.

Half an hour later, we thanked the house-owners and said that we would be on our way. But they would not hear of it.

We were told: “You have come to your childhood home, then how can we let you go without you having a meal with us here?”

They overruled all our protestations, and lunch was prepared for around eight members of our party, including not just my family but also our Pakistani hosts. Only when they were sure that we had eaten our fill, and more, did they allow us to leave.

After we returned to India, news of our adventure spread quickly among family and friends. The next year, my mother-in-law — a wheel-chair user — requested that we take her to Pakistan to visit her childhood home, this time in Gujranwala.

Given the joys of my parents’ successful visit, I was more confident. Many elderly aunts and an elderly uncle joined the trip, and in the end my wife and I accompanied six older people to Pakistan.

Our experience was very similar to that of the previous year. The owner of their old ancestral haveli in Gujranwala village took my mother-in-law around the sprawling property on her wheel-chair, and after we had eaten with them asked her: “Would you not like to check out your farm-lands?”

On both visits, wherever my wife visited shops for clothes, footwear or handicrafts, if the shopkeepers recognised her to be Indian, they would invariably insist on a hefty concession on the price. “You are our guests,” they would say. “How can we make a profit from our guests?”

As news of these visits travelled further, my associates from an NGO Ashagram working in the small town of Barwani in Madhya Pradesh for the care and rights of persons living with leprosy — with which I have had a long association — demanded that I organise a visit to Pakistan for them too.

Indian visitor Nikita Singla with a typical Pakistani bus in Lahore
Indian visitor Nikita Singla with a typical Pakistani bus in Lahore

Once again, the Pakistan High Commission granted them visas. There was only one catch this time: all of them were vegetarian. They enjoyed greatly the week they spent in Pakistan, except for the food.

Every night they would set out looking for a wayside shop to buy fruit juice. Each night they found a new shop, and each night without exception, the shopkeeper refused to accept any money for the fruit juice. “We will not charge money from our guests from India,” they would say each time.

This happened for a full week.

I have travelled to many countries around the world in the 60 years of my life. I have never encountered a people as gracious as those in Pakistan.

This declaration is my latest act of sedition.

Harsh Mander was an Indian Administrative Service officer who quit to work for the underprivileged. 

 

 

Related Posts

Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem
Around South Asia

Raksha Bandhan to Laal Singh Chaddha: ‘Struggling’ Bollywood’s online hate problem

August 12, 2022
Foreign currency
Around South Asia

Indian companies swapping dollar for Asian currencies to buy Russian coal

August 12, 2022
In the 19 th.century, Indians needed written permission to sit in front of British officers
Around South Asia

In the 19 th.century, Indians needed written permission to sit in front of British officers

August 12, 2022
Mask. Image credits - Vera Davidova / Unsplash
Around South Asia

As Covid cases surge, Delhi govt reintroduces Rs 500 fine for not wearing masks

August 11, 2022
Vicissitudes of India-Sri Lanka strategic relations 
China

Vicissitudes of India-Sri Lanka strategic relations 

August 10, 2022
China asks India to ‘stop disturbing’ its exchange with Sri Lanka
Around South Asia

China asks India to ‘stop disturbing’ its exchange with Sri Lanka

August 8, 2022
  • Electricity

    Power cut schedule today; Aug 12 in Sri Lanka

    49038 shares
    Share 19628 Tweet 12254
  • Registration open for National Fuel Pass

    6543 shares
    Share 2654 Tweet 1620
  • Foreign Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka; USD, GBP, EUR, SGD, CAD

    1364 shares
    Share 552 Tweet 338
  • WATCH : Yohani’s first live performance in India

    785 shares
    Share 327 Tweet 191
  • Power interruption schedule released: Check your area power cut time

    734 shares
    Share 312 Tweet 176
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2022 All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
  • Around The World
  • Breaking News
  • Business
    • Exchange
  • Climate Change
  • Governance
    • Crime
    • Diplomacy
    • Defense
    • Human Rights
    • Politics
    • Strategic Affairs
  • Lifestyle
    • Books
    • Entertainment
      • Arts
      • Cinema
      • Gaming
      • Music
      • Movie
      • Series
      • TV
    • Health
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
  • Culture
    • Ethnicity
    • Gender
  • Development news
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Coronavirus
  • History
  • National
  • Offbeat
    • Media
    • Music and arts across South Asia
  • Recommended
    • Headlines
    • Highlights
    • Top Picture
    • Top Story
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Cricket
      • LPL
      • IPL
    • Tennis
    • Formula 1
    • NBA
  • Tech
    • Instagram
  • United Nations
  • Weather
  • World
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
  • Videos

© 2022 All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

mersin eskort -

Meritroyalbet

-
Jojobet
- Süperbetin - eskisehir escort -

https://www.vudols.com/

- Sağlık Personeli - istanbul avukat