Recently I visited Wagah near Amritsar. This is the border between India and Pakistan. There is a gate between the two countries. To the north is Lahore in Pakistan and to the south, India. When you enter the Wagah border through the arch, you will see a large photo of the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi and opposite to that, one of Mohammed Ali Jinnah. When we went inside, my mother and I got seats in the front row and my father got a seat in the 3rd row. There was a mad rush for the seats. I lost count of the people, but surely there were hundreds gathered there. A while later, an officer of the BSF (Border Security Force) shouted in the mike “Bharat mata ki” and all of us shouted “Jai”. Then the officer told some children to run till the gate carrying the Indian flag. I also ran to the gate carrying the Indian flag. It was a proud moment for me. The Indian and Pakistani army soldiers marched up to the gate and when they met, they acknowledge each other with a salute, lifting their legs very high and returned. Later, the Indian and Pakistani flags were hoisted. Two soldiers from both sides were holding the flags. At sunset, the flags were pulled down simultaneously. Patriotism was apparent there. Every Indian should visit the Wagah border at least once.
G.J. Sriniketan, V F, The Indian Public School, Erode
