“I found that the way Pakistanis hold conversation is very polite and there is a distinct sense of respect or tehzeeb in their conversation,” said Anupama Joshi, a teacher from Dehradun, India while describing her interaction with Pakistanis while visiting the country with a 29-member delegation in January.
“Contrary to the view that women are not seen in public places, I found the Pakistani women to be very liberated.”
The cultural trip was part of the ‘Exchange for Change’ program organised by The Citizens Archive of Pakistan and Routes2Roots. The program aimed at clearing misconceptions, giving youth from both countries a chance to experience life on the other side of the border (the group from Pakistan visited India in February).
The delegation from India was mainly students and teachers who visited Lahore, Islamabad and the archeologically-rich city Harappa and found the entire experience “exhilarating”.
“I think the food, language, the way we dress, especially the women, is fundamentally the same. I felt more at ease in terms of language and food in Lahore than I do at my in-laws place which is in south India and I come from northern India, which shares a lot of similarities with Lahore,” said Joshi.
Most of the students could not find any cultural difference at all, with one student from New Delhi, Agastya Shetty saying, “Visiting the museums made me actually realise that our history is essentially the same.”
