Monday, 1 June 2009
Monday morning, in New Delhi after a train ride back yesterday evening, but there's lots more to report on our time in Amritsar.
Amritsar is close to the Pakistan border. Every night at sundown there is a boisterous, colorful "closing of the border" ceremony.
The gates between the borders open and magnificently decked guards from both sides conduct a ritual posturing. Flags of the two countries are simultaneously lowered at an angle (neither flag higher than the other). The crowd on the India side numbered 10,000 to 15,000. On the Lahore side, in Pakistan, the crowd was much smaller, but no less boisterous. Everyone is conscious of Pakistan's current problems.
Before the ceremony, there's a "chicken run." Adults and children line up to run the India flag to the border and back. This series of images starts with the end of the chicken run, when young men run with the flags through the stands:
.
The guards' ceremonial uniform:
Who is watching the crowds on the India side of the border:
Some of whom are watching the Pakistan side (far away and a real stretch for my zoom):
The border:
The drive to and from Amritsar is undescribable. Most of it is on a two-lane, two-way road, with vast numbers of vehicles overtaking each other. At times there are three vehicles abreast in one direction, forcing motor cyclists traveling the other direction onto the shoulder. I don't know how cars traveling in the other direction handle it as that's when I kept my eyes closed. The final image is of autorickshaws waiting to drive back some of the celebrants. We're scampering between them trying to find our cars and drivers:
Amritsar is close to the Pakistan border. Every night at sundown there is a boisterous, colorful "closing of the border" ceremony.
The gates between the borders open and magnificently decked guards from both sides conduct a ritual posturing. Flags of the two countries are simultaneously lowered at an angle (neither flag higher than the other). The crowd on the India side numbered 10,000 to 15,000. On the Lahore side, in Pakistan, the crowd was much smaller, but no less boisterous. Everyone is conscious of Pakistan's current problems.
Before the ceremony, there's a "chicken run." Adults and children line up to run the India flag to the border and back. This series of images starts with the end of the chicken run, when young men run with the flags through the stands:
.
The guards' ceremonial uniform:
Who is watching the crowds on the India side of the border:
Some of whom are watching the Pakistan side (far away and a real stretch for my zoom):
The border:
The drive to and from Amritsar is undescribable. Most of it is on a two-lane, two-way road, with vast numbers of vehicles overtaking each other. At times there are three vehicles abreast in one direction, forcing motor cyclists traveling the other direction onto the shoulder. I don't know how cars traveling in the other direction handle it as that's when I kept my eyes closed. The final image is of autorickshaws waiting to drive back some of the celebrants. We're scampering between them trying to find our cars and drivers:
Marge,
I saw that highly choreographed 'battle' that the border guards perform at the India/Pakistan border on a video travelogue by Micheal Palin of 'Monty Python' fame. It is on a wonderful set of CD's called "Himalaya" where he tours the entire mountain range.
You and Hank be safe and keep on blogging. Dennis
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Looks like you guys have been having fun while extremely busy, I bet Pop is loving it.
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