Exactly 60 years ago, the village of Wagah - now in Pakistan - was somewhere in the middle of the 48-km distance between the two important cities of Amritsar and Lahore.

The road here saw the exodus of millions of people as India's partition and the birth of Pakistan catapulted the not so well known village to the status of an international border checkpoint between the two countries.

At that time, a board was hurriedly put up announcing that Wagah was a joint outpost. Since then, the place has changed completely.

The checkpoint has now become a place for celebrating the sovereignty of both the nations with an impressive Retreat ceremony every evening at sunset that marks the closure of gates at the international border. 

For many people coming here from the Indian side, a visit is nothing less than a pilgrimage. Visitors on the Indian side generally outnumber those on the Pakistani side even though the enthusiasm on both sides is the same.

"The ceremony is so impressive. When our soldiers tap their feet hard against the ground, it gives an adrenalin rush. It's a must-do for every Indian," says Rajan Patel, a visitor from Ahmedabad.

Tarred and well-kept roads, the welcome gates of India and Pakistan, border gates painted in the colours of the two nations' flags, barbed wire fencing on the Indian side and modern buildings that house the border security, customs and immigration counters of both the countries are now part of this check post, 30 km from the Sikh holy city of Amritsar.

Besides the official paraphernalia, it is the mushrooming of 'dhabas' (eateries) and other shops just outside the customs gate at the check point - nearly one kilometre before the actual border gates - that has changed the way Wagah looks in the 60th year of India's independence and partition.

"Hundreds of people come to watch the Retreat ceremony here every evening. Even VIPs make a beeline for this place every day. This place has gained in importance. Many of the visitors come till Wagah only to witness the ceremony," pointed out a Border Security Force (BSF) official here.

Terrorism in Punjab from 1982 to 1995 had its effect on the number of people visiting the place. But the number has increased again in the last one decade.

"Business is good here. Things have taken an upswing after 1995. In the last five to six years, the number of visitors has gone up by four to five times," admits dhaba owner Dalbir Singh.

From locally made 'banta' cold drink bottles to brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, freshly made pakoras to Uncle Chips and Lays - everything is available for tourists who savour the eatables and drinks as they wait for the gates to open to watch the Retreat ceremony.

"Not only visitors, trade has also increased from this border post," points out porter Rulda Singh.

There are over 1,300 porters on the Indian side of the border to carry goods till the Pakistani gate from where porters from the other side take over.

Amritsar-based journalist Ashok Sethi recalls that his uncle, G.R. Sethi, used to pedal from that city to Lahore before August 1947 to file news reports at the head office of the oldest English daily of the region, The Tribune.

"I have crossed the road at Wagah several times before partition. There was nothing here at that time. Things have completely changed now," says 75-year-old Kewal Krishan, formerly a resident of Lahore.

Recently there have been demands that the border check post on the Indian side be re-christened Atari as Wagah is actually now in Pakistan. If that happens, the name will be the latest thing to change at the ever-transforming border outpost.

August 12, 2007

60 Years of India's Independence     
Freedom at Midnight by VK Joshi 
Bombay Stock Exchange - Epitomizing India's Growth by Nayanima Basu
Raising a Toast to the Indian Diaspora on Independence Anniversary By Aroonim Bhuyan 
The 60 Days to August 15, 1947 by Joydeep Gupta
When India Wears its Badge of Patriotism With Pride by Anil Sharma
With Glimmer in Their Eyes, They Tell Tales of Valour by Shyam Pandharipande
Abdullah Paid for Favouring India's Secularism by Sarwar Kashani
Confident India Pauses, Remembers, Moves Fast Forward 
'Dear NRI Son', Writes Mother India, Aged 60 by Kul Bhushan
Hope Floats in Kolkata's Heritage Zones by Sujoy Dhar 
Post-Independence, India's Olympic Performance Dismal 
From a 'Babu' to Being the Mahatma's Man by Papri Sri Raman
A Historic Congress Session and Nagpur's Freedom Struggle by Shyam Pandharipande
Booming India Key to Global Economic Growth by Joydeep Gupta
That Blissful Dawn, Those Ringing Headlines by Manish Chand 
The Milestones of Independent India by Joydeep Gupta
60 Sporting Reasons to celebrate India at 60 by Qaiser Mohammad Ali 
A Midnight's Child Wishes Empowerment for Rural Women by Prashant K. Nanda
Revolutionary Who Kept Death at Bay till August 15, 1947 by R.K. Parashar
60 Years After Partition US De-hyphenates India, Pakistan by Arun Kumar 
Nehru's Memorable Dawn of Independence Speech 
India at 60: A Remarkable Success Story by Amulya Ganguly 
At Wagah Border, A Sea Change in 60 Years by Jaideep Sarin 
India is a Model for Universal Brotherhood, says Maulana Parekh by Shyam Pandharipande
Indian Science Conquers New Frontiers 
Sixty Years and a Life of Empowerment by Azera Rahman
Six Decades of Dynamic Filmmaking in India by Prithwish Ganguly 
An Asian City Rises, But Old Charms Fade by Fakir Balaji and V.S. Karnic
Indian Women Still Have Miles to Go by Liz Mathew
60 Years of India-Britain Ties: Onwards and Upwards by Prasun Sonwalkar 
60 Years After Partition, 'Home' Still Beckons by Azera Rahman
Shimla - More Than Just Raj Nostalgia by Baldev S. Chauhan 
In 60 Years, Bhagat Singh's Village is Modern and Completely NRI by Jaideep Sarin
I celebrate Independence Day, Not my Birthday: Rakhee by Aparna
Where August 15 Only Ignites Fear, Sorrow by Syed Zarir Hussain 
Another Special Birthday for Miss Independence by Shyam Pandharipande 
When Kashmiri Peasants Got the Land They Tilled by F. Ahmed 
Painful Memories for Erstwhile Hyderabad State by Mohammed Shafeeq 
Fighting for a Better India - Six Decades and Counting by Jatindra Dash 

Top | Analysis