Where in the world would you see crazy
hats, chest thumping and silly walks, all at the same place??
If you see all that, you must be at the
village of Wagah (near Amritsar), watching the daily Border ceremony between
the Pakistan Rangers and the Indian Border Security Force.
The border at Wagah is one of few road
border crossings between Pakistan and India.
Everyday as the sun sets, a sort-of
“beating the retreat ceremony” is held.
Driving up to Wagah, it seems that the
entire town of Amritsar is heading up with you. There is seating there for up
to 10,000 people and it’s a mad scramble to get a seat.
Being a foreigner, we get to seat in
the not-quite-vip area.
On this day, Paul and I made a move for
the very top so as to get a good view of the proceedings.
On the Indian side, it starts with lots
of flag waving, kids and adults walking the Indian flag right up the border, a
bit of dancing and then it’s time for the serious ceremony to start.
Throughout, cries of “Hindustan” and
“Pakistan” ring out across the border.
The ceremony starts with two armed
Border Security Force members marching up to the gate that is the border. Then,
the perfectly dressed Border Security Force members do their moves.
It’s hard to describe what you see but
it’s like duelling peacocks trying to outdo each other. There’s alot of
blustering from both sides, alot of shouting, lots of “marching up and down the
square” movements (note Monty Python reference). alot of adjusting of hats and lots of stamping
of feet.
Just Youtube “Wagah Border Ceremony”
and you’ll see what I mean.
The ceremony ends with the perfectly coordinated lowering of the Indian
and Pakistani flags.
The gates are then
slammed shut and the flag is carried away.
Here are some photos
to give you an idea:
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