Srinagar, Oct 21: Separated in early childhood from his sister in the violent upheaval in Muzaffarabad during Kashmir’s division 62 years ago, an elderly Sikh is keenly awaiting a reunion through the cross-LoC bus.
For Gurcharan Singh Ransi, who still carries fond memories of his native town in the other part of Kashmir, Thursday is a day ordained directly by providence, for he would be traveling to Muzaffarabad to meet his sister whom he has not seen for the last 62 years.
Ransi has lived most of his grown-up life in Jammu, and is presently in Srinagar for the highly anticipated trip that has materialized after years of trying. As a child in the Bandi Jamadaar area of Muzaffarabad, Ransi had witnessed the upheaval in that part of the state when India landed its troops in Kashmir on October 27, 1947 after the tribal invasion from Pakistan areas.
The events that followed tore families apart, with nearly 500 households leaving behind loved ones as they fled the chaos, turmoil and violence in a bid to save their lives. Young Ransi was among the droves of Sikhs and Hindus that fled Muzaffarabad during the bloody period, tragically severed from his beloved sister whom the family could not take along.
The long years of separation have only intensified his yearning to meet his lost sibling, who, according to Ransi, has since embraced Islam and adopted the name of Reshma Begum. Heartbreaking tales of this nature are legion in the partitioned subcontinent, and Ransi may be among the lucky ones getting finally to see a long separated family member. And the tears in his eyes at the mention of his sister bridge the gap of decades and the divides created by borders and faiths.
with thanks : Source : http://www.kashmirobserver.net
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