Wagah sits on the border of India and Pakistan in the Punjab state of India. Many patriotic Indians visit the place for the parade that happens in the afternoon.
One of the popular descriptions:
“Exactly at 4:30pm the flag down ceremony started and both the side the guards were doing their best performance of the year. The kind of energy flowing out of them during the parade was as if they were on fire. The kind of 'Josh' and foot stamping and elevating at the time of right and left turn was a kind of killer performance. No doubt about our border is in a strong and safe hand of these guards. I salute these soldiers and Mother India.
Exactly after 30 minutes the ceremony closed and we were very much satisfied with this last destination visit and gossiping about the same. While returning we talked about the ceremony at least for 2 hrs. Everybody agreed that this is the best way celebrating the last day of the year 2005.”
I don’t deny these. My first visit in 2006 was similar. But my second visit in 2011 was quite different. I wish to try reviewing with a critical eye the entire scenario of how the border security managed the crowd, how the audience reacted, and about the discipline of the audience during my recent visit. I rewind my memory tape.
We had a pleasant ride from Amritsar to Wagah border in a three wheeler auto rikshaw, gazing at the green fields on both sides of the road. We reached Wagah in 45 minutes. But there ends all the pleasantness. Gates were supposed to be opened by 4.00 pm, so that people could settle in the amphi for the parade starting at 4.30pm. But they were seen shut even at 4.30 pm. The impatient crowd waits outside eagerly. Though they knew that they cannot pierce through the gates, people crushed us out and push selves in, gravitating themselves towards the gates. The border security didn’t care about how chaotic the situation was, outside the gates. They put a small speaker on the wall parallel to the gates. It was not audible to more than ten people around it. There were announcements made not to calm people but to reorganize the crowd so as to allow the ladies first, through the left gate. No one understood. No one moved. The tape went on to say some rules, which we couldn’t hear. They repeated the tape around five times. But, in vain due to the poor quality of the speaker.
The gates opened and the crowd at once started running towards the amphi theatre with no proper reason. It was a mix of horse race and bull fight, except that there were no gun shots and ringing bells. The border security suddenly realized the responsibility and officers riding on horses started guiding the crowd in queues. But as the tail wags on their faces, they start running and jumping the queues. Can we ever teach some discipline to the crowd here? The border force could have been little more efficient in managing the crowd, by avoiding the pressure getting built up outside the gates. They could have allowed hundred at a time to ease the competition in the minds of the people outside.
People start settling down in the amphi and it never ends. All the slogans were “for India”. Few people in the crowd initiated slogans “against Pakistan” and the interesting fact is that it was not encouraged by the majority and so they had to silent themselves soon. This got to me a sense of pride. We can show our strength. But going blindly against the opponent just for the sake of it is never constructive and leads to no better results. Having said that, let me put forward that the show of strength beyond certain level leads to ego between the states. Pakistan on one side tried really hard to showcase their strength. India clearly overpowered it solely because of the number of people who turned up. The energy is the same in each. The love and pride towards ones country is the same. This lets people think they are more a citizen of their country than a citizen of the world.
The essence is that border security can do better in managing the crowd and the visiting crowd, majorly Indians, can be better in disciplining themselves.
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