Love Knows No Boundaries
Sadaf Malik, a girl next door, innocent, naïve and Pakistani with dreamy eyes, fell in love with her Indian relative Mansoor who was then residing in Kashmir.
It was 2010 when Sadaf, a young science graduate, met Mansoor, her distant relative about whom she had heard from her maternal aunt. "We fell in love at first sight," recalls Sadaf. Soon later, the couple decided to tie the knot.
Sadaf, along with her family, travelled to Delhi, where the whole family met for their wedding.
And, it was then that she remarked "Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station and Indira Gandhi International airport looked like an extension of Lahore." Her husband Mansoor laughs"She fell in love with Delhi, so much so, that my presence didn't even matter to her."
Sadaf maintains how they are a normal middle class family and how living in Delhi gets difficult at times .But she loves her life here. "Delhi to me is Lahore. I still remember when I got married and came to Delhi, my husband's friends welcomed us & helped us shift our home. All of them relish the dishes I cook. I'm their 24/7 chef,“ quips Sadaf.
She warmly recalls the times when they all sit together for brunches and dinners. "There is no distinction between an Indian and a Pakistani. We behave like long lost friends. I'm their Sadaf Bhabhi, who listens to their office woes. There are so many wonderful people blessing me now. "
For Sadaf, India is home away from home.“India has welcomed me with open arms. My husband is an Indian, but our children will learn anthems of both the nations and will breathe in the rich history that our lands have shared. I often tell my relatives that India and Pakistan are so similar that I pass off as an Indian on the streets, but when I tell people I'm from Pakistan married to an Indian, people hug me and I get the same love. I have never felt like an outsider."
"There are many who have married Pakistanis & Indians respectively. When they can live in peace, why can’t the governments do the same? The question we need to consider is this-why do we tussle & flex our muscles over futility when we can open doors for many Sadaf's and Mansoors? Why close these doors, why chide away, why live in oblivion to one’s common past & heritage? When we can introduce the next generation to cross cultural experience & camaraderie, why do we still spill blood on roads in sheer hatred to eliminate each other? Why do we forget how Gandhi & Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan fought together and not against each other? " says Mansoor.