A Visit to India-2008

I was assigned a duty to prepare a personal report on our delegation's visit to India under the above

mentioned program. After bringing together all my memories, I am mentioning the following main points which I think should be brought under your consideration.

Starting with, that the purpose of the trip was actually fulfilled and the whole concept of the event which was deemed in the decision taken by the SAARC was pretty much achieved. I don’t need to mention that how they arranged the whole program because you can know it from official data. The school that was hosting Pakistan was “SARDAR PATEL VIDHIYALA" or SPV, in short. Our interaction with the people there was totally different from what we thought it would be... We were thinking that they will be sarcastic, trying to exploit us, to degrade us so we have been preparing for all that stuff, but they were very nice and friendly. At least, no one in my whole fifteen day stay there seemed rude to me.

Secondly, there education system. Well in my opinion, the schools that we visited which includes, SPV, Vasant Valley and the best one SANSKRITI are world class. Besides there uniform and original education system and syllabi, the best thing is that they make everything by their own and they are proud of it and they should be as their textbooks seemed to me better than the Cambridge ones. I was messamarized when I entered the Sanskriti school, besides there wonderful syllabi, by the whole outlook, the building, the plantation, the facilities and the type and pattern of extra-curricular activities they got there. The main difference between their and our education system, besides these facilities thing, is we lack creativity in our education system and theirs based on creativity. One more important difference is radicalism. They don’t just keep on following the same trends forever. They study things which they really need and which they will really be able to keep. So, that’s make their education more efficient so they can easily find time for other creative stuff.

Third, there living standards and the thinking of upcoming generation about Pakistan and about their own country. Well, I observed that Indians are very optimistic. Although there is a great rich-poor gap there but they have got nearly equal opportunities to enjoy the life. Everybody, no matter how many problems he/she has is very lively and have a positive outlook for their own future, and feel pride being Indian, and are very patriotic and that’s all is because they have hope, security and opportunities in their own country. As long as their views about Pakistan are concerned, there is a great difference b/w the thinking of the older and younger generation. Older generation is what we think it is. But the younger generation is quite civilized in this sense and has to do nothing with the history of sub-continent. They just accept Pakistan as a separate nation, happily.

The perceptions about Pakistan in India are similar to the ones in the rest of the world. I mean, they used to ask me questions like. Does everybody in Pakistan have Ak-47 in their houses? Does everyone in Pakistan wear burqa? Is public transport safe for women? Even questions like, Do women in Pakistan drive? And like what would you prefer, going in CSS or in army? And why do people in Pakistan just want to go abroad?

Their media, especially print media is pretty much involved in Pakistan's affairs, unlike here in Pakistan. If you see any major newspaper like DELHI TIMES etc. the first page would be about Pakistan and the daily cartoon will always be about Pakistan.... mostly Musharaf and Nawazsharif these days...

Fourth, the high officials that we met include, CM RAJISTAN STATE, GOVERNOR RAJISTAN and PAKISTAN HIGHCOMMISHIONOR. CM was very nice; we just gave our introduction and our views about Rajasthan. They presented us with typical Rajistani sweet and that’s sit. I mean, she didn't seem to give any extra attention towards Pakistan. But the case was different in our meeting with the Governor. Frankly speaking, it was looking like Governor's wife is a governor, because she was the one talking to everyone. He ! He couldn't even walk. Her beavior was a bit rude and she was the first person in India who talked to us this way. She said that instead of spending funds on buying F-16s you people should concentrate on your education and then she said that our IITs are world-class and you people don’t even have a single institute which is in worlds top 10,000, when I tried to reply to her that its all because of you ma'am and the international diplomacy, SHE JUST RAN AWAY without listening.

The Pakistan High commision was very supportive. They told us to feel like Pakistan when we were in the embassy; they said "this is your land". I had a chance to ask few questions to Pakistan high-commissioner, like I asked, "Sir, You have been here for 18months now how do you see the behavior and outlook of Indians about Pakistan, as I find it pretty much encouraging. He said the same thing that older generation is rusty but we can expect better from the younger one.

We also gave some interviews to TV channels and newspapers. One that I would like to write about is the one I gave on telephone. She was a journalist from Delhi Times, I think. She asked for name and school then she asked questions like. What is the biggest fear that you have being a youth, in Pakistan and globally? What do you think is the difference between east and west? What do you think is the difference between India and Pakistan, socially? How do you see the future of World?

And in the last, the problems. The only problem that we faced was actually of accomodation in hotels, the host’s houses were quite comfortable. Except that Ashok hotel, all others hotels that we stayed in, whether in Delhi or Jaipur were not very good. I don't know why they weren't able to arrange for some good hotels.

When we were returning back to Pakistan, my host's mother gave me some gifts and yeah that SPV's principal also gave us a muffler, a music CD and a book. The Vasant valley people gave us a T-shirt and two issues of THE SOUTHASIAN magazine. We also watched a movie in Sanskriti School named THE FREEDOM WRITERS.