By Surbhi Bhatia

“India and Pakistan, Hindu and Muslim, male from Muslim family and girl from a Hindu family – these phrases are not only opposite but they encompass all the hatred in the world (if not you and I at least the media thinks like this.) If mentioned together the phrases bring to mind nothing but the images of conflict historically, and culturally. However Zeeshan Zafar’s story would tell you no political or religious pressure could rule over basic human nature to be good to others and accept the person as he/she is.
Zeeshan, a boy hailing from Lahore in Pakistan was grown up in a family with all the values and ethics that a male from normal working upper middle-class family is expected to have. On the face, you would find him a silent and shy person who believes in the policy of live and let live. He subscribes to all the rules that his family asks him. However, he is a person who could let other persons decide for himself but his strength lies in the decisions he makes for others.

A small incident but a large decision on his part could explain the entire story and the strength of his character. Imagine a boy who has been grown in a country whose politicians nurture nothing but hatred for India and vice versa same goes with India (Since I am an Indian I am not taking side with India because I feel the same way). The two countries share a long history of religious and political conflict and the scares of the partition of two countries in 1947 still remain. He would have listened to the dinner table conversations about difference in Hindu and Muslims and media’s jingoistic depiction of India and Pakistan conflict. His introvert nature is an add on the restricted behaviour he could have shown displayed when he first met me at the International Institute of Journalism’s Summer Academy Programme – a girl originating from a Hindu family in India. But never for once I felt there was a grudge against me. He has never shared a food with anyone. Since he is shy he never sat besides any girl.

But it took him just few seconds to cross and break all the barriers when I asked him to share food with me in the same plate and he said yes. Never did he question? It came as a shock to him, as he told me later. But at that time he was so composed that the tension never crossed his face. When two countries back home were fighting against the issues of Baluchistan, he decided to share food in same plate with a girl who belongs to an Indian family and that too a Hindu family. He was strong enough to counter his beliefs and nature to make me feel comfortable.

This is nothing but a display of genuine human feelings of acceptance. However it is difficult to say whether these human feelings would remain if they are put into testing waters. EM Forster in the book Passage to India had described at the end no matter how close British and Indian make humanly effort to come closer, the political powers would separate them and they would never come together. Do you think we can contextualize the statement?