By Hasan Suroor
AMRITSAR, Feb. 19.
Not many here claim to be familiar with the Urdu poet Ali Sardar Jafri's lines in which he tells political leaders of India and Pakistan: ``Tum Aao Gulshan-e-Lahore se Chaman Bardosh; Hum Aayen Sebh-e-Banaras ki Roshni Le Kar; Phir Uske Baad yeh Poochchen Ke Kaun Dushman Hai'' (You bring in the fragrance of Lahore; we offer you the lovely dawn of Banaras; and then let's ask each other if we are still enemies). Yet the spirit of Jafri's message is unmistakably in the air.
You sense it as soon as you land at the Raja Sansi Airport where the famous Delhi-Lahore bus, which arrived here late on Thursday night, is waiting to take the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, across the Wagah border to Pakistan tomorrow. A quiet sense of anticipation runs across this quaintly provincial town and is reflected in the common local refrain, ``Changi gal hai'' (It is a good development), even as there is a great deal of scepticism if the ``tango'' in Lahore would necessarily result in a real breakthrough.
A comment frequently heard at street corners is ``kuchch hona, huwana nahin hai'' (nothing is going to happen), but it is not being used as an argument against a dialogue with Pakistan. In fact, many say they would be happy to be proved wrong, if for no other reason than the fact that it would add to Amritsar's glory; it would go down in history as a city which became a gateway to peace on the subcontinent.
For the overwhelming majority, however, the Prime Minister's bus ride is simply a big occasion: an event they would not like to miss if only because there is such a hype about it. The fact that for the first time an Indian Prime Minister is travelling to Pakistan through Amritsar by road - and that too in the common man's mode of transport - has caught the people's imagination. The ``bus'' has become a symbol of a new approach which is seen as putting people at the heart of Indo-Pakistan relations. ``Logan wich pyar barhega'' (it would bring the people closer), is how the man on the street here sees it.
Meanwhile, Amritsar is all set for the big day. The city is all spruced up - the roads are being cleaned, buildings on the Prime Minister's route are getting a fresh coat of paint, welcome arches are being erected all along the road to the Wagah border - and a security cordon has been thrown around the VVIP route.
A dress rehearsal was conducted this afternoon with the bus leaving the airport at 3-50 p.m. and arriving at Wagah border at 4-30 p.m. Just before the Indian side of the Wagah border, the ``Prime Minister'' got down from the bus, received a guard of honour; got back into the bus and crossed the border where ``he'' was welcomed by his Pakistani hosts, while the Pakistan band played the Indian National Anthem. The rehearsal went through without a hitch and a huge crowd lapped it all up. Whether the people would be allowed to watch the ``real'' show on Saturday is not yet clear.
There is a possibility that security considerations might force the people to take a back seat even as their Prime Minister goes upfront to build bridges across the border, though how much of the Lahore fragrance will linger remains to be seen.