I knew a woman from Pakistan when I lived in Dubai. Our kids attended the same Soccer Academy. As we watched our boys tackle, dribble and pass the ball, we talked. We became friends. It was easy. In so many ways, she was so much like me! Like me, she always carried a book with her. Like me, she teamed white Lucknowi chikan tunics with boot cut blue jeans. Like me, she enjoyed Hyderabadi Dum Biryani, followed by chilled Ras Malai for dessert. Like me, she preferred her chai with milk, generally spiced with ginger and elaichi and sweetened with a dollop of honey, over green tea. Like me, she too thought that Sadma, Chalbaaz and English Vinglish were the only movies Sridevi had actually acted in. Most importantly, like me, she too thought that desi kids were the smartest in the world! Yes, it was easy to be friends with the lady from Lahore. When we decided to leave Dubai and move back to India, I broke the news to her one sultry summer afternoon, as our boys sweated it out on the pitch together. Oh, she said, congratulations. She then paused, and continued in a barely audible whisper, You are lucky. Very very lucky. Her voice trailed off as her eyes looked away somewhere in the distance. I looked at her. She was right. Yes, we were lucky. Very very lucky. We had a home we could move back to. We had a homeland where we would be safe, where our children would be safe! #PeshawarAttacks #Pakistan - Shefali Vaidya
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 09:30:34 +0000