The India-Pakistan partition of 1947 was a heart-wrenching chapter in history, tearing apart countless families and friends. The political upheaval created an overwhelming rift, making reunions impossible for those separated by borders. Lifelong connections were severed as people suffered from the anguish of never being able to see their loved ones ever again. As political tensions escalated and communication lines were cut, keeping in touch became a distant dream.
However, in a piece of happy news, a woman named Megan Kothari was able to reunite her 90-year-old grandfather with his childhood best friend from undivided India. The two of them grew up in a place called Deesa in Gujarat which is just a few hours away from Pakistan border. During the partition, the friend fled to Pakistan with his family on a boat while her grandfather was studying in Bombay. After he returned, he found that his friend was already gone.
“Despite the passage of time, the constraints of old age, and travel restrictions, my grandfather longed to reconnect with one of his dearest and oldest childhood friends, whom he had not seen in decades. Both grew up in Deesa, Gujarat, which is just a few hours from the Pakistani border. In October 1947, his childhood friend fled by boat with his family in the middle of the night to newly formed Pakistan. My grandfather was studying in Bombay, and when he returned, he found out he was gone. My grandfather was devastated,” Megan revealed.
After the friend reached Pakistan, he wrote to her grandfather and over the years, they stayed in touch via letters. However, as the tension between the two countries escalated, keeping in touch became impossible. For several years, they had no news about each other.
“When his friend reached Pakistan in 1947, he wrote to my grandfather that he had reached and shared his address in Rawalpindi (which to this day my grandfather has memorized). They tried to write to each other over the years, but the tensions between the two countries eventually made it impossible. They had no communication from 1948 to 1982 until a chance encounter with a mutual friend in New York led them back to each other.”
However, they were lucky to have met in the US – their first reunion after 35 years but it was like no time had passed at all. They again met in October 2023 and they still addressed each other by their childhood nicknames.
“In 1982, when my grandfather’s friend, who had moved to Connecticut, heard my grandfather was coming to New York, he wanted to pick him up from JFK airport, that’s how excited he was. This was their first reunion after 35 years. They spent that week together, catching up on life and reconnecting after years of silence. My grandfather said, ‘So much time had passed, but it was like no time had passed at all.’ After nearly 9 years, they met again in October 2023. ‘Babu’ (heard in the video) was a nickname from my grandfather’s childhood nickname, given to him by those who have long since passed. But, when his friend called him by that name, it stirred memories of his cherished youth.”
“The love and respect they still held for each other, despite the geographical and political barriers that had separated them, is profound. It serves as a powerful reminder that the power of human connection can not be extinguished by any government or border. They hope to be reunited at my grandfather’s 90th birthday this April in New Jersey in 2024,” she said at the end.
Here’s a look at the video of their reunion:
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People online were all hearts over the video and they were left emotional after learning about the tale of these two friends. There were also some who shared similar stories of their grandparents and people from their families who were separated from their friends because of the partition.
A story of longing, love, and friendship which couldn’t be severed by distance! 🙂