Indian Woman Visits Ancestral Home in Pakistan After 75 Years

News Desk

Islamabad: Reena Verma Chibbar, a 92-year-old Indian woman has arrived in Pakistan on a three-month travel visa, to visit her ancestral house in Rawalpindi’s Prem Niwas Mahalla for the first time in 75 years.

She was ecstatic to return to her familial house and was greeted by her long-time neighbours with a rose petal shower. The drum’s rhythm inspired the Indian woman to dance.

Dream Comes True

The family of 5 siblings moved to Pune in the western Indian state shortly before partition in August 1947. She was 15 years old at the time, and though nearly 75 years have passed since then Reena said she “could not remove her ancestral home, her neighborhood and the streets from her heart”.

Her parents and siblings are now dead, Reena Verma traveled to Lahore once in her youth but never came back to Rawalpindi.

Chibbar became emotional as she finally entered Pakistan last week after decades of trying to get a visa.

As she was being driven from the border to Rawalpindi, Reena thought back to the lively multi-cultural community that existed in Pindi prior to the division. “My siblings had friends who would come over to our house from various communities, including Muslims,” she said, remembering that “our house-help was also a diverse mix of people”.

Reminiscing Memories

This year, on August 14, it will be 75 years since the partition of the subcontinent when the province of Punjab was split almost down the middle. Verma’s family was among the millions whose lives were affected by the partition.

Reena vividly remembers the tumultuous days when reports of violent incidents reached her, her family was distraught and her father decided to quit government service and Reena quit school.

She said, “Initially we did not understand what had happened. Mother never wanted to believe that the two countries were divided. She kept saying that we will return to Rawalpindi soon but eventually she had to accept the fact.”

Reena had been trying to get a visa to Pakistan since 1965. Finally, this year she got success when Pak. Bharat Heritage Club and Pakistan’s Minister of State for External Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar helped in the process.

Chibbar was hosted by Director of the India-Pakistan Heritage ClubImran William. The club works to highlight the common heritage of citizens on both sides of the border and reunite family members who have been separated since the partition.

Imran William said that India and Pakistan are two separate countries but we can bring peace between them through love and people-to-people communication.

Reena Verma, who belongs to the Hindu religion, said that when she was leaving India for her trip to Pakistan, many people warned her not to travel to a Muslim-majority country, but she did not stop from this decision,“ here I feel I am in my own city with my people”.