The Difference Between India and Pakistan

While being the most conservative people, Pakistanis were also the most curious and helpful. Indeed, from all countries i have visited, the less tourists there were in a country, the more welcoming the local people. If I define “helpfulness” as the willingness of locals to offer unsolicited help, then my ranking would go as follows (from most to least helpful): Iran, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, the Balkan states, India, Western Europe (Germany, France, Greece, Switzerland). Yes, Pakistan and Iran top the list by far – the countries which most people assign to their “dangerous no-go zone”.

Both countries are as expressive in their clothing as they are spicy in their food. Many Pakistani women wear hijabs (or dupattas) as colorful as the Indian saris. Pakistan win the contest of the most beautifully painted road trucks. When it comes to music, it was hard for me to distinguish the folklore songs from either side of the border. Although many will probably call out for blasphemy when I write this. I vividly recall my first interaction with Bollywood when I heard that song blasted on speakers across the streets of Sukkur, Pakistan.

Colorful Hijab Wear in Islamabad

However, and more importantly, India is much more diverse in its practice and interpretation of religions. Hinduism is tolerant of criticism and differing interpretation, and the worship of different Gods is openly endorsed in Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita. Islam, on the other hand, is known for its strict prescription of spiritual worship. Hindu society has a long tradition of being stratified into casts, while Islam has fought for an egalitarian society since its inception. That is not to say that there is no discrimination in Pakistan, but the waiters, cooks and other working staff effectively approached me with more confidence and a more peer-like way than in India.

India worships a variety of Gods.
Here: Avalokiteśvara in the buddhist Temple in Dharamshala

The two-nation theory sprang up from the “incompatibility” of the Muslim and Hindu ways of life. This seed idea has finally led to the partition between Pakistan and India in 1947. Since then, a sense of national identity seems to have taken over as main force opposing both countries. Crossing them by bicycle has given me the privilege of experiencing both cultures over the span of three months. My personal impression is that, as with most divisions in this world, this separation is mostly self-imposed. Recurrent political incidents galvanize the people, whose only source of information about one another stems from the media.

Being among the lucky few who have seen both sides from close up, I felt compelled to write about how my perception of the ground reality. Differences in religion, politics and social structure are undeniable. But spend a night with a family from either countries and you won’t feel the difference. Those people share the same heritage, the same language, the same dreams. History has taught us many times that polarization and wars between nations are instigated in a top down fashion. In a time of rising nationalism in the West, let us realize where those divisions come from. It is our choice to sustain them by believing in them – or not.

Crossing by bike at the Indo-Pakistan Wagah border