Walking through Darkness

A Mine free field????

I never thought there would ever come a day where I would actually fear walking through cotton or wheat field, not knowing that there might be a mine that could alter my life forever. For most people in the border regions of Rajasthan, Punjab and Kashmir, this is a reality. In 2001, following the bombing of the parliament buildings in New Delhi, the Indian Army laid close to 1 million landmines between its shared border with Pakistan. Most of these areas bordered villages and were mainly in farming communities where the families living are, as it is severely marginalized by society. Following a decrease in tensions between the two neighbouring countries, the Indian army claims to have completely demined the border regions. However, every year there are still reports of victims affected in this region.


SARD is probably the only NGO in India currently working to provide rehabilitative efforts as well as micro financing schemes to the victims and their families. Most of these victims are spaced across the border areas in different villages and are already severely marginalised as is. This week, I made my first visit to the Line of control with Pakistan. I had the opportunity to visit Abohar, one of the border towns approximately 7 km away from the line of control with Pakistan. Abohar is situated in Punjab and has some of the most fertile land in India. The area is so serene and beautiful and I have to say this about Punjabis- they are very the most hospitable of Indians. Even if they have close to nothing, they will share whatever they have with you, because you are their guests.


I was struck by the fact that I couldn’t tell where India’s border with Pakistan actually began. I was told that we were about 5 km away from the line of control but all I could see was towers from the Pakistani side tall enough to watch over the Indian border security forces movement. It’s so hard to imagine that in 1947, in a matter of a fortnight, 1 million people were internally displaced between two borders; families separated over night. Some remained Indian and others became Pakistani. I am told that some of the SARD workers face the same situation. They haven’t seen their families who live probably 20 minutes away from them in 50 plus years- The tragedy of the subcontinent. Even the housing isn’t permanent. Most of the houses near the borders are made of mud because of the ever present fear of war.



My initial visit to Abohar was short but it’s still left a lasting impression on me. I was able to meet two families who had been affected by landmines. SARD was able to procure interest free loans for these families, providing them with an additional source of income. One of the men I met, lost his foot when he stepped on a mine while working in the cotton fields. The other, a sweet kind old woman, lost both her legs when she got up early in the morning and went outside into the field to use the facilities. The ironic part of it all was that her husband had spent his entire life serving the country in the Border Security Forces- knowing very well that there were mines in the area. He just never realized that it would affect his family so drastically.


I was left with an overwhelming sense of grief because not a lot of Indians abroad are aware that there are in fact landmines in India and continue to affect the livelihoods of Indians on a daily basis. In Kashmir, the situation is even worse- avalanches and landslides move the landmines and there is no clear demarcation. Victims living in border areas are far and wide and that’s probably one of the main challenges facing organisations who want to provide rehabilitative support. Most of the victims and their families live in remote regions that often are not accessible by road. I do realize that border tensions between India and Pakistan make it an impossible political task to get both countries to sign the ban on landmines. But, I do believe that there is scope for promoting rehabilitative efforts in India and I left Abohar with this feeling of hope that maybe something can be done after all.
I hope that with SARD’s good relations with the border forces and the Indian government, we might be able to visit Kashmir and understand the current plight of the survivors. I truly hope that the Indian government will grant us support in conducting rehabilitative and mine risk education in the region. I know that on my return to Vancouver, I might not be the wide eyed optimist that I am right now but, I still know that there is hope that one day India can be mine free, and that is the message I hope to share on my return to Vancouver.

I know that there will be light in this darkness too.