The emotional link between a person and a location is the place attachment. It is a key idea in environmental psychology as well. Attachment to a place, especially with the hometown, is Predominantly related to an individual’s life experiences. Even after leaving a place, its memories and feelings always stay with the person. A sense of solidarity and belongingness results from the connection of certain emotional experiences with a place. In this instance, a 90-year-old woman Reena Varma had the opportunity to visit her hometown in Pakistan.
Reena Varma Visits Her Hometown In Pakistan
On Saturday, a 90-year-old woman reached Pakistan by crossing the Wagah-Attari border. She headed there to see Rawalpindi, the city of her ancestors. Reena Chhibber Varma arrived in Pakistan with moist eyes. Soon after her arrival, she left right away for her hometown. She went there to see Prem Niwas, which was her house and of her ancestors. Reena also paid visits to her friends from her childhood and also visited her school. She has been away from them for 75 years now.
Varma said in a video she shared on social media that her family lived in Rawalpindi on the Devi College Road. It was the time of India and Pakistan’s partition. She thought back to her time as a student at the Modern School. Her four siblings attended the same school as well. Reena Varma’s siblings were students at Gorden College. It was also close to the Modern School.
She added that her older siblings’ Muslim friends frequently visited them. Reena’s father was a progressive person. Therefore, he had no problem with boys and girls hanging out together. Reena claims that there was no problem between Hindus and Muslims before Partition. This took place following the Partition. The partition of India and Pakistan, she said, was unfair. Now that it has occurred, both nations should co-operate to ease visa restrictions.
Reena’s Excitement To Visit Pakistan After 75 Years
Reena discussed her emotions while returning to her homeland after 75 years. She admitted that she was now feeling conflicted. She couldn’t wait to return to her former residence. Despite how much she missed her family. Reena is the lone survivor of her once eight-person family. She claimed that she had posted on social media last year about wanting to go to her ancestral house. She was then approached on social media by a Pakistani resident named Sajjad Haider. He provided her pictures of her Rawalpindi home.
When she arrived on Wednesday, the residents showered her with rose petals. Standing on the balcony, she reflected on her playful childhood. Reena Varma said, “I would stand here and sing,” as her eyes welled up with tears. “These are tears of joy.” She also danced with some of the residents who beat drums as she entered the street. She was very happy to see that the house was still intact. Reena spent a good time inside thinking about her childhood with her parents and five siblings.
How Did Reena Varma Get To Visit Pakistan?
In an act of goodwill, the Pakistan High Commission in India has granted Reena Varma a three-month visa. She had only turned 15 when her family relocated to India in 1947 as a result of the partition. In 1965, she attempted to obtain a visa for Pakistan but was unsuccessful. Because of the conflict, there was a lot of tension between the two neighbors.
Reena just reapplied for a visa to Pakistan, but it was eventually rejected. She then tagged Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s Minister of State on Foreign Affairs. The elderly woman expressed her desire to visit her hometown. Hina was the one who mainly assisted her to get a visa so she could visit her ancestral town.
Partition Of India And Pakistan
Although both the neighbors had their developments, since 1947, Pakistan and India have fought three wars, and tensions have persisted. Due to this, travel between the two nations was all but impossible. The division of colonial India into two states upended the lives of millions of people. This partition includes her family as well. When British rule ended in 1947, the two major nations were Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. It was one of the largest historical mass migrations. Violence and bloodshed ruined it. In a political turmoil, around 15 million Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs switched countries. Over a million lives had been terribly lost as a result.
Reena truly said in one of her statements that we must keep humanity above anything else. Every religion across the globe teaches us about the significance of humanity.
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