Chamliyal Mela Festival

An unquenched thirst to be on the other side:Chambliyal mela: Locked borders, passions unbound

Hardly 500 metres distance from Pakistan’s soil, thousands of Indian people were standing on a mound near Baba Chambliyal shrine and were anxiously peeping on the other side of border to get a glance of the Mela being celebrated on the other side.

The event was the annual Chambliyal Mela, organised by Border Security Force (BSF) every year, at village Chambliyal of Ramgarh sector of Samba district where more than 1.5 lakh pilgrims visited today to pay obeisance to the revered saint of the shrine. But a yearning to be on the other side of the border fence surpassed faith that brought them to this place.

Most of the people were unhappy with BSF personnel, who didn’t allow them to go near Zero line except some BSF officials, civil officials and few media persons to witness the famous “Chadder Exchange Ceremony” between BSF and Pakistan’s rangers at zero line.

Among the hundreds of devotees standing on the mound, an infuriated Pritam Singh a resident of Bishnah said that the BSF jawans had earlier said that common people would be allowed only after 2 PM to go near the Zero line to see Pakistan’s fair.

“VIP’s, officers are permitted to go near Zero line but poor villagers are dying in the scorching sun, waiting endlessly. Security forces don’t bother about the distance covered by people to reach here,” he said, adding that security forces gave excuses that if allowed near Zero line then people would cross the fencing. 

  

  When asked, why he wanted to see the border, he replied, he has love for border, they didn’t have any interest in internal clashes in Pakistan’s territory but they wanted to see 4-5 lakh Pakistani brothers who had assembled on the other side. Angry villagers, smitten by the BSF officials maintained that they felt betrayed.

A magician at the shrine was busy keeping some people engaged with his trick of disappearing coin. Pritam Singh keenly watched him at work and finally said to the magician, “Agar Aaap Main Shakti Hai To Is Tar (Fencing) Ko Gayab Kar Do.” The poor magician humbly replied that if he would have such ability then he would also go to other side to see the fair.

A friend of the magician said, “Magicians can only make pigeons and coins disappear, nothing else.” Highly emotional, Pritam Singh sighed and said, “Atleast pigeons have freedom to go to any country, I wish I were one and would have flown unhindered to that side of the border.”

When asked, since how many years he was visiting the border, he replied that every year the border changes contours. “Kaun Sa Border, Kabhi Inki Tar 2 kilometer Pakistan Main Chali Jati Hai, Kabhi Is Side Aa Jati Hai. Sirf Do Ghanto Ke liye Border Khol do, Humne Border Dekhna Hai, Koi Pakistan Par Attack Thoda Hi Karna Hai, Humne Sirf 4-5 Lakh Pakistani Log Dekhne Hain Aur Wapis Aa Jana Hai,” Pritam added. (The border fencing keeps shifting, sometimes more to Pakistani  side, sometimes more to this side. How does it matter if they open the border for 2 hours so that we can meet their people and come back. We are not attacking Pakistan.)

Though borders are the annual fair very strictly under vigil, anyone forbidden to even venture close to the zero line, leave alone cross them, passions and emotions here knew no boundaries, no limits. Many enthusiastic people were also seen watching Pakistan’s side from around 50 feet high old Surveillance post of BSF located near the Shrine. Several times, BSF personnel stopped the people from climbing the post but whenever security forces left the place devotees again started climbing up to get a better glimpse of action on the other side.

At around 1 PM, BSF personnel seized the observation post by erecting barbed wire. Excited devotees then tried another way and went into the fields near the Zero line where security was absent but huge rush of people in fields again put the security forces and security personnel on their mettle and later they restricted people from venturing into the fields close to Zero line.

Dayal Singh, originally from Bhimber Tehsil in Pakistan administered Kashmir said that Pakistani nationals “look like us” but they were differently dressed up. “I have a strong desire to go to the other side but now it is not possible, no one will allow us to go,” he adds.

An army pensioner Babu Ram Bhagat of Bishnah echoed similar emotions. “We don’t have any ill will for Pakistanis, we want that they come to visit our side and vice-versa,” he said. And then he turned to the media persons with a word of advice, “Work passionately and try to patch up the gap between both countries.”

Beating the heat, huge rush of pilgrims was also seen in long queues for “Darshan” of Baba Daleep Singh Manhas’ shrine. Several temporary stalls of eatables, toys and decorative items, different rides like Marie go round, slides and many other entertainment sources also attracted the huge crowd despite hot and moist weather.