Chance encounter on Facebook led Reena Verna, 90, to visit family home she was forced to abandon in 1947
In 1947, the peaceful lives of Verna’s family came to an abrupt end with partition, which split the subcontinent down sectarian lines. Rawalpindi, the bustling city in Punjab where they lived as a Hindu family, was one of the cities that ended up in the newly established Islamic republic of Pakistan after August 1947.
But by March 1947, Verna remembered fear gripping the Hindu people living in the area. Neighbours would patrol their lane and alarms were put up in case Muslim attackers arrived at night. Eventually, in May 1947, Verna’s parents decided to send their children to the town of Shimla, a spot in the Himalayan foothills where they would go on holiday. Just 15 years old at the time, Verna packed only a few items, presuming she would return in a few weeks. Her parents followed them shortly after.
After 1947, it became clear it was inconceivable to return to Rawalpindi. “My parents had left everything behind and were suffering very badly,” she said. “For years, my parents kept thinking that we would go back.”Stuck without a home, with all their possessions and money left behind, Verna’s family eventually moved to Pune, in Maharastra. As the years passed, she began to pine for her house and thought often about finding a way to go back.
But Verna’s life was to change after joining a Facebook group called the India-Pakistan Heritage Club. She wrote a speculative post about her old house in Rawalpindi, describing in detail its location and nearby landmarks, asking if anyone could help track it down. Another member in Rawalpindi took up the task and sent her a message: he had found her old house, which, miraculously, was still standing.
It took two rejected applications before Verna’s case reached the ears of Pakistan’s foreign minister and she was granted a visa. In July, she crossed the border for the first time in 75 years.Verna was not prepared for the fanfare that greeted her arrival. Drums and singing accompanied her as she walked down her old lane and dozens of residents flocked to greet her, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I have no words to express how it felt,” she said.
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