On September 10th, designers from all over India and Pakistan are gathering in New Delhi to showcase and celebrate the fashion trends of both countries. Thanks to Paperazzi Magazine (and my cousin, Alizah Raza) I was able to watch as Pakistani correspondents cross through the Wagah border over to the Indian side where they were greeted with open arms.
Okay, let me backtrack a little. Why is this a big deal, you may ask? India and Pakistan – are they really all that different from each other?
The thing is – they aren’t – and that is what this event tried to express.
Let me provide some backstory: in August of 1947 the Indian Subcontinent split into two parts (now it’s three because of Bangladesh – but that’s a different story).
After centuries of colonial rule and religious conflict the Muslims and the Hindus finally went their separate ways – and there has been tension between the two nations ever since.
To put it into perspective, imagine that the Union was never restored, and that the Confederate states gained independence. After years of bloody battles against their very own neighbors, you would think there would be some animosity between the two countries.
The Confederation and the Union would boast about how one is so much better than the other and how the Union reigns superior (or the other way around), when in reality, they all used to be neighbors at some point. Hey, they may even be related!
That’s the whole thing about this India-Pakistan conflict. There has been over 60 years of hatred and violence towards one another (particularly the Mumbai bombings of 2005), all for what?
I won’t say I’m not guilty of this myself. Even as a complete American my blood begins to boil if someone asks me if I’m of Indian origin – but at the end of the day, what is the difference?
Our languages are so similar, our customs as well. Even the values instilled in us are pretty much identical. So what is the point in hating someone almost exactly like us?
I’ve gotten a little off topic here – but the point is, Shaan-e-Pakistan gives me hope. What is it exactly? Well, according to the Express Tribune it is “an event [India’s] high commission…where…the two countries will share the stage in a cross-border cultural exchange rising above starchy political and official ties between the two countries.”
In short, Indians and Pakistanis will be working together, collecting feedback off of each other, and ultimately improving my learning from one another. I, personally, never expected this kind of interaction between the two countries in a million years, and hopefully collaboration in fashion will soon lead to better diplomatic relations in the future.
