Shared Destinies

By Dr. Ganesh Natarajan | May 2021

A recent interaction with Zebunissa Bangash, global youth icon and Coke Studio star rekindled memories of Pakistan for some of us, leaders of the 200 Billion US Dollar Global Information Technology industry in India. Zebunissa spoke fondly of her days in Lahore, even though her home is now in Baltimore, USA. Her singing enthralled all of us and in a conversation with me later, she spoke of her early days in Lahore when her teacher would encourage her to explore all forms of music. A recent testimony video for India’s nightingale Lata Mangeshkar bears testimony to the fondness with which artistes in Pakistan embrace art and music on both sides of the border.

And this willingness to engage is not just the result of a large heart that our cultural ambassadors have and the admiration for the Urdu language that many of our poets, notably Gulzar sahib, hold so dear. Just over a decade ago, there was an invitation form the “Aman ki Asha” initiative, supported jointly by the Jang Group and Times of India to lead a delegation to Pakistan, which I happily accepted. As is my practice, I sent the word around to colleagues from the industry and some young friends and a delegation of twelve people quickly agreed. Our host in Karachi, Amin Hashwani Sahib sent me reassuring messages though and well-meaning folks in India cautioned us not to leave the confines of large hotels or speak to the local press about our visit which I conveyed to our hosts and they gladly agreed.

I would not be truthful if I did not confess to some feelings of trepidation as we boarded the PIA flight in Mumbai and waited for departure. Most of us who were born after independence and did not have family in Pakistan had concerns, reinforced by frequent skirmishes, a couple of wars and rhetoric flowing freely on television channels and in political discourses. Historical rivalry in cricket and hockey and a sense that India must beat Pakistan in every World Cup even if we did not win the Cup hid a secret admiration that many of us had for the batting prowess of Javed Miandad or the bowling artistry of Imran Khan. While we all had friends or business associates in various parts of the world whose origins were from Pakistan, it was still an unnerving experience to be actually airborne towards a country which we had grown up to be wary of.

The first twenty minutes at Karachi Airport with a fair degree of chaos did not assuage these feelings in any way but, from the minute a gentleman from Amin’s organization found us inside the airport, the experience was to dramatically change in every way. Emerging from the airport to a battery of cameras and a beaming Amin Hashwani who blew away all my concerns, a first meeting at the hotel followed by a demand for shopping late at night in the streets of Karachi by the seven women in our delegation and a series of interactions over the next five days in Karachi, Lahore and Moenjodaro created a super positive frame of mind for the people of Pakistan and amazing friendships which last to this day.

beena-sarwar How do I, a reasonably successful business and social entrepreneur, see Pakistan and India-Pakistan relationship challenges and opportunities today? Our two countries have naturally, thanks to common origins, remarkably similar aspirations and attitudes. Whether in interacting with IT evangelist, Jehan Ara, journalist Beena Sarwar, Humayun Bashir and Amin and Faria in Karachi or some wonderful IT entrepreneur friends like Yusuf Jan who we recently met in New York or even the amazing singing my friend Pradeep Udhas and I did with a group of young tourists from Lahore in Moenjodaro, we knew that these were kindred souls, separated from us only by man-made tensions and possible military suspicions.

We have recently completed nine months of research and are writing a book on how India can face up to the increasing challenges – military, economic and diplomatic, with China and we realize that strategic patience and an ability to compete to become an alternative supply chain to the world is where India’s destiny lies. We also realize that the countries of South Asia must come together in various collaborative formats to embrace a common and shared destiny which will be beneficial to all countries and create a region of growth and prosperity for all citizens. Can the political leaders engage and find solutions? I certainly hope so and, till that time, many of us will continue to hold fond memories of our interaction and repeat the Punjabi phrase related to us by a friend Harsh Manglik “Jinne Lahore nahin vekhya, o jameya nahi” – the person who has not been to Lahore has not been born! My good wishes to all for a great future for all the people of South Asia.

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Shared Destinies

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