Travel as a Spectator Sport

The only open border crossing between India and Pakistan is 32km from Amritsar in Wagah, and each night it draws huge crowds when the border is closed and the flags are lowered. The Indian side was packed with people exuding the same enthusiasm that they might at a cricket match with England. One of the patrol officers leads the people in patriotic chants and songs while Indian tourists push and shove for a chance to wave the Indian flag in front of the crowd. The military police on either side go through a ceremony of yells and stomps, trying to outdo the officers from the other side while the crowds try to outcheer eachother as well. Everyone cheered and waved as the last bus of the week from Delhi to Lahore crossed over and the gate was closed and the flags lowered.

There is a separate "VIP" section for foreign tourists, although I didn't sit there. A group of Gujarati college girls befriended me on the walk from the taxi stand to the border and invited me to sit with them. It was nice to have interpreters for the patriotic chants and cheers.

The Indian side vastly outnumbered the Pakistani spectator side, likely for many reason. One, sheer logic that India has more people. Two, proximity of the border to a major tourist town. Three, a less volitile state of affairs. And four, a much bigger domestic and foreign tourist market, which correlates with number three since several foreign governments advise against travel to Pakistan.