What life looks like in India's village surrounded by Pakistan on three sides
Despite rising tensions between India and Pakistan, the residents of Daoke, a village bordering Pakistan on three sides, remain calm and carry on with their daily lives. While acknowledging the potential danger and sending children to safer locations as a precaution, villagers express trust in the Indian Army and draw on past experiences of war to maintain composure.
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Daoke, a small village in Amritsar, is surrounded by Pakistan on three sides and is linked to the rest of India by just one narrow road. Even with rising tension between India and Pakistan, the people here are staying calm.When TOI visited the village on Thursday, they found locals sitting around big wooden tables, laughing and talking about village matters. They did speak about the ongoing conflict but felt the media was making it sound worse than it actually is. Nearby, under the shade of a tree, another group chatted with Pakistan just across the barbed wire fence behind them.Kulwant Singh, a farmer working in his fields, told TOI, 'If Pakistan attacks the one road that connects us, we could be stuck here. But we're not scared. This is our home. We trust the Indian Army .'Gurnam Singh, an elderly villager, said he had lived through wars before. 'In 1965, 1971, and during Operation Parakram, the Army came and we had to leave our homes. Back then, we were very afraid. But now, life feels normal. We're still working in our fields, even though Pakistan is just nearby.'He added that the Army's presence is less visible this time, but the village is going about its daily routine.Dharmender Singh, another local, said the loud explosions heard in Amritsar on Wednesday night were scary. 'It felt like war had started. But still, we're not panicking, not yet.'Daoke, with a population of over 2,200 people, shares a 9-kilometre-long border with Pakistan. While things seem normal on the surface, some villagers are taking quiet precautions. Many families have sent their children to stay with relatives in safer places.'We don't talk much about it, but we want the kids to be safe,' said Kulwant.Gurdev Singh from the nearby Mahawa village remembered how tanks and fighter jets were everywhere during the 1971 war. 'Now, the tension is there, but it feels quieter. We don't see the Army much, but we know they're watching. They have better technology now.'Sukha Singh, 71, from the border village of Neshta, spoke about how different things were in the 1965 war. 'Back then, we only had radios. Now, we get updates all the time on our phones. It's more confusing than helpful.'Even with war talk in the news, people in Daoke are holding on to their routines, and their faith in the Army.Inputs from TOI
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