SUCHETGARH (INTERNATIONAL BORDER), DEC 3: After booming with gunfire for over a year, an eerie calm once again prevails along the International Border (IB) here following the announcement of a truce by Pakistan during the month of Ramzan.For the past two nights, not a shot had been heard in the area, the silencesomething highly unusual for the villagers. ``Since the Kargil operation, hardly any evening has passed when they have not turned their barrels towards this area,'' says Chowdhary Sarwar.The ceasefire announcement may not have given any respite to villagers with fields close to the border, but it has generated a new hope that the situation will normalise again and like before, they will be able to talk with the people on other side without the fear of getting shot.The BSF men guarding the area today appeared a bit relaxed. Earlier experiences have led them not to trust the words of the enemy completely. As usual, they lay behind the embankments created to dodge enemy fire. The only difference is that their fingers are not constantly on the trigger and their ears, for a change, are enjoying the music from a transistor instead of listening for gunshots.A few feet away, for the first time during his two months here, BSF jawan Pardeep Singh sees a human being on other side. He is so excited that he hands over the binoculars to this correspondent, exhorting him to see the women dressed in colourful clothes, harvesting their crops.BSF officials say that in the present situation, to wait and watch is the best policy. However, they have instructed their men to be vigilant as ever so that enemy does not try to push in militants.Meanwhile, farmers with land close to the border have nothing to celebrate. For them, the ceasefire offer has come too late in the season. They have already lost their paddy crop to intense firing from across the Line of Control.Crops wilted as most of them were unable to water their fields. ``Today, when ceasefire has been announced, we have nothing to harvest. And by the time we start sowing the next crop, they will call off the truce,'' says a cynical Bachan Kumar.Even those with fields some way from the border are showing little enthusiasm. The goods spirits of years past is missing. The Punjabi couplets they recited while cutting the paddy are no more part of the harvesting season. Waikho sohini Chenab de kinarey challi, kharha kacha kacha lekey, phir wi dil no hai tasilli (While meeting her love,Sohni even forgets that the earthen pot she will use to cross is not strong and she get drowned), cannot be heard any more.``These songs came straight from heart, but in times of uncertainty romantic words don't come,'' says Barkha Rani, an elderly womanaccompanying her teenaged son to their field in Suchetgarh.But some of the gloom has dispersed. Children are enjoying the quiet of the ceasefire. After a long time they have been able to play cricket in their favourite ground just few hundred metres from the zero line. ``I enjoyed my Sunday after weeks,'' smiled 10-year old Kalu.Despite all the agony they have gone through, the border residents start talking about the good old days when they used to join the farmers from across and play kabaddi. ``I still remember, farmers from both sides played kabaddi with each other. But due to bad light the game could not be finished. May be we can have the result soon,'' hoped another farmer.It has been quite long since a farmer from this side had called a farmer on the other side enquiring about the market rate of the munji (paddy) across the border.Chowdhary Ramesh Lal of Gharana village near the IB still remembers how few years back, Afzal Ahmad came to his rescue by lending him rope to fasten his stacks. Had the paddy lain in the fields one more day, the rains would have destroyed his crops.``Then too there were forces but the tension was less. We used to share things. How nice it would be if we can again do that,'' Bachan hopes. So do a lot of other families living on this violence-striken stretch.
