Away from home, Pakistani Hindu refugees find roots in new 'motherland' post-CAA

New Delhi, India

“Home is what you take with you, not what you leave behind” - N.K. Jemisin

It's a balmy Sunday afternoon and India's capital city is waking up to a less chaotic weekend with some planning to queue outside barbeques and others teaming up to visit some of the postcard places. 

In the upscale neighbourhoods of South Delhi stands the dream college of engineers, IIT Delhi, famous for churning out the best of the best graduates for the industry. 

It was a special day for the institute, as it is trying to put on a vibrant display of cultural diversity and resilience through its festival Rendezvous 2024.

Amidst the hustle-bustle and last-minute preparations before the show, three teenage girls - Aarti Bhil, Ajni Bhil, and Reshma Bhil - stand in a corner of the dark backstage - a little jittery but brimming with confidence to showcase the skills they have nurtured through the last few years. 

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For them, it is a momentous occasion, which will not just carve their future but will also substantiate the harsh decision of their families to leave a land which they once called "home".

Home - the word appears very familiar to a lot of people yet it may feel distant or hold a different meaning to some lives that are torn apart in the politics of the powerful. 

Riots, political upheavals, natural calamities, coups, religious divides, conflict over land and the worst being the partition of a country, lead to scores of people losing their homes, families, relatives, identities, wealth, future and motherland. 

To these displaced souls, home is perhaps a dream long lost in the war and feud of the politically learned. Unlike the latter, they do not understand borders, divisions and limitations between humans. To them, the world is a place to live and not one of war.

And so to live, these little girls - who come from Pakistani Hindu refugee families - are finding their own roots in the soil of Rajasthan which is where these families have found shelter and are now building what we know as "home".

A home lost, a nation found: Trials and tribulations of refugees

The girls, donning hues of Rajasthan - red, black, blue and yellow - sing the folk song on the glory of land "Dharti dhorari", as if praising it for keeping them safe in its sand dunes-filled lap. 

The children’s participation at the fest was executed by Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation. Incidentally, the organisation’s founder, Sanjeev Newar, is an alumnus of IIT himself. Newar told Wion, “We did it because this event will inspire every child in the refugee community.” 

Teenage girls - Aarti Bhil, Ajni Bhil, and Reshma Bhil - sing "Dharti dhorari" on the stage. 

"It feels like home in India. The government is concerned with us and cares for us unlike Pakistan, where we feared for our lives," sighs Dileep, brother of Arti, as he recalls the little he saw and heard from his family before he crossed the border at the age of 8.

But what made them take the drastic decision? "My uncle was murdered by some Muslim and no one heard our pleas, that was the point when we felt we didn't belong to Pakistan and shifted here," he speaks to WION while keeping his gaze at her sister, whose mellifluous voice flows through the hall and keeps the audience captivated.

But for Aarti's father, Dehraj, the biggest relief is that his daughter now can travel freely across states without any fear of facing any consequences. 

"In Pakistan, we were afraid even if our daughters stepped out of the houses but now my girl is performing so far from us, but I know she is safe and is getting all opportunities to build her future," the girl's father chuckles as his moist eyes recall the days of hardship when even this land was not a home but just a mere land where he did all menial jobs and endured extreme pain to feed his family.

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Leaving your house and migrating to a different country comes at a high cost. 

The case was the same for Dehraj, who sold his land at an extremely low price somehow and ran from Pakistan after he saw his brother getting tagged as "kafir" (a term used for disbelievers of God in Islam) and dying just for demanding taxi fares from Muslim passengers. 

"In Pakistan, if you have to live as a Hindu, you will have to keep your eyes, ears and mouth shut, or else be prepared to lose your house, property and lives," Dehraj warns as his bloodshot eyes scream out his agonies. 

For Mehtab Ram, father of Reshma, it was the dark future of his children in Pakistan which made him change his motherland and seek shelter in India. 

"Reshma is our family's only hope and this is because we are in India," Mehtab stutters amid the wailing of his other children.

Pakistani Hindu refugees finding identity in post-CAA era

The hardships and nightmares of these refugees continue to follow them like a dark shadow in the present times but it is the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 which has now become their torchbearer as they tread ahead in the future. 

CAA is giving them what they need the most - their identity and their right to call India their "motherland" while allowing them to slowly axe their past relationship with Pakistan.

"CAA has benefitted us a lot. Almost my entire family has got their nationalities. The application for the rest of them is under process. This has proved fruitful to all who have come from Pakistan," says Dehraj, while speaking to WION.

It's not just these girls who have emerged as a ray of hope for the families but also the son of Dehraj, Dileep, who aims to become a journalist and ensure that the voices of the underprivileged and uprooted reach the world.

Leaving behind the scars of the dreadful past and the fear of being chased from one's own land, the new generation of Pakistani Hindu refugees is creating their own bright future and hoping to see a horizon with no sunset.