I remember ...

We were on the rooftop of our ancestral house in Amritsar, India. Indian Air Force jets flew past a couple of times, leaving behind deafening thunder and piercing the quiet evening skies. I a flash they were gone, vanishing in the distant horizons.

I was probably 4-5 years old. People were talking about the war which had broken between India and Pakistan. As a child I had no idea why there was a war. Everybody was talking about it. Without knowing, we, a couple of children from the neighborhood were playing soldiers and enemy game. We used to talk passionately how we wanted to be soldiers and fight the war.

I clearly remember that I wanted to be a commando in the Indian Army. During a battle we'd be air dropped into the enemy territory at night. How we will kill enemy soldiers using machine guns.

I often wonder how such patriotism came to a 4-5 years old child. What influenced those thoughts, behavior and resolve at such a tender age.

Our days would pass by playing together with other children. I vividly remember one conversation where we used to say that we should always tune into Pakistan radio stations to burn all their electricity. How silly.