Sindh

Visit to Purbat Ali, Indian occupied territory in Pakistan - 1971

Author: 
I C Srivastava

I C Srivastava was born in 1943. A student of English Literature, he joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1966. During his 37 years tenure, he was Collector/ District Magistrate of three districts, served as the Chairman, Board of Revenue, Rajasthan, and retired as Chairman, Rajasthan State Mines and Minerals Corporation. He has authored several books in Hindi and English. Nowadays, he is associated with various social and cultural activities in Jaipur.

On 16 December 1971, a ceasefire was declared in the war between India and Pakistan. The day marked the end of hostilities and the end of the war.

The Indian Army had captured and occupied nearly 8,000 square kilometers of Pakistan territory in Chhachro and Nagar Parkar Tehsils of Tharparker District.  Barkatullah Khan, Rajasthan's Chief Minister at that time, announced his intention to hoist the Indian tricolor flag at Chhachro Tehsil Head Quarters. And he did so, in a ceremony, a few days later.  Our story takes place in the days in-between.

I was the Collector and District Magistrate of Barmer district, which has a border with Pakistan's Sind province. India's Major Gen. R.D.R. Anand, the GOC (General Officer Commanding) of the Army in the area, had advanced, with his troops, to the occupied territory in his 'Caravan' vehicle. Around 2 PM on 19 December 1917, he called me from somewhere near Naya Chhor in Pakistan's Mirpur Khas district. The Army had laid new telecom lines over the sand dunes. They were now active.

Memories of Life in Sindh and the Migration to India

Author: 
Sunder and Dilip Ramchandani

Tags:

Sunder Ramchandani

Sunder Ramchandani was born in Sindh and migrated to Delhi in late 1947 with his family when he was 9 years old. Upon receiving his Bachelor's degree, he devoted a lifetime to a career in the Indian Airlines Corporation. He retired as Deputy General Manager of Flight Operations in 1999 and now lives in Hyderabad, Telangana with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters.

Dilip Ramchandani

Dilip Ramchandani was born in Delhi, the oldest of three children, to the late Indersingh and Ranjana Ramchandani. He graduated from the Maulana Azad Medical College in Delhi and, after emigrating to the US, trained in psychiatry. He retired two years ago from the Drexel University College of Medicine and now divides his time between Philadelphia and Washington DC. He and his wife, Parvati, a uroradiologist at the University of Pennsylvania, spend time with their two daughters and their families that include a granddaughter and a grandson.

Editor's note: Dilip reached out to his uncle, Sunder, to write this story. It is based upon a loose compilation of the memories that emerged in their recent telephone conversations and some notes and photographs that Sunder was able to provide.

Our family's story

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