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Sunday, December 22, 2024  
20 Jumada Al-Akhirah 1446  

Pakistani man reunites with Indian childhood friend separated in 1947 partition

The two were around 12 when they were separated
AG Shakir (left) and Suresh Kothari (right) - TikTok/Megan Kothari
AG Shakir (left) and Suresh Kothari (right) - TikTok/Megan Kothari

Separated by the India-Pakistan partition in 1947, a Pakistani man and Indian childhood friend met after years in the United States. A TikTok video of the two and their reunion is going viral, NBC News.

Now 90-year-old Pakistani man AG Shakir and 89-year-old Indian citizen Suresh Kothari grew up together in Deesa, Gujarat before the partition of 1947.

The two childhood friends were around 12 years old when Shakir’s family fled to Pakistan following the division of the country.

Megan Kothari documented her grandfather’s reunion with his childhood best friend.

“He talks a lot about this one friend. How they were very close, they were very mischievous together … then he remembers, overnight, how he had to leave,” she said of her grandfather.

@megankothari

My grandfather grew up during one of the most brutal times in India, seeing so much loss and sadness. Despite the passage of time and the constraints of old age and travel restrictions, he longed to reconnect with one of his dearest childhood companions, whom he hadn't seen in years. The reunion of these two lifelong friends over the weekend was deeply moving, a testament to their enduring bond. Witnessing their profound love and respect for each other, despite the geographical and political barriers that separated them, was a poignant reminder that no government can ever extinguish the power of human connection. Our capacity to love and respect one another transcends borders and prevails against all odds 💖 #brownhistory #indiapakistanlove #partition #indianpartition #partitionstories #indiahistory #pakistan

♬ Little Things - Adrian Berenguer

Shakir and Kothari reunited in October last year at Shakir’s 90th birthday party and most of the evening hand-in-hand.

Megan Kothari filmed the whole experience and later shared it on TikTok earlier this week. The video quickly attracted thousands of views and comments.

“Pakistani people commenting, Indian people commenting, they’re all coming together, which is so beautiful,” she said.

Shakir’s Saeema told NBC that her family left Deesa city on a boat to Karachi in October 1947 in the middle of the night and had not time to inform friends or loved ones.

Kothari, who at the time was studying in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) at the time, returned home when he learned that his best friend was gone.

“The specifics of the partition, he doesn’t really talk about,” his granddaughter said. “I think it’s very common with that generation because they all endured so much trauma.”

Even after the partition, the two tried to keep contact, however, the geopolitical tensions between the two countries made it impossible, Kothari said.

Around 1982 Shakir moved to Connecticut in the US where he encountered a fellow Deesa-native in New York City which paved the way for the friends to get back in touch.

Kothari also arrived in the US for work in 1982 where Shakir picked him up from JFK airport.

The two friends stayed together for a few days recalling the years spent apart and met regularly for a while, Megan said. They were separated again when Shakir moved to Virginia.

Last year, the two met again after nine years at Shakir’s 90th birthday party.

Megan and her grandfather travelled for four hours to reach Virginia, and she filmed on her phone as her grandfather got ready to see his best friend again.

“My grandfather wore his best suit,” she said. “He definitely did his hair to look really cute … They were like inseparable all night.”

“When I watch the video, I still cry,” she said. “It just showed that there’s so much love between both people and, despite all the obstacles in their friendship, still after 80 years they were able to maintain that relationship.”

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