90-year-old Indian woman visits home in Pakistan, breaks into song and dance

Reena Chhibber Varma was overcome with emotion as she reached her former home in Pakistan she had to leave 75 years ago. Not much had changed, not even the warmth.

The residents of Rawalpindi's Prem Nawas Mahalla pulled out all stops to give their 90-year-old friend from across the border a rousing welcome. They sounded drums and showered flowers on her. She broke her stride to dance a few steps.

Pune-based Varma told the media in Pakistan that she did not feel she was in another country. “The people living on both sides of the border love each other very much and we should remain as one," she was quoted as saying.


Varma went to every room on the second floor of her ancestral home. She was only 15 when the family had to flee to India during the Partition. As she stood on the balcony of her former home, memories came flooding back and she broke into a song. The same song she used to hum as a young girl 75 years ago.

She said everyone in the neighbourhood was sad when her family joined the millions who crossed the border. The grandchildren of their old neighbours now live in the house where she lived.

For long, Varma nursed hopes of seeing her old home again. It came true when Pakistan granted her a three-month visa and she crossed over to Lahore through the Wagah-Attari border.

She urged both countries to ease their visa regimes to enable people to meet frequently. “I would urge the new generation to work together and make things easy,” PTI quoted her as saying.

As the videos and pictures went online some called it an Indo-Pak dream come true.

Varma echoed similar sentiments when she spoke to the media outside her home of 75 years ago. I would say keep the humanity above everything," she said.