A tale of two cities Besides the culture and language that bind the people on both sides of the border, architecture too makes Pakistani visitors feel at home in India.
Chandigarh and Islamabad in particular share striking similarities that have left not just the Pakistani traders, but also their Indians hosts, awestruck.
Indians were most intrigued by a video of Islamabad brought to the fair by a Pakistani organiser that highlighted the similarities between Pakistan's capital and Chandigarh.
Traders from across the border for the "Made in Pakistan" exposition found themselves at home, thanks to the common culture, language and architecture.
Developed at the same time, both cities share same architecture and resemble each other socially and culturally. Parts of Islamabad have striking urban planning similarities with Chandigarh, as Khurshid Barlas, convener fairs and exhibition committee, Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce points out.
"When I show this video of Islamabad to the people in Chandigarh they get amused as the parks, artificial lake, roads look similar to Chandigarh's and the name is same as well - "City Beautiful"," he said. "It is only now they have replaced the roundabouts and small buildings with high rises. The architecture is exactly the same."
People in the two cities also have a similar lifestyle. "Just like Chandigarh, Islamabad has more of working class," Barlas added.
"Just as Chandigarh is surrounded by mountains and a hill station, Shimla, just a few hours away, Islamabad, too, is geographically similar," said Mansoor Ahmed, a Pakistani trader. "Architecturally, India and Pakistan, have a lot more in common than Chandigarh and Islamabad. Karachi looks like
Mumbai and Lahore resembles Delhi and Punjab in all manners."Peter Massi, another Pakistani trader at the exhibition said, "It does not feel as if we are in some other country. When we step out of here there feels no difference as the outlook of the cities match and since habits, language, culture and traditions are same too, it makes us feel at home."
Like Chandigarh's Open Hand Monument, Islamabad has a monument representing it and parks in both cities look similar.
- Kamini Mehta, TNN

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