Pakistan, Peace and Penrose

Pakistan and India share a past that goes back to a time far lost to antiquity. They were once part of an undivided India or Bharat called Jambudweepa then. Undivided India or Akhand Hindustan extended from Persia in the West to Burma and beyond in the East. The rulers may have differed from place to place, yet the entire region was connected through the umbilical cord of a common culture. Even a cursory scan of the Vedas would not fetch the reader a reference to the name India. India was never called India. The name is a corruption of the Sindhu. In Arabic the 'S' sound is replaced by the 'H' phoneme. In Mahabaratha,  Gandhari, the mother of the Kauravas, was from Gandhara Desha. It is the modern day Qandahar in Afghanistan. The national symbol of Mongolia is called SOYOMBO. It is eerily close to the Samskrit- SwayamBhu (meaning, being of it own). Arjuna was married to Ulupi who hailed from Nagaland or somewhere. I assert all this here in a bid to establish, the long standing, hoary tradition and cultural heritage the people in the sub-continent shared. ( share?). Much to my surprise, I even found similarities between Korean and Tamizh ( of which I'm a native speaker). For example, the personal pronoun I in tamil is "Naan". Guess what it is in Korean?- "Na". You in Tamil is "Nii" and "Ni" in Korean. More. Wa and Vaa for come in Korean and Tamil respectively. For day it is Naal in both languages. There are a few more. I'm not claiming here that both evolved at the same place, that would be impossible. I'm saying that the sub-continent has unimaginably intricate cultural similarities, leading to the speculation of a common origin.

My point being that even in an age which is characterised as primitive such a vast majority of diverse people managed to forge bonds, but sadly today we have no peace left. Particularly, the Indo-Pak relations , and the course it has taken over the 60 odd years after a blood-soaked partition would be written down as one of the darkest chapters in human history. That the British had sowed the seeds of division is obvious. But a deeper, more subtle reason for this mutual antagonism is the religious divide between Hinduism and Islam. They are vastly different in terms of their ideology and philosophy. Yes, one can rightly point Sufism as a syncretic evolution combining the best principles of both religions in a mystical environment. But Sufism was a happy co-incident rather than an evolved consensus. There has been a historical divide among Hindus and Muslims. That is undeniable. Partition unleashed this suppressed undercurrent of enmity. The Kashmir dispute is the cornerstone of the present state of affairs of relations. Post partition relations are pock-marked by an on-off cycle of war and enforced peace. A chess game between Gradmasters fades in intrigue when compared to the geo-political equations in Indo-Pak ties. So, first, immediately after Partition there was the Junagadh dispute, followed by the Kashmir standoff. I'm no scholar in History/Politics, but I can assure you that a cursory glance at the points set the stage for a riveting novel. Such is the nature of power play involved. Then, after that there was a United Nations brokered peace settlement. After a few years of calm came the dispute about sharing the water from the Indus river. International pressure and help forced the two parties to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution. World Bank was instrumental in engineering the deal. Once again, peace prevailed only to be rudely broken by a military operation in 1965 by Pakistan to take back Kashmir. The Tashkent Declaration was signed to restore a semblance of peace. Then came many more hostilities, and an equal number of attempts at peace. 

The title says Penrose, where does he fit into this mess? Well, he supplies us with the metaphor to characterise this state of affairs. You must of heard of the Penrose staircase? No? Well, here's a picture for reference.

It ascends in some parts, descends elsewhere.  It is an impossible object, really. But it perfectly describes the Indo-Pak relations. Goes up sometime, comes down the next. But, essentially, goes nowhere. Talk of going in circles. In a circle, one doesn't find ups and downs. That’s the only difference. So, is peace possible between us? I've no answer, it is a trick question. The result is predicated on so many factors. I'd love to see the old ties restored but one would be in fool's paradise to think that this can possibly occur anytime in the foreseeable future. In fact, to my understanding, I see tensions escalating. Both parties are nuclear, so that adds to the worry. We've uncertain times ahead. That much is evident.