On Bijoya Dashami, Two Bengals Meet Across the Barbed Wire at Hili Border as Hundreds Catch a Distant Glimpse of Loved Ones
On Bijoya Dashami, the final day of the Durga festival, an emotional scene unfolded at the Hili border in Dinajpur. Hindu devotees from Bangladesh and India gathered on both sides of the barbed-wire fence — many of them there simply to catch a glimpse of relatives living across the line. The fence may divide the territory of two countries, but on this day the emotion, affection and family ties of the people of the two Bengals seemed bound in a single thread.
From Wednesday morning (21 October), visitors could be seen gathering near the Hili border checkpost and the areas adjoining the zero line. People travelled from different parts of Bangladesh with their families, while visitors on the Indian side likewise took up positions close to the fence. The presence of people from both countries gave the whole border area a festive air.
Standing on either side of the wire, many people tried to speak to each other from a distance. Some waved greetings, some talked over mobile phones, and some were overcome with emotion simply at seeing, from afar, relatives they had not seen for a long time. Mixed with the farewell mood of Bijoya Dashami, the joy of seeing loved ones produced a blend of happiness and sorrow on many faces.
According to local residents, such scenes at the Hili border during Durga Puja are nothing new. Many families in the border areas of the two countries have relatives living on the other side. Ties of marriage, kinship and old family relationships have survived across generations, even though the barbed-wire fence and the rules of two countries stand in between.
Because of visas, passports and border regulations, not everyone who wishes to meet relatives in person is able to do so. That is why, on this special day of the festival, many people rush to the border — in the hope that, even from a distance, they might see a loved one. As the morning wore on, the crowds along the fence continued to grow.
Pradip Kumar, one of the visitors at the border, said his relatives live on the other side and that he had not seen them for a long time. He had come hoping to catch sight of them during the festival. Even if he could not go close and talk to them, he said, seeing them from a distance would still feel good. Despite belonging to two countries, he added, their language, culture and ties of kinship are the same.
Another visitor, Gita Rani, said Durga Puja is a festival of joy and that she had come to the border with her whole family on this day. When relatives live on the other side, the desire to meet them is only natural. Although being unable to go near them because of the fence is painful, she said, even seeing them from afar brings some comfort.
Some visitors said that if a special arrangement could be made — respecting border security and the rules of both countries — to let relatives meet, their long-standing wish would be fulfilled. At the same time, they considered it equally important to respect border security and the law, so their remarks reflected a balance between heartfelt demand and the realities of security.
With visitor numbers rising in the border area, security also received attention. Members of the border guard forces maintained vigilance in their respective areas of responsibility, and it remained important for visitors to follow the prescribed rules and security instructions throughout the day.
Bijoya Dashami is, by tradition, a day of farewell. With sindur khela in the pavilions, Bijoya greetings and the immersion of idols, this year's Durga festival is drawing to a close. Within that farewell, the crowds at the Hili border added a separate dimension to the festival — where the joy of a religious celebration merged with the long waiting and deep emotion of divided families.
In the eyes of the people standing on both sides of the wire, one message stood out: a country's boundary may divide land, but the pull of human love, kinship and connection is not so easily divided. It is that pull, crossing distance and fence alike, that draws people to the Hili border on this day every year.
As the day ended and the crowds slowly thinned, the moments spent at the border will remain in visitors' memories for a long time. Whether they return with the same hope at next year's festival, only time will tell — but this year's scenes at Hili show that the longing for a single glimpse of a loved one is not one that fades easily.
