Friendly Hostility

koan · Post by **koan** » Thu Dec 02, 2010 5:20 pm

The border closing ceremony between India and Pakistan is quite an amazing show for a few reasons. Despite the horrid history that resulted in the border, they treat it with humour and have worked together to create a wonderful show full of both pride and respect.

I had seen this in a documentary hosted by Michael Palin a long time ago and still remember my joy at seeing it the first time. I mentioned it recently when I saw two dogs having a very similar standoff that was amusing their owners and compared it to the showmanship of border closing guards between India and Pakistan... which shocked and dismayed them. I had to explain that it was a friendly display of hostility and I don't think they believed me. So I'm posting a video of it here as it seems not a lot of people know how wonderful the ceremony is.

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Thu Dec 02, 2010 5:33 pm

Cool elaborate stepping there. I saw something similar when in Greece and they changed guards very interesting ceromony.

Post by **LarsMac** » Thu Dec 02, 2010 8:32 pm

I remember the Michael Palin film.

Indeed, quite a fascinating event.

I would like to one day witness it in person.

Scrat · Post by **Scrat** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 6:48 pm

Just another bunch of apes beating their chests, all that in 2 countries that have nuclear weapons pointed at one another but significant portions of their populations live on less than a euro a day.

Pathetic.

koan · Post by **koan** » Fri Dec 03, 2010 9:36 pm

Scrat;1345796 wrote: Just another bunch of apes beating their chests, all that in 2 countries that have nuclear weapons pointed at one another but significant portions of their populations live on less than a euro a day.

Pathetic.

But that's what makes it so wonderful.

They shake hands. The beating of the chest is mocked and over pronounced but the handshake is properly executed.