For these villages, home is where a war could be

it's a fine line which demarcates a war of words and words of war. but such is the delicate situation in which two neighbouring countries find themselves. with men and missiles deployed at the border, an air of uncertainty hangs over the men and women who belong to villages bordering atari. for 21 villages in punjab, including dauke, parapal, nauseradala, rajatal, kaunke, mahwa, bihilla and maler kotra, life is all about intensified army patrolling and mines strewn on the ground.home is a dangerous place now. there seems to have been no directive from the authorities as yet, but the local population in these villages has started shifting base - to the homes of relatives in amritsar, jalandhar, ludhiana and bhatinda. but then, the possibility of war is too harsh a truth to live with. ''we have not issued any instructions to the villagers to vacate their homes. with information being distorted while on its way from one home to the other, panic has set in and this has resulted in the villagers leaving their homes,'' maintains a bsf commandant. meanwhile, faces wearing worry stand guard over bullock-carts and trucks laden with household goods. there is a long road ahead. khajan singh, a resident of nausheradala, is busy loading all his belongings on to a tractor which will take him to amritsar. ''it's not possible to carry all my possessions, so i am taking only those items which are absolutely essential. members of my family have already left for amritsar,'' he informs. as one takes the route from atari to adjacent villages, army activity is palpably visible. dressed in camouflage fatigues, vigilant defence personnel dot the landscape amidst flourishing fields. nauseradala has a population of 1,200 and hosts a bsf post. ''living in close proximity to the fence which separates india and pakistan has become part of our lives. recently, when we saw army jawans laying down mines near the fence, we decided that it was time to move,'' says harbhajan singh. ironically, harbajan's son is in the army. major singh, a cycle-shop owner at mahwa, is readying to leave for bhatinda to join his family. ''we feel that war could break out any time,'' he explains. ''whenever tension builds up along the border, we are the first to bear the brunt,'' maintains najja singh of rajatal village, ''my family will continue to stay in amritsar for now, but i will visit rajatal till the situation allows me to.'' najja's rustic tone finds echo in 21 villages. not without reason. call it voluntary evacuation or what you will, but the possibility of being caught in the crossfire of two neighbours at war does not present a home truth which one can sit on. delhitimes@indiatimes.com