S1E29: In this Kashmiri hamlet, locals wave to ‘enemies’ across the river

We transport you to Keran, which sits on the Line of Control - a ceasefire line dividing Kashmir into territories administered by India and Pakistan. Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe, about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.  At a time when people-to-people links are practically non-existent between India and Pakistan, Keran is a rare place where greetings, waves and even smiles could be exchanged. A river, less than 100 metres wide, divides both sides.  Keran, a tiny village of around 1,500, is nestled in a valley within the part of Kashmir that is administered by India. It is here that tourism has boomed in recent years. Visitors come - to stay in houses pockmarked by mortar fragments and to peep into the Pakistan-administered side of the land. In this episode, ST’s foreign editor Li Xueying chats with ST’s India correspondent Debarshi Dasgupta, who also shares his personal history - of family members being torn asunder after the 1947 partition of South Asia. Highlights (click/tap above): 1:14 Why India is moving to promote border tourism 3:15 A beacon of hope but one single major terrorist attack in Kashmir can set this story back by many, many years 7:31 A deep and haunting sense of loss when families are torn apart after South Asia was carved up in 1947 13:25 Difficult questions remain: what are the steps that India and Pakistan are taking to heal this long festering bilateral wound?  16:30 Other frontier towns to visit in India  Produced by: Li Xueying ([email protected]), Ernest Luis and Fa’izah Sani Edited by: Fa’izah Sani Follow Letter From The Bureau Podcast every first Friday of the month here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: [email protected] Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR  Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x Read Debarshi Dasgupta's articles: https://str.sg/wtmh Read ST's Letters From The Bureau: https://str.sg/3xRd Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters --- Discover more ST podcast channels: COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts --- Special edition series: True Crimes of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i4Y3  The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2 Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa --- Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #STAsianInsiderSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.