When the North of India plunged into darkness

As the conflict between India and Pakistan escalated with the launch of Operation Sindoor on May 7, after the fateful Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, the past few days have been marked with uncertainty, turbulence, scrutiny and strife for people in North India.

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The Government had instructed blackouts for the first time since the Indo-Pak war of 1971 and even though the “stoppage of firing”, which many are calling a ceasefire, announced on May 10, brought in some respite that lasted only a few hours, the situation remains grim and as unpredictable.At my home, in Chandigarh, everyone was jubilant, preparing for a vacation with their first grandchild. My sister and her four-month-old were visiting the city from Canada and had planned a trip to the Golden Temple, Amritsar, Dehradun and Mussoorie. On May 6, we had left for Amritsar, but soon, on May 9, we had to return to Chandigarh for safety.Attending to the call of blackout in Punjab, Chandigarh and other regions of North India, the men of the house were guided to bring their black turbans, which were to be used as makeshift curtains. My father, uncles and brother were pressing drawing pins on the top corners of the wooden window fixtures of our house, while the ladies cut and stitched the black turbans into curtains. “Just leave the ends of the thread loose for them to wound around and knot to the drawing pins and quickly make the pleats with a running stitch. Hurry up!,” my mother ordered.