'They took my cash and India shirt, and gave me cherish consequently'— my week in Lahore on a cricket visa

Everything began with the Pakistan Cricket Board opening up the offer of a predetermined number of tickets for the one-day cricket coordinates amongst India and Pakistan in March, 2004.

The minute we saw that news report, my better half Ipsita and I knew we needed. This was not only a chance to witness one of game's most noteworthy competitions, it was an opportunity to go to Pakistan — the place we Indians talk and read such a great amount about, and regularly, loathe to such an extent.

Tickets were immediately bought on the web, and visa shapes topped off. There is no Pakistan department in Hyderabad, so we made a trek to Delhi and remained at 4am out of a line of hopefuls outside the Pakistan High Commission in Chanakyapuri.

There were some similar to us, remaining for a visa for the cricket coordinate. Most others, and that number was in a few hundreds, were individuals who had relatives in Pakistan and had been striving for some, numerous months to get a visa — more often than not, unsuccessfully.

"Store your international ID, we will educate you when your visa is allowed," said the accommodating man at the counter, which I came to after around five hours in the line.

We came back to Hyderabad and were educated seven days after the fact that the visa had come through. We were two of around 2,000 Indians who might get the chance to go to Pakistan for the one-day cricket matches.

I have had numerous visas on my international ID — traveler visa, business visa, visit visa. This one was one of a kind; it read: "Cricket Visa".

It determined Lahore as it were. My match tickets were just for the Lahore matches and the visa disallowed me from going wherever else.

Vitally, it likewise determined: "Absolved from police revealing", which is generally a day by day prerequisite for Indians going to Pakistan.

The subsequent stage was going by The Hospitality Club, one of my most loved sites which gives a stage to individuals to homestay as a visitor at somebody's home.

I had facilitated and been facilitated at numerous spots far and wide — however Pakistan was a totally better place, at any rate in my brain.

Is it safe to say that it was excessively hazardous, making it impossible to look for irregular individuals in Lahore and approach them for a place to remain?

I went out on a limb an and limited the inquiry on the site down to Lahore and kept in touch with the best host in Lahore, letting him know of my trek and asking whether we could remain with him for the week.

Speedily, my inbox had a reaction: "You are welcome."

The Delhi-Lahore transport left from the Ambedkar Terminal in Delhi. The transport takeoff time was 6am. We were there at 3.30am and seen a substantial line of individuals officially present.

There were a much bigger number of individuals there to see the travelers off, effectively in a 3:1 proportion. These individuals were not permitted in, and remained outside the vast, press doors of the passageway.

The travelers were a blend of Indians, Pakistanis and different nationalities.