Away from home and feeling lonely on the Eid, hundreds of Kashmiri students, who are studying in various colleges and universities in Punjab and could not travel home to celebrate the festival with their families, were in for a pleasant surprise on Monday morning.
The invitation from Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for lunch at Punjab Bhavan made it an occasion to cherish, and to feel at home for around 125 students from various universities of Punjab.
Assuring them that he was confident that things would improve soon in Kashmir, the Chief Minister greeted the youngsters with best wishes for normalcy soon. “We cannot replace your families but I hope you consider us as your family too,” he told the students, assuring them of their safety and security in Punjab.
Though he had not been to Kashmir for a long time due to his busy political schedule, he considered the beautiful Valley his second home, said Capt Amarinder, adding that it was his heartfelt desire to share the happiness of this festival with the students.He reassured the students that he was confident their families back home would also be well and safe, and they would be able to meet soon.Reciprocating the Chief Minister’s sentiments, the students said that they too considered Punjab their second home, where they had always felt safe, even after the Pulwama attack. “We have seen that Punjabis have a big heart,” quipped a student, Faiq Salem, while another thanked Capt Amarinder for hearing their voice“Coming here today reminds us of our families,” said Farzana Hafeez, another student, admitting that till they received the invitation, they had been feeling very lonely at the thought of not being home for Eid.As a memento of their love and respect, the students presented to the Chief Minister a portrait sketched by Abdul Azad, a Fine Arts Kashmiri student from Chandigarh University. Capt Amarinder gave sweets to the students to celebrate the occasion.