24 Hours in 2 Countries that Hate Each Other

Who speaks in this episode?

• Quinton (Host) · 29 min speaking
• Stefan (Guest) · 14 min speaking
• Fawad (Guest) · 2 min speaking
• Thomas (Guest) · 2 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Pakistan, India, Quinton, Stefan
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Pakistan, Golden Temple, Lahore, Amritsar
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Pakistan, Lahore, Sweden, Amritsar
4. 15:00 – 20:00: partition, British India, Muslim, Hindu
5. 20:00 – 25:00: Pakistan, Punjabi culture, partition, Stefan
6. 25:00 – 30:00: Pakistan, partition, Stefan, Quinton
7. 30:00 – 35:00: Pakistan, Golden Temple, Lahore, partition
8. 35:00 – 40:00: Golden Temple, Pakistan, partition, Muslim
9. 40:00 – 45:00: Pakistan, Quinton, Stefan, Golden Temple
10. 45:00 – 48:12: Yes Theory, Pakistan, Quinton, Sweden

Notable quotes from "24 Hours in 2 Countries that Hate Each Other"

• Most emotionally charged borders in the world. People from Pakistan, they your friends. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. We decided the best way to tell the story was from…

  about Quinton · at 0:53

• Good morning from the Golden Temple and good morning from India. Apparently, you need to wear a headwear to enter here. You look good, bro. Yeah, you too. People have been…

  about India · at 6:44

• All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lahore, Pakistan, where today we are beginning our 24 hours of exploration. People have told me Lahore is the best city in Pakistan.…

  about Pakistan · at 9:46

• Yeah. Okay. Is that a bad idea? Unique idea. Insane. Well, we can host you if you want. Yeah, anytime. Anytime. Yeah. Yeah. Anytime. You're most welcome. Yeah, you can have my…

  about Amritsar · at 11:09

• Haven't seen a single person do this in Pakistan. We are now arriving at a very historical place in the city of Lahore. And we're going to explore, get to know more people, try…

  about Fawad · at 12:39

• Entire communities uprooted and up to a million people lost their lives in the calamity. The transition became known as the partition. Two new countries born from the same…

  about partition · at 18:26

• Even though Stefan and Quinton had been offered a place to stay with this kind local, they had just heard about another opportunity that they thought was hard to pass up. If we…

  about Stefan · at 29:38

• Do not look at it from the same lens of division as politics wants us to. Here at Yes Theory, we say love over fear because both are the two most powerful forces in this world.…

  about Yes Theory · at 45:50

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Stefan — Person · Main guest · 7 mentions · first at 1:04
  Stefan is a key participant in the exploration of the India-Pakistan border, providing insights into cultural similarities.
• Quinton — Person · Main guest · 5 mentions · first at 1:04
  Quinton is one of the main travelers exploring the cultural and historical ties between India and Pakistan.
• Fawad — Person · Local host · 2 mentions · first at 12:50
  Fawad is a local from Lahore who offers hospitality to the travelers, showcasing Pakistani generosity.
• Mahatma Gandhi — Person · Historical figure · 1 mention · first at 17:04
  Gandhi is mentioned as a leader in the Indian independence movement, relevant to the partition discussion.
  They wanted to rule themselves, not controlled by a foreign empire. Mahatma Gandhi became an internationally recognized leader for his struggle for Indian independence through…

Companies & orgs

• Yes Theory — Organization · Content creator · 4 mentions · first at 20:21
  Yes Theory is the organization behind the exploration, promoting cultural understanding and adventure.
• British East India Company — Organization · Historical entity · 1 mention · first at 16:11
  The British East India Company played a crucial role in the colonization of India, leading to the partition.
  Under the control of the Mughal Empire. One of the most diverse empires in history made up of many different smaller principalities that to some degree governed themselves.…

Products & tech

• Surfshark VPN — Product · 1 mention

Concepts & topics

• partition — Concept · Historical event · 8 mentions · first at 15:37
  Partition refers to the division of British India into India and Pakistan, a central theme of the episode.
• British India — Concept · Historical context · 3 mentions · first at 16:35
  British India is the colonial entity from which India and Pakistan were formed, central to the partition discussion.
  Then in 1947, all of these ideas collided. World War II left Britain financially exhausted, which became part of the reason why they decided to give up their rule over British…
• Punjabi culture — Concept · Cultural theme · 2 mentions · first at 22:37
  Punjabi culture is explored as a shared cultural heritage between people in India and Pakistan.
  It's our culture. Punjabi culture, so many friendly people. So many friendly people.
• Muslim — Concept · Religious group · 4 mentions · first at 16:47
  Islam is a major religion in Pakistan, discussed in the context of historical and cultural ties.
  Nonviolent civil disobedience. But there was a problem. The population of British India wasn't united on what an independent future should look like. The region had a Hindu…
• Hindu — Concept · Religious group · 3 mentions · first at 16:40
  Hinduism is one of the major religions in India, discussed in the context of historical and cultural ties.
  In 1858, after a major uprising, the British crown finally took over ruling what was now called British India. Once in charge, Britain employed their tried and tested strategy…

Places & events

• Pakistan — Place · Core topic · 32 mentions · first at 0:35
  Pakistan is explored alongside India, focusing on the shared history and cultural connections post-partition.
• India — Place · Core topic · 2 mentions · first at 0:35
  India is one of the two countries explored in the episode, highlighting its cultural and historical ties with Pakistan.
• Lahore — Place · Core topic · 12 mentions · first at 1:33
  Lahore is a significant city in Pakistan visited by the travelers, showcasing its culture and hospitality.
  All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lahore, Pakistan, where today we are beginning our 24 hours of exploration. People have told me Lahore is the best city in Pakistan.…
• Golden Temple — Place · Cultural landmark · 9 mentions · first at 6:44
  The Golden Temple is a significant religious site in Amritsar, India, visited by the travelers.
  That it's going to be very tough to find someone to host us. We'll see if we end up on the street tonight or if we're going to have a nice beautiful local Indian family to stay…
• Amritsar — Place · Core topic · 4 mentions · first at 1:33
  Amritsar is a key location in India visited by the travelers, known for its cultural and historical significance.
• Wazir Khan Mosque — Place · Cultural landmark · 1 mention · first at 24:22
  The Wazir Khan Mosque is a historical site in Lahore, visited by the travelers for its beauty and cultural significance.
  Welcome to the Wazir Khan Mosque, the center inside of the walled city. It's truly beautiful to step into an ancient structure like this with so much beauty and so much spiritual energy inside of it.
• Gurudwara — Place · Cultural landmark · 1 mention · first at 29:48
  Gurudwara is mentioned as a place of refuge and hospitality, reflecting Sikh values of service and equality.
  Even though Stefan and Quinton had been offered a place to stay with this kind local, they had just heard about another opportunity that they thought was hard to pass up. If we…
• Sweden — Place · Traveler's origin · 4 mentions · first at 10:01
  Sweden is mentioned as the home country of the travelers, providing a perspective on their journey.
  Our 24 hours of exploration. People have told me Lahore is the best city in Pakistan. You can tell that this city is more liberal. You see women walking around here without…
• Islamabad — Place · Travel route · 1 mention · first at 2:25
  Islamabad is mentioned as a starting point for the journey to Lahore, highlighting travel challenges.
  And I begin my journey from Islamabad to Lahore by myself.
• L'ore — Place · Mentioned location · 1 mention · first at 10:07
  L'ore is mentioned in a conversation about local origins, adding to the cultural context.
  That's a nice place. Where are you from? I'm from L'ore. Lahore. Nice. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We're just here with our team, right? we kind of work in a software house and stuff…

Sponsors

• Surf Shark — Company · Sponsor · 2 mentions · first at 19:40
  Surf Shark is mentioned as a sponsor, providing VPN services to access region-restricted content.
  Ones. Even the BBC or international sources had regional restrictions based on where you were watching it from. And that, my friends, is where the sponsor of today's video…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:17 This is the strangest ceremony we have ever attended. This is one of the most tense borders in the world right here. two neighboring countries that almost 80 years ago used to be one nation putting on a performance on either side of a border that is almost impossible to cross. India and Pakistan, two nations that were torn apart and some of history's most confusing circumstances by a British lawyer who had never been here before and spent only 5 weeks drawing the border and never returned again. What resulted was decades of conflict, violence, and one of the most emotionally charged borders in the world. People from Pakistan, they your your friends. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. We decided the best way to tell the story was from both sides with me exploring Pakistan and Stefan across the border exploring India. I can see stuff in Quinton on the other side with a shared challenge of doing something that has never been

1:15 done before. of not booking a place to stay and instead looking for a stranger to stay with. So, how different or similar are these two nations truly? And is there any hope for reconciliation in the future? We'll be going deep with the locals and hopefully finding a kind stranger to house us for the night. But first, Stfan had to make the trip from Lahore, Pakistan to Amritsar in India. And while it's only about 30 mi away, because of strict travel limitations, they weren't able to cross directly and instead had to take a very lengthy detour. If we could have walked over the border, it would have taken us 1 minute. Now we've been traveling for over 10 hours.

2:06 Okay, 12 hours later, we are going to take the last plane out and go to India. What would have been an hour by car turned into multiple flights from Lahore to Dubai and over to India, where we would finally meet again on either side of this strange border. And I begin my journey from Islamabad to Lahore by myself.

2:36 Okay, we're getting closer to the border. India. India. We're about to attend a military demonstration between the two nations. They're selling snacks and flags and it almost feels like a family outing. It looks like there's like almost a stadium over there. Feels like a sports event. Although I can hear music playing in the distance. They're not messing around with this border. It's actually starting now. Stalling now. Yes. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at one of the strangest places on planet Earth. Holy [ __ ] Oh wow. It's absolutely electric here. People are fired up.

3:54 This side is Pakistan and that side over there is India. And somewhere in the crowd behind me, Quinton and Stefan are sitting. They just across this gate has taken them 24 hours of travel to get to the other side. This land right here not long ago was one place, one nation. And now it's basically impossible to get to the other side. Wa! Heat. Heat.

4:50 I can see suffering twing on the other side. So close. So far is both choreographed and also sort of confrontational at the same time. This ceremony happens every evening at sunset and is part military ritual, part display of national pride. The atmosphere in the stadium is full of excitement as each nation puts on a performance. And while the event is generally a positive display of unity between nations, there's also the feeling in the crowd of being at a highly competitive sport match between two rival teams. Pakistan.

5:37 If someone from Pakistan would see this, what would you like to what would you like to say from your heart? We want talk to Pakistan. Seems to be politically sensitive to speak about Pakistan and India with some people and I yeah I uh I sort of sense that and some people wish to speak about it and some people some people don't. Well, that is the last time I'm going to see someone in quite a while now. Back to Pakistan we go. I guess this is a memorial of all the migration that had to happen during the separation of the two countries.

6:24 And so it begins our adventure on the two sides of this border just a few kilometers apart. Good morning from the Golden Temple and good morning from India. Apparently, you need to wear a headwear to enter here. You look good, bro. Yeah, you too. People have been saying that it's going to be very tough to find someone to host us. We'll see if we end up on the street tonight or if we're going to have a nice beautiful local Indian family to to stay with. I read on the internet that the Golden Temple is the soul of the city. First step now is to walk in water.

7:17 Okay, I understand why people why people love this temple. It's absolutely beautiful. Some good vibes here. I could sit here for hours honestly just meditate and reflect and I always dreamed about coming to India as well and going to temples and now now it's happening. Feels very special to be here and thinking about King Ridge to also been here and loves this place. Yeah, I only speak English. How are you? I'm good, thank you. How are you? I'm also good. Join with us for you. Okay. Yes. Yes, please. Yeah. Thank you so much. Yeah. Going with the flow here. They invite me to eat some traditional local food here. High five.

8:13 Time for some breakfast. Over tens of thousands of people are fed here every day on volunteer basis. It's a very strong community within the sea community to serve and give to others. So what a beautiful gathering in this all for free. People do this for other people. Yes. Yes. In this place no religious difference, no class difference, no color difference. All our sames. Eat in a ground level. Same place. Sitting ground. Everyone sit down for a reason. Yeah. Everyone is like levelheaded with each other. We're here for a four course meal here. Would would would love to visit your home. That would be that would be the greatest honor. Please maybe if you are free tomorrow, please visit after. I'm only able for tomorrow. Tomorrow. Okay. That was a was a delicious meal.

9:10 See you. See you. See you. Thank you. See you. Bye-bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Thank you. I didn't see Punjab because I don't speak Punjab. He doesn't know. Now we're going to continue continue the mission here exploring Amritsar. Um just on the other side Thomas is exploring Lahore right now. So yeah, I wonder how it's going for him.

9:46 All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Lahore, Pakistan, where today we are beginning our 24 hours of exploration. People have told me Lahore is the best city in Pakistan. You can tell that this city is more liberal. You see women walking around here without hijabs. They seem more social. I've spoken to a few of them. Hi, what's up, man? Where are you from? Sweden. Sweden. That's a nice place. Where are you from? I'm from L'ore. Lahore. Nice. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We're just here with our team, right? Uh we we kind of work in a software house and stuff like that. Okay, cool. Your English is amazing, by the way. Oh, thanks. Uh yeah, that's how lorries are sometimes. You never know. We're unpredictable. Yeah. Yeah. My goal at the end of the day, and you tell me if this is insane, right? Uh my goal is to try to stay at a stranger's house to capture like the authentic, you know, Lahore life. Do you think that's a crazy goal? Uh that

10:37 is crazy. You think so? And that's really a very insane thing to do here. Really? Yes. Exactly. But you will enjoy it. The holies are known for their hospitality. Do you feel that abroad people have a bad idea of what Pakistan is and what the Pakistani people are? People like you who come to Pakistan. You give the real picture out there. Uh we have a neighboring country which doesn't also give the right picture out what we actually are as people. But everyone who comes over here, they always give the real image. You're going to go to some somebody you don't know.

11:09 Yeah. Okay. Is that a bad idea? Unique idea. Insane. Well, we can host you if you want. Yeah, anytime. Anytime. Yeah. Yeah. Anytime. You're most welcome. Yeah, you can have my number. Yeah, that would be great. My friends are actually on the other side in Amritsar. Amritsar. And they're doing the same thing at the same time. Okay. In in in India. I've met a lot of people in Pakistan who tell me we're the same. There's the issue is only politics, but ultimately most of the people they want good for each other. We're just the same people. It's it's the same culture. It's same mixed culture. We talk same. We dress like same. We ate same same kind of food. Yeah. We have rivalries. We have some issues, but who doesn't? I don't think we we differ much. Yeah. I mean, you would make this challenge very easy for me if the first person I speak to is hosting me. No, no, I'm I'm ready to, but I would like you to go through this experience. If you don't find

12:02 anybody, I'm always available. If you get into any kind of, you know, issues, if you need help, if you need guidance, my god, I'm there for you. I'm just a call away. Thank you so much. All right. So, nice to meet you. Thank you so much. In Swedish, hooray. Hido. All right. Well, I hadn't even finished my intro for the video today yet, and I already have someone's house to stay with. Oh my god. What did you think of that interaction? I think I'm actually surprised that happened. I was about to introduce the fact that the wild challenge that I might not be able to even pull off was to stay at a stranger's house. And I was trying to look for this online and I haven't seen a single person do this in Pakistan. We are now arriving at a very historical place in the city of Lahore. And we're going to explore, get to know more people, try some food, and see what happens. And if all else fails, I definitely hope that Fawed was serious about his offer.

13:21 Nice to meet you. So many friendly people here. How are you from? From Sweden. Sweden. A big country. Okay. Okay. Okay. Now he want to talk. Nice to meet you, sir. How are you? Can you speak udu? No. No. Tellad. You You're an artist. Yeah. You see the lower for picture wall. I'm going later. We're going to the Lahore port. Yeah. You see the main entrance gate? I do this for demonstration. You did the gate. Oh, wow. Do you feel there's many similarities between India and Pakistan people?

14:06 Do you wish to see more more peace and tolerance between India and Pakistan? Thank you so much. Thank you. It's nice to meet you guys. Thank you. Do you guys like living in Lahore? Yes. Yeah, we love living here. It's a cool place. Yes, it's a cool place. It has its pros and cons. Yeah, like every other place. What's your favorite thing about living in Lahore? Uh favorite thing? I think the architecture and the people here. How do you guys feel about the differences between India and Pakistan? People are still the same. The culture and the people, they are still same. Not much differences other than like instilled political differences. Yeah. Do you wish there was more more peace? And yes, this peace and tolerance is used as a weapon. Yeah. By like people in politics and in government. Yeah. I have yet to meet a single unfriendly person in Pakistan. I think my husband watches obsessively. Nice to meet you. So cool. My friends are on the other side

15:13 there in filming over there and I'm filming here by myself. So yeah, it's that's crazy, right? I mean, you can't even get a visa to to go. I've never tried to go to India. Like I don't think we could we can't because my husband from the military. So you can't go at all. That's so funny. Like we're just we're just there. Like my mom's actually just been here just on the other side. No way. And we've never been. We have never been but their families came over at partition. So they had to move like from India to come here. India gripped by conflict and suspense as this vast country of almost 400 million people strives to find a solution to its problem. Before the British started taking over India in the 1700s, most of the subcontinent was under the control of the Mughal Empire. One of the most diverse empires in history made up of many different smaller principalities that to some degree governed themselves. After

16:11 a century of trading with the Mughals, the British East India Company started taking over control. Using the empire's diversity against itself, they played regional rulers against each other and conquered more and more land until they had a territory that looked like this. In 1858, after a major uprising, the British crown finally took over ruling what was now called British India. Once in charge, Britain employed their tried and tested strategy that had worked for them in previous colonizations, divide and rule. They emphasized Hindu versus Muslim divisions and exaggerated differences in the communities, all with the goal of making the population fight themselves instead of their rulers. Over time, Muslims and Hindus began seeing each other as political rivals. As decades passed, people began demanding independence.

17:04 They wanted to rule themselves, not controlled by a foreign empire. Mahatma Gandhi became an internationally recognized leader for his struggle for Indian independence through nonviolent civil disobedience. But there was a problem. The population of British India wasn't united on what an independent future should look like. The region had a Hindu majority, but it was also home to a huge Muslim population. Many Muslims feared that once Britain left, the Hindu-led government would dominate politics and leave Muslims without real power or protection. From that fear came a new idea. What if Muslims had their own country?

17:42 Then in 1947, all of these ideas collided. World War II left Britain financially exhausted, which became part of the reason why they decided to give up their rule over British India. And fearing a civil war between the remaining Hindu and Muslim communities, they very quickly came up with a new border which would separate land into two new nations. India with a largely Hindu majority and Pakistan intended as a Muslim homeland. The border was drawn within just a few weeks. It cut straight through towns, farms and families. Many people suddenly found themselves on the wrong side and were forced to flee. What followed was chaos.

18:21 Around 14 million were forced to migrate across the new border. Violence broke out. Entire communities uprooted and up to a million people lost their lives in the calamity. The transition became known as the partition. Two new countries born from the same land, separated by fear, trauma, and a line that changed millions of lives forever. Nice to meet you. What's your name? I'm Thomas. Nice to meet you. I was born funny as I went. I was funny. You were born where? Funny. You were born funny. You're a comedian. No. Here's the deal. Right before coming here, we did a ton of research on the 1947 partition.

19:13 Documentaries, historical accounts, survivor stories. But here's what we found. Depending on where the content was made, the story changes. Indian sources tell it one way and Pakistani sources tell it another way. A lot of the content we wanted to watch had regional restrictions. Some documentaries were only on Indian streaming platforms while others were only on Pakistani ones. Even the BBC or international sources had regional restrictions based on where you were watching it from. And that, my friends, is where the sponsor of today's video, Surf Shark, comes in because using their VPN, we got to connect to Indian servers and watch documentaries from their perspective. And then we switched to Pakistani servers and got to watch documentaries made from their perspective. This allowed us to see the full picture, not just one side of the story. And honestly, that made this trip so much more meaningful because we

19:57 got to understand why people feel the way they do, why these borders exist, and understanding what was lost when families were separated. You cannot really understand the weight of this place without understanding both sides of the story. Now, the other good thing is that when you travel between countries like we have, Surf Shark keeps your data encrypted on all of these maybe slightly suspicious Wi-Fi that we keep connecting to, which on top of the VPN is definitely a good bonus. So, go to surf shark.com/yest Theory or use code yes Theory at checkout or scan this QR code right here to get four extra months on your Surf Shark plan. Okay, now let's get back to exploring these two beautiful countries and seeing if we can find a place to stay tonight.

20:41 We're back on the streets and uh we are on our mission. Get to know more of how they live, who they are, what they feel, what they think. Sastria, do you live here or work here or work here? Yeah. Ah, this is your store here. Okay. Nice, nice, nice. People from Pakistan. Uh they your your friends people from Pakistan. No, no, no, no, no, no. India Pakistan friendship. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I heard conflict. Conflict. Yeah. Nice to meet you. What do you think is the biggest thing people in Amitritar and Lahore have in common? or 1947.

21:35 Pakistan are people similar in some ways or all peoples are same because God makes people all are same. Don't judge to each other. I am Hindu and he is a sik. Ah yeah yeah yeah. So best friends. Ah nice nice nice. That is beautiful. Hind and seek best friends. Yes. Yes. It's funny right on the internet it says you know that people like freaking hate each other here. And of course there are conflicts. There's different layers to it. But like it's beautiful to see people just boosting up love. Someone just drove up and said hi Stefan from the Estier community. I was just going through there and then I saw you there and I thought I I know this person. I've been following your YouTube channel from the last 2 3 years and I just love you guys like the work you do. We just reached Amritser like yesterday and we traveled all the way from Delhi to Amritser like on the bike and it took us like 11 hours. Oh only this here what you've been

22:37 driving from Delhi to here deep down we all Punjabis still believe and also Pakistanis I believe it's like we crave for our roots like there's like something left behind in Pakistan for us like all that Rahul pendi lahor and all that culture something that just connects us and binds us till day is like like from the start and we all are one we people have to face the wrath of the partition but in our hearts We all just crave to be like yeah, man. You want to go together? Okay. Shukria. There seems to be a very strong park culture in Pakistan of just enjoying sitting outside with your friends. Nice to meet you, Ali. How are you, Thomas? Nice to meet you. This place looks amazing. Would you like to eat? Oh, thank you. So, it's okay. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And you come here on Sundays sometimes just to Every Sunday. Every Sunday. Yeah. That's a nice tradition. Exactly. It's a culture. Culture.

23:56 It's our culture. Punjabi culture, you know, so many friendly people. So many friendly people. Nice to meet you. While I still needed to find a place to stay tonight, something about this mosque stopped me in my tracks, and I just had to see what was inside. Welcome to the Wazir Khan Mosque, the center inside of the walled city. It's truly beautiful to step into an ancient structure like this with so much beauty and so much spiritual energy inside of it.

25:02 So far, it is so interesting to get to shatter my own expectations of what Pakistan was going to be like and truly have one of the more interesting and insightful trips of my life. Akil and Jasmine, I have a question for you. We are a bit lost here with translation. Would you like to join us for a bit and you can help us translate? That would be our pleasure. Let's go. Have we told you our mission yet? Our mission tonight is that we need to find a stranger and to sleep in their house. Do you think someone will host us tonight? Do you think someone? Yes, of course. You think so? India like this place the Punjab people are so good and they welcome you with all their heart and I'm very sure that you'll find a very good boost for tonight. It is good to have like someone who can actually help us translate a bit because so far can't even speak to too many people sastrial. Uh you look so beautiful. So would you just like to talk to you if if you have a moment?

26:11 Yeah, sure. your how you look and how you look as well. It's Yeah, nice to meet you. Yeah, nice to meet you. S Stefan, may I ask father-in-law, do you have any friends from Pakistan or so? No, he doesn't have any. Yeah, no, he's born in like 1963. So, anyone who was born before that 1947 like his father? Yeah. Maybe like he he would know someone from Pakistan. My granddad he used to live in Pakistan. When the partition happened and when the both countries separated, they moved here. One partition happened, they couldn't take anything valuable like gold, silver. If they used to carry uh they could get robbed. They buried everything, put everything, all the gold, silver in it and bur it underneath in in the in the soil and then travel here. So basically didn't have nothing, no money, nothing. So came here empty-handed. Do you think it's still in the soil? I think so. But a lot of it's it's all like people have taken it out when this partition happened. And

27:14 uh India everyone India or Pakistan they celebrate is as a independence day but for us for Punjab and for other Punjab reason that is on the other side of Pakistan it's a black day for them because the partition happened a lot of people were killed during the partition and it's a it's a big black day for for Punjab reason people here doesn't really celebrate that independence day you build a house you build everything and you have to leave everything away and build everything back up. You know, it's it's hot. It was hard. One question to your father-in-law.

27:50 If you have one message to people of Pakistan, what would you like to tell people in Pakistan? the kind of story that that that man shared that's the heart and soul of every real out there kind of we have a shared experience kind of we have a shared feelings as well so whatever he just share right now I could just relate to it all even though I'm not from that generation I could relate it because you know that pain that just that just runs in our blood because everybody all our ancestors just face that so it's just it's just in our heart satriaka Nice to meet you. What do you think people in Lahore and Amistra have in common?

28:59 I have one last question and it's no worries if he says no or so like but is there any possibility that me and my friend can stay in your house tonight? It's a bit of fun experiment. Everybody is just welcome here. He has a heart of gold in the area of Golden Temple. We found he's just offering to us right now. Okay. We found a first guy. That's amazing. Thank you. Well, I was not ready for that. Thank you. So, you're you're offering up. Cool. Even though Stefan and Quinton had been offered a place to stay with this kind local, they had just heard about another opportunity that they thought was hard to pass up. If we don't find a place to sleep tonight, yeah, what can we do then? You can just find a place in Gurudara because Gurudara have a place for everyone in the world. They will be your host. They will feed you and you can just stay there. And it's open 24/7. And it's open 24 by7. It's open for everyone,

30:04 every cast, religion and every any human for even for animals. So if we don't find somewhere to stay, this cinematographer and me is sleeping in the golden temple. Yeah. Nice to meet you. Yes. Yes. Yes. Wow. One thing you have to know if you come to India or Pakistan is you're going to end up eating very, very well. And actually, I met a couple in Peshawan who was from Lahore who recommended a restaurant that I just realized we're standing right in front of. We've been given this location telling us it's the best view you can find in Lahore. I have a feeling the view here is going to be pretty special.

30:49 Please come this side. Oh wow. This is absolutely stunning. Look at this view. And I guess this was built before the partition. All of it. All of it. Yeah. Oh my lord. Look at that. Wow. I've had my mind blown. Some of the best grilled meat I've ever had in my life from Pakistan. the view here on top of meeting the people and eating the food. I feel really blessed. However, I am starting to get a little bit worried about my housing situation tonight and I have not talked to Fawad since we met, which was about 5 hours ago now. So, I'm going to shoot him a text and see if he's still game because if I don't find someone, um, I'm going to be in trouble. Hi, Fawad. How are you? So far, exploring Lahore has been incredible. I met so many nice people and ate some good food. I still haven't found anyone else friendly like you that speaks English that could host me, but I wanted to check if you were still open to hosting me. I'm happy to sleep

32:03 anywhere on a couch, mattress, or on the floor is fine. All the best. So, let's see how it goes. Wow, this place is absolutely incredible. I've only been to one place that felt like this before and it was the Blue Mosque in Harat, Afghanistan. The beauty and the pristineess of the structure takes your breath away. This mosque is beautiful. Feels very special being here.

33:15 As the day was drawing to a close, neither I or Stefan and Quentyn had secured a stranger to stay with. Stefan had received one offer, but realized that he lived too far away. We just realized we had like so many conversations about India and Pakistan. We've been missing out on like finding a place to stay. We put ourselves in this situation and it's getting dark. Right now it's 5:51 41. Yeah, I'm so tired. something wrong. Right now it's 5:52. No, we are on our way to the Golden Temple. Hoping hoping we can stay there tonight and we think it's going to be one of the most unique experiences ever being hosted during an abandoned inn because never ever has an entire city hosted someone. The sun is now setting and I probably should have started asking around other people because right now I don't have a place to stay tonight and in about an hour it's going to be pitch black. The sun is still setting. There's some light left but it's about

34:14 to get very dark very quickly. You know, maybe I should call him. I might be getting ghosted. Well, I think I put all my eggs in one basket and now I'm paying the price. Lesson learned. Even when people tell you early on, always accumulate backup options. Otherwise, you end up looking like a fool like me. Well, I don't know where this night is going to go. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. We have arrived to parking spot for the Golden Temple and you can feel that the city is still alive at this time. This place welcomes all kind of classes and people all around the world regardless religion, regardless economy, regard regardless background. It's like a place where you can go and uh go in within yourself.

35:03 Go in and pray, meditate and sleep inside of the Golden Temple if they allow us. Maybe the craziest idea we had or it was brilliant about to find out. To respect this place, we need to get a headear, fix that, and then uh yeah, hope to be accepted in. Look at this little store. South here. Yes. I'll give you that. That's sir. No, no need for no need for change, sir. No, no, no, no. It's for all of No, no, no. It is one. Okay. Thank you, sir. 400. You have a such present energy if it's okay for me to say that. Is it okay if I ask you about u the people of Pakistan, the people of India? What do you feel with with with the border conflict? My mother was born there. But partition changed everything. Muslims asked to leave India. It was not option. Yeah. It was compulsion. It was political compulsion decided by politicians. 90% or more than 90% people in this world are good people. If anything wrong is happening at very big scale,

36:07 it means their leader is wrong. People are not wrong. They are misguided. Yes. Yes. Pakistanis or people living in Lorovian check the DN of these people and our this seed. So tonight we will ask if we get the honor to do pilgrim in the golden temple and sleep the night there. I don't know they will permit you to sleep there or not. We we heard we heard from someone that we can. Maybe maybe I I have little knowledge about these rules. It's a matter of your security. Yeah. Yeah. for hours is dirty. Yeah, for years. We could sit here all night with you and talk about life. We don't need to sleep. We can sit here until 6:00 in the morning. But I have to go on. My wife is working. It's very simple. Thank you, father. Yeah, like this. Yeah. Yes. Like this. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Thank you, sir. We're going to take down the camera now and we're going to go and ask and see if we can be one of the people who are able to sleep here tonight. Let us see.

37:15 Honestly, this was maybe not the best idea. And I probably should have been more aggressive with asking people around. Yeah, it currently is 6. Oh, wait. I have a I have a missed call right now. Oh, it's is Okay, let me see. I'm going to call him back and see what he says. Doesn't mean he's going to say yes. Hello, sir. How are you? I'm good. How are yourself? Yeah, I'm good. Done. Good. I'm sorry, man. You called. I was I was asleep. Uh, actually, we we were up all night last night. Oh, no way. So, I had to take a nap. So, how's it going? I got your message, dude. It's always open, bro. You don't have to ask. Just let me know. Oh, man. Yes. You don't have to worry. I told you, you know. Oh my god. You have a place to come back to. Don't worry. Not today. Not tomorrow. Always, man. It's perfectly nice. If you're available, I it would it would mean a lot to me. I would I would love to uh join you just for tonight if you have space. Oh, no, no. I I come on. Space is not

38:20 an issue at all. Okay. Of course. Why not? Yeah. Amazing. Let me send you location or something. Can I pick you up? Okay. Okay. Amazing. Amazing. Thank you for Yes. Yes. Yes. Oh my god. You have no idea how happy I am right now because I don't think that wandering the streets here would have been a a smart option from my end. Seems like I have a place to go. Thank god. Oh my god. That is the Golden Temple. That is absolutely beautiful. dream coming true. Coming to India and seeing a temple. This is absolutely magical like this.

39:27 We are two travelers from Sweden. Uh looking if it's any chance for two people to stay the night. If it's possible, yes, we would love to stay the night here. Beautiful that you do this here. Are we following? Thank you so much. Yeah. Do we have a private room? Yeah, we got this room to share here. I'm like so inspired by the sea community and by Amritsa city that they're like give this to people on spiritual journeys. We're going to go to meditate again and we're going to sleep here together with hundreds of other people. Over 10,000 people have been fed today here and it's like a 24/7 ongoing place. Now I understand what the guy in the city meant today that everyone is equal here. Everyone and everyone is welcome. It was over a week ago the last time someone not from India checked into this place. Yeah.

40:27 Sorry. So it's not so often. Yeah. This is like I'm trying to be respectful. This is Look at it. Let's go out meditate for like 1 hour. Yeah. And then go to bed in silence. Hey, nice to see you. Same here. Same here. How was the day? Yeah, good. Thank you. Great. Okay. Road trip. How many days you are here in Pakistan? Tell me. I'm actually leaving tomorrow. So, this is my last. So, your last day is going to be great. Wow. This place looks amazing. Oh, it's a rooftop. Yes, it's a rooftop. Wow. This is amazing. Oh my god. This is great. Wow. Thank you so much. You going to choose something for yourself or you want to leave it to me? Yes, I trust you. All right. All right. Let me talk to you guys. Okay. Oh my god. Are you kidding me?

41:32 This is incredible. Lori, you have to act like a lore. It's nothing. Yeah. Wow. We have a a freaking feast going on right now. The chicken kebab. Chicken kebab. Chicken kebab. Thank you so much. One more. One more. I didn't know you were a vlogger. I can't believe we met on the parking lot like 8 hours ago. This is your home now. You know, from our side, Pakistan is like your home. So, you are everyone is like more than welcome. And especially you, you are more than welcome anytime. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Pleasure. Bye.

42:27 Just finished 1 hour meditation. Ready to sleep. Ready to sleep. What more to say? We love India. We love Pakistan. We love this golden temple. That's it. That was absolutely wonderful. I can't thank you enough. Seriously, I feel very very spoiled. We probably needed this outing as well. Absolutely. You know, I just washed my face and teeth by brush and just, you know, wear my clothes and just I was with him in 10 minutes. Your teeth brushed. I br I brush my teeth actually. Sorry. Slip tongue. Slip of tongue. I think teeth of brush is better.

43:09 What? I can't believe that you did this. What? You It's way too kind of you. You booked a an Airbnb for me. No. No. Why not? I mean, come on. I mean, I I know you told me you could you could adjust on the couch or something. Well, why would I put you on the couch? Come on. I can't believe this. So kind. This is incredible. This is not what I was expecting, but I'm very grateful for how well you're hosting me here. Oh my god. This is incredible. Wow. You got me a whole apartment. You've got your own little balcony. Here we are. Wow. They felt bad that they couldn't host me properly. I would have had to sleep on their couch. So, without telling me, FA booked me an Airbnb in this incredible building. Honestly, I'm speechless. Whatever you read in the news or in the media about a country is never representative of what its people truly are like.

44:07 So go there and make your own mind up before you judge a place based on what you hear, especially when it comes from the news. All right, that's more. Thank you so much. Thank you. And see you again tomorrow. Yeah, see you again tomorrow. I don't know where Stefan and Quinton ended up. I hope that they're okay wherever they are. And as for me, I'm very happy to go to bed right here. Well, it is time for bedtime. I couldn't be more grateful for the generosity of strangers. Yesterday subscribers that are from Pakistan that I spoke to were telling me that they were concerned for me if I were to do this because nobody had done this before in Pakistan. And I don't think anyone has done it before in India either. But somehow it worked out. I think it's quite crazy to think that this morning I met these guys in the parking lot and I never expected that it would take me here. I'm grateful for life's unpredictable

45:07 twists and turns and now it's time for me to get some very nice sleep in this beautiful apartment. Good morning, Quinton. Ultimately, we ended up in two very different places, but we could not have had experiences that mirrored each other more. If you tune into the news and listen to what politicians are saying, it seems like the divide, not only here, but around the world, is only widening. On the ground here, however, and in most places we've ever been, it's clear that the majority want to live in peace. do not look at it from the same lens of division as politics wants us to. Here at Yes Theory, we say love over fear because both are the two most powerful forces in this world. And depending on which one we embrace as a collective, we will dictate what path humanity will choose to walk forward with. The strongest form of resistance in times of division is to look past these narratives

46:11 and extend a hand. a gesture of kindness and generosity to show the other, hey, the world is a little crazy right now, but I got you. And in fact, a few years ago, the only place where both people from India and Pakistan can meet at the border are yes theory communities from each sides held a meetup where they met someone from the other side for the first time, connected, shared stories, and embraced their shared ancestral past, looking beyond the narratives they'd been fed and showed the world the example we need. It's almost too easy to overlook the damage that colonial history has had on the world today. Regions where many religions cohabited for centuries were ripped apart now with no one left to remember when they were once neighbors. But these ties can be reborn.

46:57 We can relearn to coexist, to respect each other, and to live in peace together, not as divided communities. We're not sure exactly how we'll get there, but we do think it starts in small ways and by taking leaps with open hearts just like our very own Yes communities did right here. Even though everybody would just try to divide us, we should just stay one at the end of the day. All are same. God make us and we don't have to judge each other. It's Indian and Pakistan Punjabi was one at one time. So we're all same. You watching this sitting here right now are needed now more than ever to seek ways even small in your own life to bring more compassion into this world. This will be our form of collective resistance here at Yes Theory. It may seem small to you, but in our eyes, it's how we change the world.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "24 Hours in 2 Countries that Hate Each Other"?

Quinton (Host), Stefan (Guest), Fawad (Guest), Thomas (Guest).

What is discussed in "24 Hours in 2 Countries that Hate Each Other"?

In order: 0:00 Pakistan, India, Quinton, Stefan; 5:00 Pakistan, Golden Temple, Lahore, Amritsar; 10:00 Pakistan, Lahore, Sweden, Amritsar; 15:00 partition, British India, Muslim, Hindu; 20:00 Pakistan, Punjabi culture, partition, Stefan; 25:00 Pakistan, partition, Stefan, Quinton; 30:00 Pakistan, Golden Temple, Lahore, partition; 35:00 Golden Temple, Pakistan, partition, Muslim; 40:00 Pakistan, Quinton, Stefan, Golden Temple; 45:00 Yes Theory, Pakistan, Quinton, Sweden.

What is mentioned in this Yes Theory episode?

23 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Pakistan, partition, India, Surfshark VPN, Stefan, Quinton. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "24 Hours in 2 Countries that Hate Each Other"?

The episode runs 48 min; the transcript is about 6,966 words in 51 timestamped sections.

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