Childhood best friends reunite in sweet moment decades after India-Pakistan partition

A reunion of childhood friends separated in 1947 by the India-Pakistan border has TikTok users emotional.

Suresh Kothari, 89, and AG Shakir, 90, were childhood best friends in Deesa, Gujarat, Kothari’s granddaughter, Megan Kothari, told McClatchy News.

“My grandfather grew up during one of the most brutal times in India, seeing so much loss and sadness. Despite the passage of time and the constraints of old age and travel restrictions, he longed to reconnect with one of his dearest childhood companions, whom he hadn’t seen in years,” Megan wrote in her Feb. 28 TikTok.

While Suresh Kothari was studying in Bombay, Shakir’s family fled by boat in the middle of the night to newly-formed Pakistan, Megan said.

When Shakir got to his destination, he wrote Kothari and informed him of his new address — an address Kothari still remembers.

“My grandfather has an amazing memory — he can remember super specific details of his life,” Megan wrote in a March 7 TikTok.

The men tried writing to each other over the years, but the “tension between the two countries eventually made it impossible,” Megan said.

The 1947 partition of India and formation of Pakistan “created an upsurge of violence, in which approximately 15 million people were displaced and an estimated one million died,” the BBC said. The countries have been rivals ever since.

The two men had no contact from 1947 to 1982.

Then, by chance, a mutual friend in New York led to their first reunion.

“After my father settled in the states in the early 70’s Uncle Babu (Suresh Kothari) was always top of mind for him. Anytime he ran into someone from India he would always inquire if they knew Uncle Babu,” AG Shakir’s daughter, Saeema Shakir, told McClatchy News in an email. “And one day that persistence paid off. Someone did and it led to them (to) rekindling their long lost friendship.”

AG Shakir, who was living in Connecticut at the time, learned Kothari was coming to New York and made plans to pick him up from the airport, Megan said. The two were together for four days.

“So much time had passed but it was like no time had passed at all,” Kothari told his granddaughter.

After that, the two spoke regularly until Shakir moved to Virginia, Megan said. Kothari spends half of his time in New Jersey and the other half in Deesa, Gujarat.

Then, in October 2023, the men met again.

The two shared stories about “moments in Deesa that shaped them,” Saeema said. They reminisced about the “sights and sounds of their childhood.”

The two can be seen shaking hands before embracing in a video that’s garnered more than 606,000 views as of March 8.

“Witnessing their profound love and respect for each other, despite the geographical and political barriers that separated them, was a poignant reminder that no government can ever extinguish the power of human connection,” Megan wrote on TikTok. “Our capacity to love and respect one another transcends borders and prevails against all odds.”

TikTok users jumped to the comments to share how the reunion left them feeling.

“Thank you for sharing this dope example of the bond that can form between humans when we see each other as equals, vs as enemies or competition,” one user wrote.

“Oh god, this is so beautiful,” another wrote.

“I’m crying,” a person commented.

As for the next time the childhood friends will see each other, Megan said they plan to meet for Kothari’s 90th birthday in April.

This story was originally published March 8, 2024 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Childhood best friends reunite in sweet moment decades after India-Pakistan partition."