Agony of family break and separation after land swap

Enclave swap between Bangladesh and India on Friday midnight has indeed helped redraw the maps of the two countries. But more important is the reshaping the fate of the nearly 50,000 inhabitants who have lived for about 70 long years in adverse territories.
There is no doubt that the majority of people living in enclaves had spent a life of foreigners in their own homelands. Access to the mainland was restricted and they were denied the usual infrastructure facilities because of the difficult locations. Now that those impediments have been removed, there will be no problem in bringing them under coverage of health, education and other facilities citizens of a free nation enjoy.
However amidst the jubilation, there are stories of heartbreak and separation. A couple Sarwar and Marina in their 20s from Dasiarchhara, an Indian enclave now integrated with Bangladesh, have been facing the most critical stage of their life. Earlier both opted for moving to India. But the wife changed her mind and opted to stay back. And this she duly communicated to the joint team before July 16 the deadline. So, Marina has become a Bangladeshi citizen and she wants to keep her two sons with her.
What happens then to the couple? Sarwar has not reviewed his option and will proceed for India. Well he has got until November 30 to stay with his spouse but then he will be an Indian citizen staying illegally in Bangladesh. Was this a deliberate choice on the part of the young man? Or, did the couple have thought deeply over their status in future. Well, Sarwar has his own reasons to opt for India.
All his relatives stay in India. He grew there, had playmates over there. But his wife is from mainland Bangladesh. Both have emotional attachments. They each love their motherlands. Even it is so strong that they have decided to part ways. It seems the couple will have one son each with him to live. What a moment for their life. It is a crisis for both children and their parents. The two-year-old son will be with his father and the elder one will stay with his mother.
Usually, people on both sides of the border are not used to taking the artificial border very seriously. They consider the barbwire or border pillars botheration. No, they do not have to be smugglers at all. They are simple folks who are inclined to see things simply not in the light of political and legal complications.
People like Sarwar may harbour the faint hope of visiting his wife from time to time. But once in India he may face realities that will keep him busy. If he gets married there, he may have a family once again. But what about the boy? The experience without his biological mother can be traumatic for him, at least initially.  As for a single mother like Marina it will not be easy to educate her son and give a good start to his life.
Now there are other stories of similar family split. While elder people want to stay back, their young ones want to go to India. These opposing choices have brought them on the brink of separation or in a few cases forced last-minute changes in their options. But those who have missed the deadline, it is a very anxious moment. Now that they have made their options clear, they cannot change those and the separation is inevitable.
It seems the ghost of Cyril Radcliffe who indiscriminately drew the Indo-Pak boundary is still haunting the people of this part of the world. Their agony has largely been addressed but not quite.