Kerala Mother-Daughter Duo: Voters in Both India and Pakistan After Partition Journey
In an electoral journey that spans international borders and historical divides, Kasaragod residents Nanda Poojari and her 87-year-old mother Savithri carry a unique electoral memory—they have been registered voters in both India and Pakistan. Their extraordinary life story, molded by migration, shifting identities, and the profound aftershocks of the 1947 Partition, has allowed them to witness the battle of ballots in two neighboring nations.
A Family Shaped by Partition and Citizenship Struggles
The mother-daughter duo is arguably the only Hindu family from Kerala to have, through a twist of fate, become Pakistani citizens, return to India, and eventually reclaim Indian citizenship. After their return, it took them nearly a decade to secure official citizenship, which was finally granted in 2019. This restoration not only reestablished their legal status in their homeland but also reinstated their precious right to vote in Indian elections.
Nanda vividly recalls casting her vote at least twice during her time in Pakistan. "I had become a voter there when I turned 18. The elections there are not as spirited as they are here," she said. "In Kerala, elections are lively and vibrant. Party workers and candidates reach out directly to voters. There is a sense of energy and involvement that I did not see there." Since regaining Indian citizenship, both Nanda and her elderly mother have participated diligently in every election, including local body polls, acutely aware of the immense value of their hard-won franchise.
Decades of Migration: From Kasaragod to Karachi and Back
The family's remarkable narrative begins decades earlier. Nanda's father, Krishna Poojari, was taken to Karachi from Badiadukka in Kasaragod before Partition, when he was just 14 years old, to work in a bakery managed by a businessman from Mangaluru. After the Partition of 1947, he acquired a Pakistani passport, which he later used to travel back to his hometown in India.
In 1962, Krishna returned to Kasaragod on a visit visa, married Savithri, and subsequently took her back to Karachi. The couple settled there permanently, and their two children, including Nanda, were born and raised in the bustling Pakistani city. Krishna Poojari passed away in 1988, leaving his family in Karachi.
Return to India and Ongoing Family Separation
More than two decades after Krishna's death, in 2009, Savithri and her daughters made the decision to return to Kasaragod. However, the family remains separated by international borders. Poojari's brother, Suresh, aged 59, is still residing in Pakistan and has not been able to visit his mother for the past 12 years due to stringent visa constraints.
"He visited us twice after we moved back," Nanda explained. "The last time was in 2014. Since then, he hasn't been able to get a visa." Savithri, now in her late eighties, continues to hold onto the hope of seeing her son again, a poignant reminder of the personal toll exacted by geopolitical divisions.
This story highlights not just a unique electoral experience but also the enduring human dimensions of migration, citizenship, and family bonds across contested borders.
