SOME FIFTEEN YEARS ago, a group of Pakistani women embarked on an experimental journey that was to become a template for many others to follow. Boarding a bus with their passports and visas in hand, fifty of them set off for India – a mere hour away from Lahore, where they had begun their journey.

Across the border, groups of Indian women waited to receive them with flowers and garlands, tea and sweets. In India, they travelled to different places, stayed in the homes of Indian families, met all kinds of people and spoke at public events.