Today morning I received an SMS from a dear friend. It contained headlines from some Marathi newspapers that referred to the Pakistani team as "पाकडे"। I could have, and under normal circumstances would have, deleted the SMS. But I wanted to convey my point of view to my friend. I SMSed back saying that I have always objected to this term and I don't need to take this extreme stance to prove that I am a Maharashtrian and a Hindu.

Pat came the reply, sighting "the spilled blood of the innocents". I tried to reason saying that there must be people in Pakistan who are least bothered about what God their neighbor is praying to. They too, like most of the common Indians, must be only concerned about their lives and families. The only misfortune of both countries is that such people on both sides are not speaking up. The day they do, there will no terrorism left. I got back references from lives of Shivaji Maharaj and the Bhagwad Geeta. I conveyed my understanding of the same. But in the end, I knew that neither of us can convince each other.

Then I got thinking. I would have felt bad, and definitely would have been angry, if we had lost yesterday's match. Yet, I also believe that the only way to mend fences is to bring moderate people on both sides together. Such people need to speak up. Or the communal voices will make sure that more innocent lives are lost - both Hindu and Muslim.

Am I suffering from a dual personality? I don't know. It has been a strange relationship with Pakistan. But then my generation didn't suffer through partition. Perhaps, it would have been different if it had.

Will my generation ever be able to resolve this dilemma or will the next generation inherit it from us?