Sealdah station came to a standstill at noon on Monday. Two columns of crowds lined the path from platform number eight, where the Rajdhani came in an hour late at 11.45 am, to the parking lot. The reason: the arrival of a contingent of five from Pakistan ? two adults and three students.

While about 120 of the waiting multitude were students, part of the reception committee, the rest were passersby caught up in the cross-border euphoria. One middle-aged Calcuttan quickly took a pen from his pocket, scribbled the words ?I love Pakistan? on his palm and flashed it, along with a grin, to the five overwhelmed visitors.

?It?s the most amazing welcome I have ever received. Even if Pervez Musharraf came here, he wouldn?t have received such a welcome,? laughed Parveen Quasim, alias Ammi. She has asthma, is fighting her third relapse into cancer but has come to Calcutta to be part of The Telegraph Education Foundation?s School Awards for Excellence 2004. But then, that?s quintessentially Ammi, to all those who know her.

The founder of Karachi High School is reciprocating a move towards friendlier ties between the two countries initiated by a TTIS (The Telegraph in Schools) team that went to her school?s Olympiad in January. The students who had gone there will now be escorting the group around town for the next six days, from sightseeing and shopping trips to lunches and dinners with their families at home.

The rest of the team comprises Ammi?s daughter and helper Faiza, and three students from Karachi High School ? Ayesha Siddiqui and Saffa Ahmed in Class X and Bilawal Abbas, in Class XI. ?We almost bought everything in Delhi (where they arrived on October 25) and Jaipur,? smiles Faiza, an artist and avid classical music fan who has so far bought ?loads of CDs?, from Kishori Amonkar to Shubha Mudgal. ?But she wouldn?t let me buy two beautiful saris made in Shantiniketan. I have saved that for Calcutta,? adds Ammi.

What the people from Pakistan have loved the best so far is the food ? of the vegetarian variety. ?We get such a lot of non-veg food in Pakistan that we are really enjoying the vegetarian fare here,? explains Ayesha. Matar and palak paneer to simple daal, chawal and achaar, vegetarian is the way to be. ?It tastes completely different from what we get in Pakistan. The Indian stuff is definitely better,? feels Faiza.

Another pleasant surprise awaits Ammi at the awards ceremony at Science City auditorium on Saturday morning, with Sonia Gandhi as chief guest. ?A meaningful contribution? is all anyone will tell her for now.