Youths write slogans for Sarabjit Singh at Swadeshi Mela in Ranchi on Friday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Dua couldn’t penetrate the borders that Sarabjit fatefully crossed 23 years ago.

Now that the 49-year-old’s body has been cremated with full state honours in Punjab’s Bhikhiwind village and Delhi and Islamabad mull the ripples, Ranchi is mourning for Sarabjit in a unique manner. On Morabadi grounds, at the ongoing 10-day Swadeshi Mela, there is a white sheet on display with over 200 spontaneous messages for Sarabjit.

The messages, all penned from April 26, are prayers for Sarabjit’s life. Sarabjit, an inebriated farmer who crossed the Indo-Pak border and who was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Pakistan for bombings and espionage, had been fatally attacked on April 26 afternoon by inmates of Kot Lakhpal Jail, Lahore.

When Ranchi heard the news, it prayed, like the rest of India, for the life of the man who had stayed behind bars in Pakistan for nearly 23 years. But he was declared brain dead by Jinnah Hospital doctors on May 1. Officially, Pakistan removed ventilator support in the small hours of May 2, a special aircraft flying his body back to India the same day.

The get-well-soon messages that Ranchiites had penned on the white sheet at the Morabadi fair are now fluttering a poignant tribute to the man who returned home in a coffin.

The first message is of BJP state president Ravindra Rai. But messages of hundreds of citizens revealed Ranchi citizens read, learnt and thought about the incident and expressed their views in anger, sorrow or both.

Many criticised Pakistan for “the mode adopted to avenge the deaths of Kasab and Afzal Guru”.

Some were reassuring. One Nirmal Kumar wrote “har ke bhi jo jaye jeet, woh hai Bharat ka Sarabjit (The person who wins even if he loses is India’s Sarabjit).

Many others were plain furious verging on the jingoistic. One Nitin Kumar spoke about the need to take strong action against Pakistan and wished good luck to Sarabjit. “Kab tak chup rahoge ai sarkar, ab to ailane jung ki hai darkar (How long will Indian government keep mum, the need of the hour is to call for war against Pakistan)”. A person who signed as Aam Janta scribbled “Aane wale bhayawah bhawishy ke liye ho jao tayyar Pakistan, ek aadmi ke liye karoron log kurbani dene ko tayyar hain Bharat mein (Pakistan, get ready for a fearful future as crores of Indians will give up their lives for one man)”.

Secretary of the fair Milan Bose said stall owners were scheduled to observe a candlelight condolence on Friday night around 9pm. “As a mark of respect to Sarabjit, we will display the sheet till the last day of the fair on May 5,” Bose added.