Motilal Lakhotia will be among the first to cross from India to Tibet when the historic Silk Route is reopened at the Himalayan outpost of Nathu La on Thursday after a gap of 44 years. But it won't be the first time the 80-year-old has made the trip.
"I am very excited to be part of history and for me age is no deterrent. In fact I am feeling rejuvenated after my name was proposed in the first list of traders," Lakhotia told AFP by telephone from Gangtok, the capital of the eastern Indian state of Sikkim.
Lakhotia, now a prosperous businessman in Gangtok, had a shop at Yatung in Tibet, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Nathu La. He wound up his business just before a brief, but bloody border war broke out in 1962 that led to the suspension of all trade.
"I dealt with items from cereals to blankets, textiles and woolen clothing when I ran the shop from 1954 to 1961," Lakhotia, who is fluent in both Mandarin and Tibetan, said. "At that time we were given silver coins in exchange for goods sold."
It took him about three-weeks from Gangtok to reach Yatung by mule.
"Now we hope to reach the other side of the border in matter of hours and that would be the biggest difference between now and some 44 years ago," said Lakhotia, believed to be one of the last surviving traders from the pre-war era.
"I am going empty handed this time as this is something like a symbolic trading on the opening day."
Indian and Chinese officials who met in Lhasa recently finalised July 6 as the date for formal trading to begin at the 15,000-feet (4,545 metre) Nathu La Pass on the border between India's Sikkim state and China's Tibet region.
Until recof border trade brings back memories of the traditional barter system for Lakhotia and more monetary hopes for locals.
A study conducted by the Sikkim government said trade via the pass could reach 12 billion dollars by 2015.
"The resumption of border trade would boost the local economy and along with it we except tourism to flourish as well," Sikkim Industries Minister R.B. Subba told AFP.
Indian authorities have set up warehouses to handle customs and immigration formalities, and a trade mart has been built to exchange goods at Sherathang, a small village some five kilometers below the pass.
The initial trade is expected to be much the same as in the Silk Route days with Chinese silk, yak tails, and raw wool likely to hit Indian markets. India expects to export farm products, textiles, watches, shoes, canned food, tobacco, rice, and dried fruit.
"I am stocking up canned beer, fruit juice, and some high quality leather shoes for when normal traders like us would be allowed to do business in the days ahead," said Lhap Tshering, a grocery dealer in Gangtok.
The two sides in June 2003 agreed to open the pass following a historic visit to Beijing by then-Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
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