Jitendra and Shanti held their two sons in tight embrace. It might be a long time until they can touch them again. For the two sons, Sushanta Chandra Barman, 28, and Prashanta Chandra Barman, 26, were leaving for India. They had opted to be citizens of the much bigger country.

Their wives Basanti Rani and Saraswati Rani were with them.

When these two families from the former enclave of Banshkata of Patgram upazila decided to go to India, they also asked their parents to join them but Jitendra and Shanti had declined. They wanted to stay in their ancestral homestead with their only daughter Josna Rani.

"We tried our best to take our parents to India but they weren't interested," said Sushanta Chandra Barman. "It hurts us a lot to leave our parents," he said adding he will try to visit their parents from India.

As part of the process to relocate former enclave dwellers, 130 people of 30 families at five former enclaves of Patgram upazila in the district left for India through Burimari-Changrabandha route Monday morning.

Many of the emigrants found it hard to leave the land they had been living in for generations. They broke down in tears as they were about to step on Indian soil.  

Bangladesh and India swapped 162 enclaves--tiny pockets of adversely possessed land-- ending the stateless existence of many people on August 1 this year. They all were given the option to choose their nationalities. A total of 197 persons of former Indian enclaves surrounded by Bangladeshi territories chose to be Indian citizens at three upazilas, Lalmonirhat sadar, Hatibandha and Patgram in the district.

The Patgram upazila Nirbahi Officer UNO Noor Qutubul Alam said, four buses carried the people to the border and 8 trucks carried their personal stuff. All vehicles were arranged by the district administration, the UNO said.