An eerie silence descended yesterday across numerous north Indian villages bordering Pakistan, as thousands of residents fled their homes to escape the military build-up by the neighbouring nuclear rivals, readying themselves for war.
Over 10,000 villagers, mostly women and children, left their homes in Jammu, along the line of control that divides the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan, and moved into schools and other public buildings for safety.
District officials aided by volunteers established community kitchens as the state government was placed on a state of high alert to deal with the flood of refugees crowding the hinterland.
A similar exodus was reported from large areas of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, despite assurances from the Indian Foreign Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, who played down fears of a full-blown war earlier this week.
Officials said the Indian army had taken up "forward positions" in the Jammu sector, normally manned by paramilitary border guards backed by armoured and mechanised formations, to match the equally large mobilisation by Pakistan.
The army had asked farmers to stop working their lands contiguous to the frontier and mined vast areas to stall a thrust by Pakistani tanks.
"The military option may be the last one for the government. But as far as the army is concerned it is readying itself for war," a senior officer said, declining to be named. "It cannot afford to relax in case it is called upon to act," he added.
The military build up - the biggest since the 1971 war - began days after India accused Pakistan of not doing enough to curb the activities of two Muslim groups it holds responsible for the suicide attack on its parliament earlier this month.
Reducing the strength of the Indian and Pakistani embassies in Islamabad and New Delhi and banning the respective national airlines over-flying either country, is all a part of the age-old one-upmanship between the South Asian nuclear rivals.
The fierce competition between the neighbours stretches beyond sanctions, nuclear and military affairs into the daily lives of people on either side of the border with equal vehemence.
It extends not only to outdoing each other in conducting nuclear tests - Pakistan conducted six to India's five in 1998 - acquiring better and bigger missiles, tanks and fighter jets. It also includes activity on the playing field, growing sweeter mangos, producing better music and television programmes.
The bitter competition also includes entertaining and dressing better than those across the border, having greater style and even being more handsome.
The suspicion and disdain the military and political establishments have for one another is shared by their citizens who were once part of the same country till they were divided by the colonial administration 54 years ago.
"Tensions arise not from being different, but the same" said Kuldip Singh (61) who was born in the Pakistani border city of Lahore and now lives in the western Indian port city of Bombay.
Pakistanis and Indians are always trying to outdo one another, each side feeling itself to be superior especially in times of conflict.
But deep down they share a common heritage that they go to great lengths to deny for political and religious reasons, he added.