The author Max Robinson is a TV development researcher in the UK. Married to a Lahori he’s fallen head overheels in love with Pakistan. He also makes passable biryani for a gora.

My very first day in Pakistan was on August 14th. Four days later I was married.

I had no idea when I was on the plane from London that I would be arriving on the nation’s Independence day. All my thoughts were with how I was going to meet my future wife and her family. None of whom I’d ever met.

Nervous excitement could not prepare me for the cacophony of sights, sounds and smells that were about to assault my senses. After passing through passport control, customs and regaining my luggage I walked through in to arrivals. The sheer throng of the crowd being held back by a few hapless guards was extraordinary. So too was the heat.

I knew it was going to be hot but I couldn’t believe how at 3am in the morning it could be nothing short of a sauna. I was momentarily dumbstruck as beads of sweat rolled down me.

Then I saw my wife holding a bunch of flowers looking like a vision of tranquillity in a sea of chaos. As we drove through the streets from Allama Iqbal airport to Lahore Gymkhana where I was to stay for a week I was amazed at how the streets were packed with people. Young boys racing up and down Jail Road on tiny Honda motorbikes doing wheelies and generally creating mayhem. Everyone was in jubilant mood and everywhere there were the national colours of green and white.

Pakistan was going to be like nowhere else I’d been. My heart was racing as adrenalin surged within.

The next few days were taken up with meeting my future relatives and being given a whistle-stop guided tour of Lahore. My camera never stopped clicking. The lush greenery in the sub-tropical surroundings was a world away from the concrete grey of London. I went to Badshahi Masjid, Lahore Museum, The Mall, the Lahore Fort and a host of other sights. The most exhilarating being a trip to the Wagah border to see the flag ceremony at sunset.

This was Pakistan in a microcosm for me. Chaotic, maddening and occasionally the tinge of danger ever present. But the lastingimpression was the magnificent display by the soldiers as they faced-off with each other. The crowds roared and screamed but ultimately were remarkably orderly. Everyone was superbly friendly and pushed me to the front so I could see better. The passion was infectious.

Despite all its troubles over the last 62 years, Pakistan is still here. Its people remain the most hospitable I’ve ever known and have made me feel as if I belong. That’s something I cherish and one-day hope to repay in kind.

On the 18th August I was married in a simple yet intimate ceremony. I had dived into Pakistan and Pakistani culture head first. Overwhelming yet ultimately uplifting and full of promise. That’s how I will think of Pakistan on this Independence Day.