‘Some light in these dark times’ Meesha Shafi’s peace message
When asked her views on Aman ki Asha, popular singer and actor Meesha Shafi said, “I love all what Aman ki Asha stands for. Some light in these dark times.”
“Our heritage, our climate, the smell of the earth when it’s about to rain, the taste of our fruits, the foliage around us, the music we share, the stories we hear from our grandparents are all the same. “We can never separate our cultures, they are born of the same mother. As an artist especially, I feel an extra responsibility towards spreading peace and harmony because music is a universal language. It simply does not recognize boundaries.
Omi Vaidya: good causes
” Her second child, a son born this year, is named Kazimir which means “Bringer of peace”
Education: a common cause
“Because every child has the right to an education” was one of the placard slogans that guests could be photographed with at the Pratham annual fundraising gala in Boston this year. Hollywood-Bollywood star Omi Vaidya emceed the event. A Pratham ambassador, he is also a staunch supporter of peace between India and Pakistan.
Pratham, a literacy NGO that started out in a Mumbai slum in 1994, runs the Annual Status of Education Report (ACER) that measures learning levels.
It speaks for the common problem that exists in both countries that educationists in Pakistan are also using ACER. Several Pakistanis were also present at the Pratham fundraiser.
Aaghaz-e-Dosti’s Aliya and Zeeshan: dialogue is key
Aman Chaupal via video
In Aaghaz-e-Dosti’s Twelfth Aman Chaupal, video conferencing was used to connect Indians and Pakistanis.
Youth activists and the Pakistan team of Aaghaz-e-Dosti (Start of Friendship) with convenor Aliya Harir and Syed Zeeshan Ali Shah, interacted with about a hundred students and faculty members from Headstart School, Bangalore during the students’ educational trip in Delhi arranged by renowned heritage artist Vikram Kalra.
The Aman Chaupals are a series of interactive cross-border meetings initiated by Aaghaz-e-Dosti, an Indo-Pak peace movement started by The Catalyst, Pakistan and Mission Bhartiyam, India, aimed at shattering stereotypes and promoting understanding both both sides. At the end of a lively question-answer session, the Bangalore students sang a song for the youth activists of Pakistan – “Lab pe aati hai dua” by Allama Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan.
