At a time when geopolitics is all around conflicts and war, particularly due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and instability in Middle East, students in India and Pakistan are being involved in efforts for peacebuilding.
India and Pakistan, being two nuclear powered nations and with a history of war and skirmishes, are always being considered vulnerable because even when these countries are not involved in any direct conflict, skirmishes, ceasefire violations and indirect effects of conflicts are visible and can be felt.
Aaghaz-e-Dosti, an Indo-Pak Friendship Initiative works through peace education activities in schools and colleges, has announced to invite peace paintings from school students of India and Pakistan for its 13th Indo-Pak Peace Calendar. This is a unique calendar wherein twelve best paintings (six from India and Pakistan each) are featured in the peace calendars. The calendar get released on both sides.
Dr Devika Mittal from Aaghaz-e-Dosti states the importance of this calendar that “The calendar with the paintings of an innocent and apolitical mind will remind us that mindsets of mutual suspicion and hatred have been socio-politically constructed.
Together with the beautiful dreams of the young and innocent, the Calendar also carries messages from people who have been actively working to nurture these dreams. This calendar is a collection of shared dreams of peace and friendship. It serves as a hope shared by people who are just like us, in habit and struggle. With the turn of the pages to start a new month, the hope shall be renewed.”
“Working since 2012, Aaghaz-e-Dosti has already released twelve such calendars. Our aim is to work with school students because they are responsible citizens of the future and their future should be hatred free- violence free and war free.
When students create an art, it brings their emotions, their thoughts and their dreams. When we see these arts in the calendar, we see that we probably need to learn a lot from these students.” says Nitin Mittoo, Coordinator of Aaghaz-e-Dosti.
Aaghaz-e-Dosti believes that by creating such a calendar, students from both sides are actually exercising their right to peace. Nitin Mittoo also informs that in these seven decades, the two sovereign states have created many barriers in movement and communication. But we all dream for a day when people from both sides can meet easily and for that, we need to work on creating a culture of peace and trust through education.
This calendar is also an experience of true volunteerism as it is a platform where youths come together and volunteer for the cause without expecting any tangible benefits.’ states Himanshu Shekhar Parida, who is a member and designer of the peace calendar.
Speaking about the modality of the calendar, Aaghaz-e-Dosti’s founder Ravi Nitesh informed that the terms and conditions of participation remain same as the previous years. Any student from sixth standard to twelfth standard studying in India or Pakistan or any Indian/Pakistani students in other countries can take part just by sending their scanned paintings to Aaghaz-e-Dosti.
Being a voluntary initiative, Aaghaz-e-Dosti has a network of youths who help in running the programs. During all these years, Aaghaz-e-Dosti have received recognitions and awards at various levels and many eminent persons and stalwarts of peace like Dr Asma Jahangir, Kuldeep Nayar, Kamla Bhasin, Dr S N Subbarao, Swami Agnivesh, Dr I A Rehman, Ela Gandhi, Dr Shashi Tharoor, Mubashir Hasan, Dr Salima Hashmi, Dr M S Swaminathan, Sheema Kermani and many others have supported the initiative through their messages and participation.
