Sri Anandpur Sahib, December 31, 2025 (Yes Punjab News)
Against a global backdrop of escalating geopolitical tension, school students from India and Pakistan have come together to launch a powerful symbol of hope: the 14th edition of the Indo-Pak Peace Calendar.
Featuring 12 evocative paintings—six from each nation—the calendar serves as a visual testament to the shared aspirations of the next generation on the theme ‘Together we rise’ for a future defined by harmony rather than conflict.
The calendar was officially launched in Anandpur Sahib during the National Youth Project’s (NYP) camp on peace and communal harmony. Organized to commemorate the 350th Martyrdom Anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur, the event gathered hundreds of young leaders from across India. This year’s peace calendar was a collaborative effort between Aaghaz-e-Dosti, the art gallery Art’est An Art Abode, and The Gandhian Society.
Students, whose paintings got placed in 14th Peace Calendar are Chirag Gupta (Gyan Mandir Public School), Gursehaj Singh (Police DAV Public School), Vahida Nalband (Matoshri English Medium School), Nayva Mehra (DAV Public School), Rudra Nanaso Hole (Kamla Nimbkar Balbhavan), Savinay Kumar (Swami Sant Das Public School) from India and Hareema Muzammil (Roots IVY International School), Shahryar Fazil (British International School), Subhan (Ismail Academy), Ahmad Zubair (Roots IVY International School), Sana Musadar (Ismail Academy), Laiba Babar (Roots IVY International School) from Pakistan.
Sanjay Rai of the National Youth Project emphasized the philosophical roots of the project: “We must embrace the philosophy of ‘Jai Jagat’—the idea that the whole world is our own. This mirrors the ancient Indian wisdom of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (The World is One Family).”
Our goal is to work with school students because they are the responsible citizens of the future,” said Nitin Mittoo, Coordinator of Aaghaz-e-Dosti. “When students create art, they channel their deepest emotions and dreams. These paintings remind us that we have much to learn from the unfiltered perspective of a child.”
Other distinguished guests who released the calendar included NYP Trustee Dr. Gurdev Singh Sidhu, Jasvir Singh (Principal- Guru Teg Bahadur Khalsa College), Satpal Aseem , Raghuvir Mann, Ajay Pandey, Hariom Jindal, Suresh Rathi and Amrik Singh Kaler.
Voices of Global Solidarity The calendar is more than a collection of art; it is a collaborative manifesto featuring messages from eminent scholars, activists, and leaders across the globe. Notable contributors include veteran Gandhian Ramchandra Rahi, educationist Kunwar Shekhar Vijendra, physicist Prof. A H Nayyar, and Prof. Steven Youngblood (Director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism, USA), among others.
“The calendar reminds us that while mindsets are often constructed, they can also be transformed,” stated Dr. Devika Mittal of Aaghaz-e-Dosti. “With every turn of the page, the hope for friendship is renewed.”
Neeraj Mitra, co-founder of Art’est An Art Abode, added, “These paintings offer us a unique opportunity to see how students can think without bias, expressing their desire for peace with total freedom.”
Over the years, the initiative has gained support from luminaries such as Dr. Shashi Tharoor, the late Kuldeep Nayar, and Ela Gandhi, Dr. Asma Jahangir, Prof. M S Swaminathan, Sheema Kermani and many others cementing its role as a vital bridge in South Asian civil society.
FOLLOW NOW
