NEW DELHI: As tensions simmer between India and Pakistan, groups of citizens, activists, students and artists came together on March 2 to campaign for peace and tolerance.They held parades, street plays, poetry recitals, film screenings and musical performances in Delhi and Mumbai to convey their message.In Delhi, a collective of 200 artists and filmmakers in the Capital called Artists Unite started a two-day cultural event outside the Red Fort, featuring art installations and posters with slogans like “Say no to war” and “Say no to hate”.In Mumbai, a march for peace was attended by hundreds of artists, filmmakers and common people. The march, which began from Mahim and ended at Carter Road in Bandra, was organised by 2020 Group, a “coalition of artists, architects, filmmakers, cultural administrators and live art practitioners”.Also, at a time when divisive and warmongering narratives have strained Indo-Pak relations to virtually breaking point, Indian and Pakistani scholars and students at Oxford University held a solidarity demonstration at the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford on Saturday. The group also issued a statement, reproduced in full below:-“We are a group of Indian and Pakistani students at the University of Oxford who are deeply disturbed by the escalation of tensions over an impending war between India and Pakistan.“We strongly condemn the suicide bombing in Pulwama, Kashmir on February 14, 2019 which claimed the lives of around 44 Indian soldiers. We denounce terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.“As students in a land that is foreign to our homes – India and Pakistan – we’ve always marvelled at how we seamlessly gravitate towards each other, and how we are able to come together in community in ways we can’t back home. We often talk about the similarities we share in our food, culture, histories and the challenges we face. The Indo-Pak community has emerged as a place of refuge and comfort for us. As we sit together now, watching the increasingly violent direction, the current discourse is taking, we are frightened.“We urge our fellow Pakistanis and Indians both within and outside the Subcontinent to stand together in unity, focus on our commonalities, and reject divisive narratives. We call upon the leaders of our countries to develop de-escalation protocols, organise constructive peace talks and dialogue for the resolution of all bilateral issues.Meanwhile, 59 Nobel laureates urged the prime ministers of India and Pakistan to “defuse the rising tension” before the situation “escalates to a full-fledged war”, a statement said on Sunday.A letter signed by the Noble winners, under the aegis of the Laureates and Leaders for Children, a platform founded by India’s Nobel peace laureate Satyarthi, was submitted to India and Pakistan’s Permanent Representatives to the United Nations on Saturday, it said.“In the best interest of our children, we, the Laureates and Leaders for Children call upon the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and the Pakistan PM Imran Khan to demonstrate wise leadership and exercise immediate restraint at this critical juncture, to avoid any escalation into a full-fledged war,” reads the joint appeal, according to the statement from Satyarthi’s office.On the other hand, the wife of an Air Force officer, who was among the seven killed when an Mi-17 chopper crashed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam last week, sent out a strong message to those who are using social media to vent their anger over the Pak-India tension.Vijeta Mandavgane’s husband, Squadron Leader Ninad Mandavgane, was cremated with full military honours in Maharashtra’s Nashik on Friday.Vijeta Mandavgane urged social media users to show restraint and not whip up sentiments.“There is a lot happening on social media and on TV. Media acts responsible and sometimes don’t. You shout slogans. Instead of that, if you truly want to bring about change, for my Ninad, for WC Abhinandan and the martyrs, do a small thing. Either join the forces or make your family members join the forces. If you can’t, then at least bring about small changes around you to help the nation. You can keep your surroundings clean, not litter the roads, not urinate in the public, not harassing girls,” Ms Mandavgane told reporters. The message was widely shared online.“We don’t want a war. You don’t know the damages of war. We don’t want more Ninads to go. Social media warriors, please stop. If you want war, go to the front,” Vijeta Mandavgane was quoted as saying by news agency IANS.A large number of people, including top officials, were gathered at the crematorium to pay respects to the pilot.Also, Ranveer Singh has issued a statement calling for opening up of art borders. He said art and political warfare should not be mixed because it belongs to different “realms”.“I am very cognisant that there is this school of thought that one should not mix art and sport with it, they are two different realms,” said Ranveer.According to Ranveer, it will not be pertinent to mix artists and soldiers because a soldier doesn’t make the same sacrifices as an artiste. Artistes belong to an altogether different boundary.“But at the same time, as artists and sportsmen, we are not sacrificing the same way that some of our compatriots are. Art and sports are different realms. The boundaries should be different,” added the Gully Boy actor.Ranveer Singh says it will be good if India stops engaging militarily. He stresses that even a soldier’s family doesn’t want war. “If there’s even one mother of a soldier who believes that we shouldn’t engage (militarily), we should follow that,” Ranveer said.
03-04-2019, 04:40 PM
Delhi, Mumbai residents rally for peace
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