NEW DELHI – A peace calendar, created jointly by school students of India and Pakistan, was released over an online programme by the youth-led voluntary peace-building initiative Aaghaz-e-Dosti. The Indo-Pak Peace Calendar is an initiative of Aaghaz-e-Dosti and for this year’s calendar, Aaghaz-e-Dosti collaborated with Kick for Tolerance and Pakistan-based organisation Sudhaar.

Besides the calendar launch, a discussion titled ‘Sharing of Hopes for a Peaceful Co-existence’ was organised with guest speakers Prof. Tauseef Ahmad (noted Pakistani activist, member of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan), Salima Hashmi (artist, activist and daughter of Faiz Ahmad Faiz), Rita Manchanda (Research Director at South Asia Forum for Human Rights) and renowned social activist Medha Patkar. Panel members were introduced by Aaghaz-e-Dosti member Sidra.

Many school students, teachers, activists and youths participated in the session.

The calendar includes paintings on the theme ‘India-Pakistan Friendship’ for which around 500 students of both countries took part from different schools and six paintings from each side are selected for the calendar.

Speaking during the session, Ms. Rita Manchanda stated that a recent news item where wheat from India is being sent to Afghanistan via Pakistan brings hope of regular appeals and actions of civil society for peace and co-operation actually works.

Prof. Tauseef Ahmad spoke about the need for more and more connection between the two sides. Speaking in an emotional tone, he told that he is now grown in age and when he saw today young students of both sides in this gathering, he became overwhelmed and believe that hope exists for peace.

Medha Patkar spoke on the need for these connections between the two sides because it gives an opportunity to the peoples of the two nations to directly know each other instead of what is being taught in our media and text books. She said that nowadays, social media is actually taking the form of anti-social media and that military budgets and militarisation are increasing. The people of both sides must know that they have to defend their own unity, equality and equity and they together have to protect their natural resources and environment.

Congratulating Aaghaz-e-Dosti for being consistent since last ten years and bringing younger generation to connect with each other and to break stereotypes, Salima Hashmi stated that sometimes we see young students’ artwork as normal art work, but as an artist and academician, she knows how intensive and full of messages these art works are.

There was a cultural performance by Indian artist Himanshu Khatri. He sang sufi kalaams of Baba Bulleh Shah and Kabir.

The programme was moderated by Aaghaz-e-Dosti coordinator Ilma Iqbal. Introducing other initiatives of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, its convener Devika Mittal informed that since last ten years the group is organizing other activities also such as classroom connect programs, Aman chaupal sessions and social media campaigns to foster people to people relations.

Releasing the peace calendar, Aaghaz-e-Dosti founder Ravi Nitesh informed that this year peace calendar is dedicated to 12 peace activists namely Asma Jahangir, I A Rehman, Dr Mubasshir Hasan, B M Kutty, Awais Sheikh,  Dr S N Subbarao, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, Swami Agnivesh, Kamla Bhasin, Rahul Jalali, Sadia Dehlvi and Kuldip Nayar who supported the initiative in past through their message and participation but left this world during these ten years. A tribute was also offered to Pakistani peace activists Sharafat Ali and Dr. Mehdi Hasan who died yesterday.

Students whose paintings are selected this year are Aadhyaa Ayodhikaa (DAV Public School, Cuttack), Aarya Prasad Sahu (Gyan Mandir Public School, Delhi), Dhunn (Police DAV Public School, Ludhiana), Gauri Vijay Ghanwat (Kamala Nimbkar Balbhavan, Sitara, Maharashtra), Mehakjot Kaur (BCM Arya Model Sr Sec School, Shastri Nagar, Ludhiana) and Zeba Yusuf Patel (Matoshri English Medium School, Pune) from India and Ayesha Iftikhar (Lahore Grammar School I – Shah Jamal Lahore), Haniya Waseem (Ismail Academy, Karachi), Mauhib Ghulam Murtaza (The AMI School, Karachi), Rida Siddique (Jamshed Memorial School, Karachi), Subbuh Shafiq (DMC East Govt Girls Secondary School, Karachi) and Umm-e-Maryam Ameen (Ismail Academy, Karachi) from Pakistan.

This year’s calendar was designed by India-based Sand artist Himanshu Sekhar Parida.

Convener of Aaghaz-e-Dosti Devika Mittal stated the importance of this calendar that “The calendar with the paintings of an innocent and apolitical mind will remind us that mindsets have been constructed. Together with the beautiful dreams of the young and innocent, the Calendar also has 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.”

Nazir Ahmed, Coordinator of Aaghaz-e-Dosti from Pakistan informed that offline launch of Aaghaz-e-Dosti peace calendar would also be launched in many cities of Pakistan and India, such as in Multan, Kartachi, Lahore, Islamabad and in Delhi, Panipat, Chennai, Ahemdabad.