In March 2006, hundreds of children from Bangalore wrote the World’s Largest Love Letter to the children of Pakistan. The letter, measuring 240 by 360 feet (73 by 110 metres) — larger than a football field — was crafted by children at the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium, the site of some intense India-Pakistan cricket matches. The giant letter was delivered to Lahore by 45 porters who walked across the Wagah border with representative members of the Friendship Without Borders (FWB).
The letter, written in Urdu, English and Hindi and designed by Bangalore artist John Devaraj, read: “Dear Children of Pakistan, let’s join hearts in friendship. Together we can make a better world — The Children of India”. The FWB, the volunteer organisation which organised the campaign, inspired 11,000 Indian children to write letters of friendship to children in Pakistan. They wrote back, too. It was all so promising.
The FWB was working to a grand plan. In August 2007, India and Pakistan would both complete 60 years of independence from British rule. To commemorate the event, the FWB and its partner organisation Routes 2 Roots had planned the greatest-ever musical event from the night of August 14 until the early hours of August 15 on twin stages of the Attari-Wagah border. In this Dil se Dil: Independence Day Friendship Celebration, musicians from both the countries would come together in concert and harmony. The performances would alternate between the stages and be watched by audiences from both sides of the border. The event was to be televised live by major television networks in India and Pakistan. Then, it was suddenly cancelled at the last hour by Indian authorities citing threats to security.
When India’s Foreign Minister, SM Krishna, a native of Bangalore and a great advocate of India-Pakistan friendship, visits Pakistan early next month, he will carry with him another great opportunity to make history. Also a lover of classical music, Foreign Minister Krishna knows that music makes better harmony than the tedious processes of confidence-building measures, second-track talks or cricket diplomacy.
Cricket ties will be resumed, yes — but the matches are simply sublimated battles. They cannot resolve long-nurtured hostilities but simply provide opportunities for ventilation. And the bilateral rhetoric is old, tired and full of baggage. The latest round of talks, too, has ended in the usual stalemate. We have Siachen, Sir Creek, Kashmir and terror and we cannot talk about them without taking up the same impossible positions. But the Aman ki Asha experiment organised by Indian and Pakistani media groups in 2010 has already proved that even if we cannot talk well together, we can really sing well together. Music and the performing arts make it possible. Music, indeed, demands harmony.
Ahead of his trip to Pakistan, Foreign Minister Krishna has said all the right things. He and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have adopted the Atal Bihari Vajpayee line that we cannot work against geography: “We can choose our friends, but we cannot choose our neighbours”. And, crucially, Foreign Minister Krishna has spoken for “people-to-people engagement”, the tagline for cultural exchange. “I think the people-to-people engagement is an ongoing one. The Wagah border ... has been liberalised. There is greater trade between our two countries now,” he said in Srinagar last week.
The stage, too, is set. India and Pakistan seem to have agreed to finally sign the much-awaited memorandum of understanding (MoU) “for the promotion of arts and culture” during his visit. The MoU, proposed by the Pakistan National Centre of Arts (PNCA), will most likely help India lift the ban on Pakistani television channels. This ban has been an irritant and the appeal by Pakistan’s Senate standing committee on information and broadcasting to allow Pakistani TV content into Indian homes has been long pending. The decision will be popular in India, which has many fans of Pakistani TV dramas. Theatre performances by Pakistani groups have always run to full houses whenever staged in New Delhi and the annual Independence Day Friendship Concert at Wagah would make the ultimate jugalbandi of our shared musical heritage.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 10th, 2012.
COMMENTS (11)
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The policy to search for civilized relations with Pakistan was a right policy.
But its equally true that its a totally failed policy as it ignores the ideological reality of a state founded on communal identity and where communal politics is written into the DNA of its constitution and naotional narrative.
So its time tochange the policy by acknowledging the nature of the Pakistan state.
Efforts have been made by Indian leaders, including Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh for better India-Pakistan relations. There has never been a matching response from anyone in Pakistan, whether leaders or anyone else. We have vivid memory of the scene – shown on TV in India – when Vajpayee proceeded to embrace Nawaz Sharif after the bus journey. If two persons want to embrace both have to bend a little. Nawaz Sharif remained straight and upright and did not bend: the attempted embrace was a non-embrace. There is no constituency in Pakistan for better India-Pakistan relations. When some progress in talking is seemingly achieved, terrorists step in and launch a terrorist strike on a scale that India possibly cannot ignore. It may be expected that if SM Krishna makes some progress in Pakistan, then a terrorist strike in India will happen, setting the hands of the clock back. Things will be back to square one. Whether this is done designedly is a moot point. V. C. Bhutani, 10 Aug 2012, 0725 IST
if this does not pan out then a joint concert can be telecast in both countries with one network from india and one from pakistan collaborating
bena sarwar and aman ki aasha - are you listening?
We don't hate common Pakistani people. But we do hate terrorism and extremism emanating from Pakistan. If your government abandons using terrorism as its state policy and shuts down the terror machine, brings to justice the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks, then we can certainly move forward in our relations. This is a very reasonable expectation of India, I hope you'll understand.
The Pakistani Establishment wants to use "aalim" channels to "reach out" to Indian Muslims.
This is not a very intelligent idea. Doing a concert at the Wagah border is indeed a security risk, Indian government was right. There's a reason why attempts at peace and talk happen behind the door. Lots of people in both countries (in Pakistan in particular with unmanageable terrorist units), do not want peace. It's better to be realistic now than sorry later.
We must learn from History. I just read Mr Gandhi's speech, declaring the Quit India movement. Mr M K Gandhi , tried all his life to keep Hindus and Muslims together and foster good relations between them , and see what Mr Jinnah did to that. Mr Gandhi was politically viciously attacked for his efforts by the main stream political party of Muslims , the Muslim League Its a fools errand to try to do what Mr Gandhi Ji failed. Learn from the past and move on.
I'm ok with removing the ban on Pakistani channels..But we should allow only entertainment channels for the time being like something equivalent to Star Plus,Sony Max
Honestly,it would be a suicidal move if we allow the news channels where anchors and guests shout "Hinduoon ka Saahish"."Hindu-Zionist conspiracy" "bagal me chori chori mooh me raam" 'Ghazwa-e-Hind karenge"
This will only increase the anti-pakistani feeling among common men who is more concerned about the scams and the fear psychosis will only make the politicians milk more funds for defence projects to counter pakistan
While the gestures may be symbolic, they serve no real purpose. And as long as the military/intelligence holds the reins to the country, the people to people contact will have no effect, as the people on western side of the border will have no say in how their country is run and what policies it adopts. So let us stop this sham, and face reality. India can't choose its neighbours, but can ignore them. Sure, this is not the most efficient method, but doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. And that is what India has been doing in the past - inspite of umpteen chances and CBMs, there is no real progress from the other side. Let there be real and demonstrable change in policies and attitudes, then we can talk!
@Prakash Belavadi
Why do people have to be at extremes when thinking about India-Pakistan peace gestures? Hawks dont want to talk at all. Doves want to go and sing,dance,enjoy at the shared border. If nations dont talk, third parties take advantage. But if governments ignore security concerns, lives are lost in bomb explosions (which could happen at the famous shared border). This situation calls for using some baniya buddhi. Talk, but with out letting emotions get in the middle of it. We (India and Pakistan) are not estranged lovers trying to get back together, we are just competitors who need to understand how to get along without hurting each other all the time.