International Day of Peace: Despite low turnout, students paint peace in reds

Workpeace celebrates peace at Teen Talwar hoping art can help overcome violence.

KARACHI:

Ayub Khan, a class 10 student, plays with colours to ignore the constant rattling of gunfire in his violence-prone Lyari.

“The situation is getting worse and worse, I hope peace is restored here,” said the young boy as he displayed his paintings on the International Day of Peace celebrated at Teen Talwar on Saturday evening.

An upcoming organisation, Workpeace, took the initiative to celebrate peace, in which lots of students participated to show what peace means for them. A handful of students had gathered at the footpath near Teen Talwar to mark the day by using colours to paint how they see ‘Karachi’, as curious passersby stopped and stared.

In Khan’s paintings, the bright colours were used in a frenzy of high hopes to have peace, while he drew weapons to show terrorist side of the city.

“We want to take responsibility of the law and order situation in the city,” said Ateekur Rehman, the head of the initiative. They believe arts, music and cultural activities could overcome violence in the city. This is the third time that members of Workpeace are celebrating the day. Earlier, they published an e-book carrying opinions of social activists on peace, while activities with students were also arranged.

This time around, the paintings of three students were laid out on the table to be sold in a bid to gather charity for a school. The low turnout showed that the event was poorly planned as it failed to bring in the artists it promised.

A professional artist, Zohaib Hasan, who is also an art teacher, had turned up at the event to show his support. Hasan told The Express Tribune that he highlighted the positive aspects of the city in his painting. “I encourage others to use as much colours as they want, I believe war can be defeated by its force.” He uses his artistic talent to paint Karachi’s old buildings rather than depicting a bloodstained city.

Nabeel Qureshi, a student of Iqra University, had also put up his paintings on display.”We must change ourselves, and then only we can change others,” he said.

Three hours later, as other artists failed to turn up and people failed to show any interest in buying the paintings, the event came to an unsuccessful close.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2013.