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'Dil se Dil' - Independence Day Friendship Celebration

In 2007, Friends Without Borders, along with our partners Roots 2 Routes, planned one of the most ambitious events in the history of India and Pakistan.

What follows below is a description of the event that was postponed at the final moment.

The event was fulfilled in spirit through a multiple series of concerts as part of the Aman ki Asha campaign.

Sixty years and three generations after Independence, the people of India and the people of Pakistan have never jointly celebrated the political event that gave birth to both nations. This year, all that will change.

On the night of August 14th and into the early hours of August 15th, preeminent musicians and celebrity Masters of Ceremonies will come together across the India-Pakistan border to lead the youth of both countries into a new era of friendship and cultural interaction: Dil se Dil: Independence Day Friendship Celebration.

Though this commemoration will entail a single, unifying concert event, the performances will originate from twin stages, one in India and one in Pakistan, on either side of the Attari/Wagah border. Live performances will alternate from one stage to the other, visible to the entire live audience, no matter on which side of the border they are sitting.

This two-stage-one-concert approach, with its innovative utilization of advanced telecommunications, sound engineering, and broadcast technology is as symbolic as it is practical. It represents the younger generation doing exactly what they do best: harnessing technology to create community and to overcome distance, physical barriers, and outmoded thinking.

Dil se Dil is a celebration of our past, acknowledging our shared history while recognizing that these two great countries are pursuing separate national destinies. It is a celebration of our present, displaying our common humanity. (We dance to the same songs!) It is a celebration of our future, demonstrating that mutual dreams of more peaceful, open, collaborative relations are indeed close at hand.

This historic event will be televised live by major networks in both countries, including Doordarshan. It will commence at 11:00 pm (IST) and conclude at 12:30 am (IST), thereby spanning the midnight hour in both time zones. Because of its significance and scope, Dil se Dil is a made-for-broadcast event and the dictates of first-class, live videographic presentation will be given priority. Notwithstanding the late hour, we believe this event will capture a substantial viewership – and the commercial channels in India have been discussing the desirability of doing a rebroadcast in the afternoon or primetime of 15 August as well.

Production Partners

Friends Without Borders, the unique child-to-child peace project, which has teams on-the-ground in both countries, is the creative author of this event and the coordinating partner for the production.

Routes2Roots, a Delhi-based NGO with an office in Pakistan, is using their decades of experience building social, cultural, and business connections among the peoples of South Asia to tackle the administrative, bureaucratic, and political aspects of the project.