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Childlike approach for global peace urged
The Dawn - 27 March 2006
Karachi
by Afshan Subohi
Attempting to prove the worth of ‘law of love’ in international affairs, a group of young people participating in the World Social Forum are hoping to generate a befitting response here to the largest ever love letter carrying messages of Indian children for their Pakistani counterparts.
Organizers of the campaign said that they wanted to connect the young generation of both the countries to ensure peace in the region and the world.
The group called ‘Friends without borders’ (FWB) brought the letter by road from Delhi. The letter that was exhibited at many cities in India is signed by thousands of children from all over India. The team will present the 360x240 feet letter, in Lahore at the Qadhafi Stadium on April 3.
According to the group representatives, they are 99 per cent children and some grown-ups, who are working to let the children’s voices be heard. They feel the world is a beautiful place that “can be shaped into whatever we can imagine. If only we had children’s eyes to see it, we probably would design it in a much better and a more holistic way”.
They believe that children are not biased. This is something that is acquired later. This, they felt blurs the vision and corrupt the thought process and sometimes lead adults to justify horrific actions in the name of national interest or ideology.
“We plan to make the right contacts here with people working for and with children to organize creation of a letter of response here in Pakistan by involving as many children as possible within a specified time frame”, Maria Durane of the FWB told Dawn.
This letter was first unveiled on January 16, at the M. Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in Bangalore. Its creation was a joint effort of the Friends without Borders team, artist John Devaraj and kids from the Born Free Art School, and many children from various schools and even streets from several places in India. There were hundreds of children who came to sign and participate in its creation.
The participation of the group with a new approach to world peace highlights that the WSF is not just about denouncing the current world order but more importantly about public dialogue for devising alternatives to achieve a better world.
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