dispelling misconceptions
and removing the biases present in both countries.The workshops
included various role-plays, an Asiaworks' teambuilding
course, as well as sessions on the Power of the Media and
Construction of History, among others.
The participants culminated
their learning in the form of a Mission Statement and a
Statement of Common Ground, which both the Indian and Pakistani
youth will work upon on their return to their home countries.
We'll be completely honest here: before going to the 'Initiative
For Peace' (IFP) conference in Singapore, both of us were
unsure about what to expect from the experience. We had
no idea what we were stepping into, but, despite that, we
were enthusiastic and excited, to say the least. Both of
us were extremely concerned about the situation. Our reasons
for this were simple: Kashmir has been at the heart of a
territorial dispute between India and Pakistan since the
two nations gained their independence in 1947. It was one
of those issues that simply begged to be solved, lasting
for years, and depriving the Kashmiri people of their basic
human rights of freedom and peace. As one of our friends
very aptly put it, "Kashmir is a word so overused,
a name so listlessly prosaic, that after almost 55 years
of prevarication, it seems to have lost all its meaning."
Both of us had met before
the conference but it wasn't until we actually got there
that we got to know each other. Apart from strengthening
the bond between the two of us, the conference was able
to create a bond between 60 people. This group of 60 included
students from India and Pakistan, and 20 facilitators from
15 other nationalities. From the moment we landed in Singapore
we were made to feel extremely welcome. Two facilitators,
Michael Vardi and Michael Shank, picked us up from the airport,
and took us to the (very beautiful) UWC campus. It only
took a couple of hours for these people to become more than
just facilitators … they became our friends. Each
of us was assigned a room, which we shared with a facilitator
and two other participants, but this was where we spent
the least time. On our bus ride to the college, we remember
being told that if you join a United World College you have
to choose between any two of the three options: working,
socializing and sleeping. We chose (unanimously) to work
and socialize, and thus every possible moment was spent
doing just that. Breakfast, which took place at 8:00 am,
was usually followed by 'Trust-building activities' that
were an integral part of each day. They were generally crazy
games, which, very successfully, managed to energize us
for the long day ahead. Every day was filled with workshops
and speeches, which much to our surprise, were both interesting
and inspiring.
Soon after the conference
started, each of us was given paint and a small square-shaped
piece of card to work on. Aptly titled 'Creating a Vision',
it was something that brought us all together, allowing
us to create a common image of the world we see or want
to see in the future. Though each individual's work was
wonderful, we think that alone, each piece of work didn't
portray the ideals we all had. It was when the whole mural
was constructed that we realized we had a common dream,
a vision for which we were ready to work. It was inspiring
just to stand in front of that wall and search for emotions,
similar to the ones each of us was feeling, in images created
by others. Other workshops we worked on included, 'Construction
of History' and 'Media in the Kashmir Conflict', both of
which aimed at eliminating biases created by the media,
be it through books, newspapers or television. These workshops,
according to most of us, were the most important, simply
because they allowed us to decide for ourselves, what was
truth and what wasn't. The best part was that we used this
ability to distinguish throughout the conference. When two
of the speakers gave extremely biased opinions of the Kashmir
issue, instead of creating conflict, it allowed us to unite.
These workshops were not meant for us to debate who was
right or wrong, but rather, they were meant to make us realize
that what we considered facts were not really facts at all.
Most importantly, they encouraged us to step away from the
past to work for a better future.
Once each of us made these
realizations, it was easy for us to participate in other,
more challenging workshops, like the one held by Keith Fitzgerald
on Conflict Management. By asking us to list the fears and
concerns of the other country, regarding the Kashmir issue,
we were able to step into their shoes, and acknowledge their
perspective - something we had never really done before.
Those are just examples of some of the workshops held. However,
it wasn't just the workshops that were a source of inspiration
and learning, a lot of the credit goes to the people we
met and interacted with.
One of the first speakers
was a Colombian boy, named 'Gerson Andrés Flórez
Peréz', who is a 17-year old Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
Gerson's speech was a wonderful start, and motivated us
to do as much as we possibly could. He managed to remove
our skepticism and worry about not being taken seriously
due to the age group we belonged to. Gerson became a friend
and a brother, someone we could all relate as well as look
up to, and his humbleness was a virtue we all felt the need
to adopt.
Next came the Ramdases. A
lovely couple with convictions and morals so strong it was
hard to find fault with anything they did or said. Lalita
Ramdas, (who preferred being called Lolly or Didi), and
Admiral Ramdas were like parents for the week they were
there. Oozing with warmth and love, they were the first
people who managed to convince us that Indians were humans
too. They were joined later by Brigadier Rao, who works
at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. He was appreciative
of the fact that we, the youth, are trying to bridge the
gap created by adults, giving us renewed hope and enthusiasm.
Most importantly, Brigadier Rao made us feel proud to be
Pakistani.
We also feel the need to thank
Dario, Tannaz, Melissa and all the facilitators for not
only putting endless amounts of effort and time, but also
for showing us that it wasn't necessary to be Pakistani,
Indian, or Kashmiri to care about the issue, but just human.
Last, but definitely not least,
was Michael Shank. From the moment he came to pick us up
at the airport, till the time we said goodbye, Michael was
the biggest source of inspiration. There was no limit to
his contagious enthusiasm and it was this energy that allowed
us to go on. To break barriers. To unite. He taught us to
be truthful and honest, to communicate, to try and understand
others, and respect everyone's opinions and desires. He
showed us how to care.
Thank you all for making this
the best week of our lives. For being with us when we laughed
or cried. For showing us the path to peace and love. For
being our family.
As our Mission Statement states
'We are a youth movement united in our efforts to build
mutual trust and understanding for sustainable peace', and
as the song, that Michael taught us to sing, goes: 'We who
believe in freedom shall not rest until it comes'.
